Two farangs in Chaweng

After Phi Phi our next destination was Krabi, a beachfront community on the mainland. While sitting on the ferry, we booked a bungalow in Ao Nang, which is a smaller town about 15 minutes away from Krabi Town. It was called the Blue Bayou and we settled into our glorious air conditioned bungalow on the beach quite nicely. We relaxed the first, just getting used to the small town. The second day we just went to the beach and had fun, avoiding the small jellyfish off shore. We also booked a long tail boat trip to Railay, an area that is secluded and most easily reached by boat. Railay was beautiful, with lots of dense jungle and cliffs right next to a beach with cool cafes and resorts. We walked through the town and deeper in there was a small house- complex that had been abandoned and the new tenants where a group of twenty or so monkeys. The rest of our time there was spent on the beach. Steve enjoyed his banana pancake and mango lassi. Railay also has some of the best rock climbing in Thailand and or maybe the world, but due to budget and time constraints we did not participate.

The next day we went on an elephant trek further inland at this sanctuary called " Nosey Parkers". We rode the only male elephant in a group of nine ( lucky guy) and each had a turn at the helm. We rode into the jungle on a bit of a path and came back through a field where our elephant went on a feeding frenzy. We didn't have much say on the matter so we let him enjoy his lunch. Afterwards we were given the opportunity to feed the elephants cucumbers and bananas. They're amazingly cool creatures. Later we went back to our bungalows and after a relaxing nap we had an even more relaxing Thai massage for an hour. You'd be surprised at how good a small Thai woman walking around on your back for an hour can make you feel. The next day we left by bus to Surat Thani where we hopped on a ferry to a supposedly more expensive Koh Samui, the second largest island in Thailand.

Upon arriving in Koh Samui we located a cheap hotel room near Chaweng Beach on the west coast of the island and took the inexpensive "bus" ( which is basically a pick up truck with two benches in the back and a canopy overtop). Today we went to the beach, which has significantly choppier waters, but have been kept in for most of the day due to rain. That's what you get when you go to Thailand in the middle of the rainy season. Otherwise we have had some good weather so far and are excited to get up to Koh Tao and Koh Phangnan.

Until then we bid everyone at home a safe journey.

PS