After all our visits from our friends and a heavy new year's eve ,we draw up an action plan of all the places of interests around, that we have not already visited. First on the list is Klong Muang beach situated 15km north of Ao Nang. So just a short scooter ride and we are at our destination. The beach so picturesque, long tail boats are powering up and down and the waves slowly reaching in on the shore. Its natural bucolic beauty marries well with the tranquillity of the area and for a slice of 'real' Thailand it is hard to beat. Jade and I take a lovely stroll and relax for a short while on this tranquil beach, before heading up to Tup Kaek beach which is a stone's throw away from Klong Muang

We arrive at Tup Kaek beach after a short drive along the coastline, The unspoilt beach is truly beautiful and the sea is the clearest I have seen it yet and idyllic limestone Islands fill the horizon and make an amazing back drop for this beautiful place, It is here that you could really get the so deserved peaceful repose. There are many expensive beach resorts that are dotted along the coast line; this is not the destination for a backpacker stay but it is definitely worth a visit. On our second trip here with our friend James and J.J we could not believe how much nature was about, In the space of an hour we had seen a meter long snake, Komodo Dragon, Sea Snake and a huge crab all in this area... more than I have seen anywhere else on our travel in Thailand.

So after a day on the coast of Krabi, tomorrow it is time to head inland and aim for Khao Phanom Bencha National Park and visit Huay Toy Waterfall. This park is located outside of Krabi town about 25km or so. Khao Phanom is a 4000+ feet mountain that feeds the stream that forms this waterfall. There are a number of levels to the waterfall. Some say 11 levels to this falls. I'm not sure that could be correct. I have climbed up to 3 levels. I was at what I assumed was the top but some locals told me there were many more levels after a hike through the jungle. Jade and I decided not to go for the hike and instead took many pictures of each other posing on the cascading waterfalls! We even managed to take a picture of Twinkle! As the sun was reaching its peak heat for the afternoon, Jade and I cower in the shade and get refreshed with some H20 before heading back to Ao Nang .

Our penultimate Day is a complete mystery to us both as our next door neighbour Stephan from Denmark is taking us on a tour. Stephan has lived here for the last 5 years and loves this area. We meet him in the morning and we are making our way to Krabi Town, Jade and I are really excited for what he has instore for us. We drop our bikes off at a restaurant, and he tells us that a guide is meeting us here to take us around.. Still not knowing where we are making are way to Krabi Pier and the next thing we are boarding a long tail boat.

We are making our way up the beautiful river, we pass huge limestone karsts on one side and the other is filled with mangroves that are growing from the water. After a short while we stop on a small stretch of sand where there are monkeys watching our every move. There is a towering cliff in front of us with a set of stairs leading into the centre. As we make our way up there Stefan is now giving us a few clues. telling us that this is where the oldest settlers of Thailand have been found, There are even skeletal remains to prove this. We reach the top and the cliff opens up to a huge cave, it was tremendous, stalagmites hanging from everywhere, there was even information boards so you could read the history about the settlers from millions of years ago. It was amazing seeing all of the statues and what went on inside this huge cave.

We all make our way back onto the boat and are now cruising at a steady speed past the mangroves and we come across a meter long lizard on a rock that is soaking up the sun. The boat veers off and pulls into the mangrove, through a tiny gap, it is somewhat eerie but exciting all the same. After about half an hour we reach through to the other side and are on the other side of the estuary of Krabi. Our next stop is a fish farm on the Island of Khlong Prasong. This island on the river is only accessible by boat, with the fronts of some boats even being chopped in order to provide a scooter ferry service!! There are apparently 5000+ people living on here, with schools, shops and even a new town hall to cater to their needs. The fish farm was a fantastic stop as our Thai guides showed us around all the different species of these colourful fish. The next thing I know Jade is holding a huge puffer fish that has expanded with ginormous spikes, we cannot believe how big it is, I opt not to hold the spikey little blighter as I am playing camera man...! [cue Jade's snigger]. She must have calming hands though as he deflates twice and drops back into the water, before we can eventually get a photo.

The estuary of the river is full with all kinds of fishing crafts, we are now making our way out to where the river meets the sea to see if we can catch a glimpse of an eagle and within minutes we see one flying off into the distance. Now slowly creeping back up towards our end destination, we thank Stephan for such an informative and exciting trip. He then kindly invites us to join him for lunch at his favourite eatery! Jade and I light up at the sound of food and make our way to the European restaurant to sample Stephans taste of home. He tells us that we should have Sild (pickled herring) with some schnapps, to show our appreciation for the trip we agree, our food arrives and the next thing we are toasting with schnapps and devouring our herring which, to my surprise, Jade liked! I wouldn't imagine she will be eating it again though (she later asked "Did I just eat raw fish??")! With our bellies now full after being spoilt rotten from Stefan we head back to Ao Nang stopping off at the aquarium that is situated about 500 metres from Fossil beach, Ao Nang.

The aquarium is outdoor,s with big tanks and ponds filled with all kinds of fish. Jade walked around naming all of the "Finding Nemo" characters and relating constantly back to her fish-loving brother and niece. The two main fish that really caught our eye were the hundreds of Clown Fish, which is the national fish of Thailand or "Nemo", and the huge Sting Ray. Before I knew it Jade was kneeling down at the water's edge stroking the huge sting ray and tickling it's chin!! This was a day we will never forget, Thanks to Stephan!