So after a few crazy days in the capital, it was time we left Bangkok for calmer surroundings. We booked an all night "12 hour direct" bus journey down to the south of Thailand and decided krabi would be our next point of call.
We found ourselves quite excited to get away from the hustle bustle, ping pong show, do you want to buy a suit Bangkok, and both needed some open space and fresh air. So excited infact, that at 5.30am the night before, we were still drinking rum and feeling like naughty students on a school trip, creeping about our swanky hotel trying to find an ATM. We found the ATM, however the rum is to blame for the fact that we managed to get our pin number wrong. 3 times. And block our card. No more rum...
The thing with "12 hour direct" bus services in Thailand is that they actually mean, 18 hours, 4 changes of bus at various random bus stops/cafes owned by the drivers mate followed by a taxi. Which dropped us off half a mile away from our hostel. 3 hours into our first bus journey and we had driven around 10 miles and then pulled over while the drivers stopped for a chat and a bite to eat- great service if you ask me and a great sign for things to come!
Arriving (finally) in Krabi was a relief, and meeting our new German friend, Horst Wolfgang Becker, 'The Horse' was a definite highlight. We visited Railey Beach and soaked up the raise and threw a frisbee and decided soon after to leave for the famous Kho Phi Phi, the so called magical untouched island which was used to film, 'The Beach.' My memories of Kho Phi Phi was a recovering and deserted island after the Tsunami tragedy, a quiet spot to meet some friends from back home and chill with them for a few days. Let's hope the "2 hour direct" boat is a little more accurate in it's description....