22/12/09 Koh Phangan to Krabi

We woke up at about 5am and showered, then Phil went on a search for the receptionist who was there thank goodness. We didn't need to implement our criminal plan and then spend the next few weeks on the run...phew !!! He was given back his passport after a quick check for scratches on the bike but she said she had no keys for our laundry so we'd have to wait !! We were about to leave when she turned up with the laundry so we packed it up and got a taxi to the port to catch the ferry. We loaded on our bags and settled onto the deck for the journey of a couple of hours. The ferry dropped off a few passengers on Koh Samui then we made our way to the mainland town of Surathani. Once off the ferry we all lined up at a desk to be given a sticker with our destination on it. We then waited about ten minutes before we boarded a big coach heading for Krabi our destination over on the opposite coast of the Thai Peninsula to Surathani. The drive was really good with a brand new dual carriageway all the way. Goodness knows why they built such an impressive road, we hardly saw any other vehicles on it. We were dropped off at Krabi bus station which was more like a shack but Phil went to organise us some accommodation and we got some much needed rolls to eat too. We had a free pick up and were taken to P Guesthouse which was pretty small but clean and had all we needed and all for seven pounds a night. We asked at the guesthouse for quotes on a boat trip and for tickets to Koh Phi Phi. The owner said she would make us a special price but after looking round we realised she was charging more than anywhere else. We went for a stroll around the town near to our hotel and it was pretty non descript with a few restaurants but not alot else really. We had lunch and went to use the internet taking the opportunity as there was not alot else to do for the rest of the day. We went back to our room and watched TV for an hour which was a very melodramatic Aussie sea rescue show then went out to book our ferry to Koh Phi Phi and also a four island boat trip out of Krabi for the next day. We spent some time in the internet looking for some accommodation for New Years Eve on Phuket and finally found what looks like a really nice room .Its a bit over the budget but what the hell its New Years!!! We went to take some money out of the ATM and the machine suddenly went completely blank for about two minutes then turned back on and returned Lizzies card without any money. We were both really worried it was a dodgy machine and the card might have been cloned. We went to use a different machine which seemed ok so we decided not to panic but to check as soon as possible the next day. We called into a wild west themed bar called Old West Bar run by a really cool Thai man who was really chatty with us. We read the menu and the English translations were quite funny...chicken giggles meaning chicken and ginger. After some food and a couple of drinks there we went back to drop into bed after a long day.

23/12/09 Krabi

We were picked up at 8 am from the guesthouse by a miserable driver to take us to Ao Nang, the next resort along to get a boat to tour the islands off Krabi. We picked up another 7 passengers and went to Ao Nang which was a lovely beach resort with one big strip along the beach road full of shops and restaurants. We regretted that we hadn't stayed there instead as it seemed alot nicer than Krabi town where we were staying. We joined a longtail after wading through the warm surf and headed out to the island of Koh Tup which is a stunning white sand beach island connected to another smaller isladn by a sand spit. You are able to wade across at low tide and we did go across . It was pretty idyllic but then loads more boats arrived and the beach was teaming with other tourists. The cheek!!!!! We stayed there for about an hour and a half with Liz sunbathing and Phil taking Pammie for a walk to take some pics. We climbed back on board the longtail boat and went to see Chicken Island so called because it has a rocky outcrop in the shape of a chicken head (see photos). We sailed underneath it so we could get some photos then the boat stopped so we could all have a snorkel there. We went in for about half an hour and saw plenty of fish and a bit of coral too. Next we went to Poda island where we pulled up along side loads of other longtails adn got off to have lunch. The tour leader gave us each a polystyrene tub with rice and a bag of chicken green curry. Phil couldn't eat it as it was too spicy but Liz had hers. It was really hot but tasty. Phil had a toasted sandwich from the islands restaurant but it cost about 5 pounds which is really expensive for here. The island was really beautiful with a huge limestone stack out in front of the beach rising from the aqua sea. We couldn't resist having a photo taken with our santa hats to send home. A really nice couple took some pictures for us which you will all have seen by now and we chatted with them for a while. They borrowed our hats and we took photos for them too. We stayed on the beach and had an ice cream before we got back in the boat to go to Hat Tham beach near Pranang Cave. The beach extends along the coast after the two Rai Leh beaches. It was a really lovely beach with tall limestone walls all around the beach and the sea ahead of it. We swam there and sat on the white sand until it was time to get going. We sailed past the other Rai Leh beaches which looked stunning and pretty undeveloped compared to others we'd seen while back into Ao Nang . We were driven back to Krabi town and we went for showers then went into the town again. We went to eat in a restaurant called Up to You we had seen the day before which was very nice. We went to the internet cafe to upload our Xmas photo and sent out a few messages . We got some money out of the ATM to see us thorugh to after Xmas in case Phi Phis ATMs were emptied. We went back to Old West bar and had a few drinks whilst watching some awful cage fighting on the TV in there. It was really quiet in there and we fely quite sorry for the enthusiastic staff. We stayed a bit longer than we would have then went off to bed.