Krabi But Not CRABBY-A Break Away From Waterworld

So how convenient we get a little over a week off from school when Bkk is declared a "Disaster Area" because of the flooding? I'll take it. We departed from Bkk on Thai Airways Royal Silk class and were definitely treated like royalty. I don't recall booking a first class or business class ticket, but mai pen rai (no worries). We arrived to the airport in Krabi shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday with our driver holding up a sign with my name on it. It took roughly a half hour to hit paradise in Ao Nang Beach at our comfy resort, Phra Nang Inn.

View from Ao Nang Beach. A few long tail boats.

One of the first things I noticed as we ventured out were the Tsunami evacuation signs along the beach walkways of the Andaman Sea. This area was hit pretty badly in 2004. But one would never know with how clean and well-kept everything looks.
Since it was still pretty early, and we were waiting on our friends to arrive, we decided to book an elephant trekking tour nearby. I have never ridden an elephant before, but this was one of the most amazing adventures I have ever experienced. For under $25 I could ride an elephant in the tropical rainforest, take some great pictures of the lizards, monkeys, the landscape and then feed her gobs of pineapples AND watch her bathe with her mother afterward. Nice way to start a holiday I'd say!

When we returned we grabbed some lunch and walked around the town to see where everything was located. If there is one criticism we had about Ao Nang Beach, it was the pushiness of the vendors and shop owners, especially those selling food and those who own tailor shops. It is not even that bad in Bangkok! But most were pretty friendly. Lots of Indian shop & restaurant owners there, and most spoke pretty good English, which made it easier to strike up conversation or politely refuse their services.
It was nice to see our friends when they arrived. We had some dinner together and then Josh and I headed back to our room at Phra Nang because we were beat. I notice that we always tend to go to bed earlier while on vacay and wake up earlier. That's probably a good thing.

The next few days was island hopping. Sunday morning we took a speed boat out to the Phi Phi Islands, and the first one we stopped at was where the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, "The Beach" was filmed. It is called Maya Bay. We had opportunities to snorkel in two locations, and experience the crazy Phi Phi Don Island as well when we broke for lunch. It was both our first times snorkeling, and now I wonder what I have been missing all these years of being on vacation in tropical countries by the ocean. There is so much to see under the water! Maybe down the road I will decide to go through the training and classes to become PADI certified so I can dive deeper and see more. The coral in these locations was absolutely amazing, so amazing they jump out at Josh and skin his legs and toes when he is not watching where he is swimming and walking. :-)  

The famed beach Maya Bay, where The Beach was filmed. Yes, Josh took this amazing panoramic photo. He's so good, isn't he!?!

What can I say? I got to hold a monkey on the street, swim with fishies, eat good food, see friends while on vacation and relax with my husband while working on my tan. Okay, I am paying for the so-called tain now with my peeling skin, YUCKY! But it was worth it. 
Wanna know the best part? I waited to finish this blog because...
We returned to work on Tuesday last week (we had a day off for King Chulonglakorn Day on Monday) and then after my last teaching period, the rumor became reality...no school until Nov. 7th. Ugh. Another vacation? Not so fast. Josh and I have been troopers sticking it out here in Bangkok, only because Sharin couldn't decide quick enough where to go next! So I tossed around Pattaya, Koh Samui (near to where we were a few weeks ago in Krabi--south Thailand), and decided to try out Koh Samet. We will be there starting tomorrow, provided there is no mass exodus from the city by bus (fingers crossed tightly), until Friday. We picked the southern tip of the island, in Ao Wai. Not as many tourists there and with only a spread of 8km of island, we can always walk to reality, er, life on the island I suppose.

So stay tuned because I am sure I will be posting pics. Until then, you can visit my FB photos of the recent Krabi trip, as I am starting to get more  pics from Josh! Mind you, I am using my iPhone camera, while he uses some high tech Canon EOS7D or whatever it is. Either way, you can see pics from one island to the next.
Cheers until we return from our next island journey!