Day 70 5th Feb
We're up in good time and make our way to the breakfast area, only this time without being lucky enough to witness such the array of wild as we did yesterday... We have had a resident lizard that treats our balcony area as he own, and as expected he in gaurd in his usual spot.... He's motionless as we pass.... Only one eye moves, tracking our progress up the path....
Our taxi arrives just as we finish eating so we grab our bags and jump in the back heading off to the coach station half hour earlier than it's announced departure time allowing us plenty of time to get our tickets.....
The coach is already sat in the coach station when we arrive and the taxi driver parks up next to it and points us in the right direction....
Shiree goes off to get the tickets sorted whilst I stay with our heavy weight bags by the coach.....
The coach is bright pink with verious destinations plastered all over it in contrasting yellow.... I was surprised by its overall good condition... There was hardly a mark on it, I guess they must have to repaint them pretty regularly as it certainly wasn't a new coach...
Once shirees completed the very simple task of buying two tickets, which of coarse went completely without trouble and is sat with our bags I wonder around the coach...
They obviously spend a reasonable amount of money on upkeep.... The tyres are all new Michelins, the paint works very good, and it looks tidy inside.... I walk around the back and peer in though the huge chrome cooling vents on the rear of the coach.... I massive 8 cylinder Mercedes Turbo Diesel engine ticks over happily with no leaks anywhere...
The engines huge... No wonder these things are so quick.... It has a mass of belts that drive a huge array of ancillary parts for various coach specific jobs....
As I look around the coach I count 18 Mercedes badges..... There obviously proud of their product..
The journey goes well.... The roads in south Thailand are just like the roads at home and before you know it you've completed half the journey, had your food stop and your well on your way to completing the second half... We've made the decision now that although the coach may be an hour longer over a 5 or 6 hour journey, it's far more civilised than the faster minivan service that's offered as an alternative.... When travelling on a coach, you do so on a purpose built vehicle, where you don't have to sit on top of your own bag or have someone else's baggage resting against you.... The journey is carried out in relative comfort, with reclining seats, personal space and personal air conditioning vents, and although your not exempt from danger, and despite our earlier coach trip terror rides in north Thailand... it feels on the whole a safer way to travel....
We arrive in Krabi town bus station and exit the coach into blistering heat and a very eager bunch of local TukTuk riders with attitude.....
There was no bartering as far as they were concerned.... It's there price or walk and they happily indicated this action by walking the fingers up the road with a smile on there face....
So we picked up our bags and walked.... Not far... It was boiling, but far enough to be out of sight before we stopped in the shade to weight up our options....
I pull out the phone with the Thai SIM card in and we quickly learn that our hotels miles away.... And there's no walking it... It would take us all day.. Whilst sat pondering this a different Tuk Tuk rider pulls up with a better price, so we jump in and sit back to enjoy the ride.... We travel for around half an hour through some very quiet windy isolated roads before pulling off the single track road and into the entrance of our next accommodation....
This is another bungalow stay only these are clearly more rustic....
As you first enter the grounds you pass 9 detached bungalows that are all in a line on your left.... There's a central track in the sand to the very end and a collection of younger Palm trees mixed with large pine trees that fill the area to the right.... We travel the length of the short track and pass all 9 bungalows arriving at reception at the end.... The reception area comprises of a bar and kitchen area and a seperate large open plan seating area under a bamboo and banana leaf pagoda... Both the bar and pagoda are set within a clearing that's surrounded by pine trees.... beyond the pine trees lies a clean sand beach followed by the sea with small islands 200 meters off shore... The waters calm and the temperatures high so I guess we'll be spending some time in that sea....
We are shown to our room and given our key by a lady who speaks little English.... We dump our bags down and realise that the electrics not working.... I flick a few switches but nothing... We sort ourselves out with swim shorts and head back down the 100 meter drive to the reception area and meet a new women behind the desk... She informs us that there is no electricity until 6pm when the generator is started and will provide power till around 3 am...
We wonder off down to the sea and wade straight in and walk out.... The waters initially murky where there's so much floating sand, but within 30ft the gently breaking waves no longer disturb the sand underneath and the waters crystal clear.... We just continue to walk around enjoying the warm sea water... The water level doesn't seem to get any deeper.... 50, 100, 200 meters out, it makes no difference, so we walk in the direction of the closest island.... Because the waters so clear you can see everything on the sea bed and crabs seem to be common place here.... There reasonable large and you can chase them as they run around in the sea floor..... Claws help up in the air.... Ready to attach you at any moment..... We decide to turn back to the mainland as we approach the halfway point to the island..... The water level has risen a little and I'm carrying our camera.... Not the waterproof one.... As we turn to walk back in we notice that the tides been going out whilst we've been in the water.... There's large sand banks that now protrude through the water and we aim for the closest..... The view back to out bungalow area is stunning.... There's the sea water in which we're stood, a ribbon on white sand followed by a think line of trees, only the odd beach umbrella indicates the presents of other people....
We stand in ankle deep water taking photos of the sunset and beach line before heading back, on the back in we spot a star fish that's manoeuvring across the sand bank in search of water.... It's around 2 inches in size..... We pick it up and relocate it before continuing, we soon find more and more.... Well, I do... Shirees looking for them, but can't find any... She'll walk right past them and not see any, testament to there effective camouflage.... But then she finds a small sand bank with around 50 or 60 on.... It's quite a sight.... and soon becomes the subject of a few photos, with the sun setting in the background....
We are almost back at the beach entrance at the bungalow area.... Shirees walked the last part on the beach, whilst I've stayed on the softer exposed sand bank collecting some long spiralled shells..... I'm showing Shiree these shells when a woman walks over, keen to see what I've found... She introduces herself as Michelle... Michelle's English, around 60 and has long grey hair and she's keen in shells... As it turns out she's staying in one of the bungalows within our little complex and is pleased to see us.... She's been here for the last few days, and we are the first English speakers she's encountered.....
We head back to our bungalow to get showered before dinner.... Shiree heads to the bathroom first, as she usually does, and once showered informs me with a smirk on her face that it'll be once of the quickest showers I've had as I head towards the bathroom..... I'm used to Shiree using all but a morsel of the available hot water, but I wasn't prepared for having no hot tap at all.... It's bloody freezing cold ware or nothing, and after getting my legs wet I decide on nothing...... Shirees got thinker skin than I have.... I don't do showers in ice cold water..... That I later learn is also salty.....
We head down to the bar and order some lunch, and it's here we meet Michelle again... She ends up joining us for dinner and we spend the night just chatting..... She's done a similar trip to us, but on her own, as her husbands not one for travelling.... Michelle's a right old moaner, and initially I'm thinking that the poor husband is probably glad for the piece and quiet, but in the same breath her company is nice, and you have to admire her sense of adventure....
We retire for a rather hot nights sleep, with the fan on full whilst the power lasts and the windows open wide... We'd killed all the Mosquitos we could find on arrival, and turn the lights out quick and hope the window mosquito nets do there job.....