Island Time!

Over the past few days, we made the decision to sign up for a couple day trips and were herded like cattle to the big tourist islands, and it was fantastic. We have run into the middle of Chinese New Year which means tourists from all over Asia have descended the Thai beach towns and big crowds in the streets, beaches and boat trips. We chalked it up to being all part of the experience and fun of being on the other side of the world and being part of what March Break and Christmas break would mean for North America travelers.

Hat Rai Lei

Before we hopped on the speed boats to race across the Thailand Sea, we took a long boat to the neighbouring beach of Rai ley that is literally on the other side of the big rock cliff (see pictures) but due to the mountainous terrain, people access the near by beaches mostly by boat.

We were very impressed by the clear blue green water and towering rock faces that surrounded the beach, which again made a big draw for the tourists. The beach had some overhanded trees which was an added bonus to escape some of the suns rays and forty degree heat.  A great day was spent relaxing on the beach and the water before making our way back to Ao nang. This beach is a must visit for any travelers who are in the Krabi area.

Ko Phi Phi

Day one of the boat tour was a visit to Maya Beach . This is a popular site as it was the beach that was used for the filming of the early 2000's movie "The Beach".  It was impressive as the beach was set back within high  rock faces and its clear blue water.  Literally thousands of people were on the beach to get their piece of the beach and enjoy the water. We really enjoyed this first stop of the day and the silica sand.

The next stop of the day was a quick half hour snorkel. The boat men parked on the edge of the reef and would throw bread into the water to attract the fish. This ensured large schools of colourful fish, but below the schools eating the bread at the top of the water, many different types and sizes of fish were almost set in layers down to the 12-15 foot bottom. This was a great snorkel spot as there was a wide variety of fish and lots of them. The bigger fish could be seen eating and crushing the coral while the smaller fish would eat the chunks of coral that fell out of the big fish mouth. It was fun to see the fish feeding and active. Many of the small fish were so curious they would sit right in front of our masks just as curious about us as we were about them.

We made a few more brief drive by stops at locations were birds were breeding and nesting and then continued on to Ko Phi Phi island. This island is claimed to be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. We had our lunch stop here and an hour or so to enjoy the beach. The main part of the island where the tourists stay is about a  1km long and half km wide which means every inch of space is used by hotels, beach and market shops. This island was very beautiful and we could see how it would have gained its reputation.

The last stop of the day was on a small nearby island called Bamboo Island. This was our favourite stop as we though it has the best sand and clearest water. The island was very small with no development, except for a toilet and snack stand for tourists. It it was one would imagine of a deserted island in the tropics.  It was a great quiet stop at the end of the day to enjoy the sun and some more great swimming.

Our day was topped off by a thai massage on the beach at sunset when we returned back to Ao Nang beach.  They have lots of huts set up on the beach that are offering various massage and spa treatments.  Not exactly what you are used to when you think of a massage set-up at home, but rather 10 or so mattresses side by side in a hut.  We got mats right at the front, on the beach, and could watch as the sky went to the pinks and purples of the sunset.

Rai ley beach with the rocky cliffs in the background. 

View of Rai ley beach in the opposite direction of the first picture. We  were sitting at the end of the beach watching the rock climbers going back and forth. 

This little guy would help his dad by putting the ladder on the side of the boat so passengers would be able to climb easily in and out of the boat. 

This is the famous Maya beach which was feature in "The Beach" movie. 

A shot of the tourists gathering on Maya beach.

Ko Phi Phi island

A worker putting a new roof on a building on  Phi Phi island. Looks safe to me!

A view of Phi Phi island out towards the pier.

Steve swimming at Bamboo island. 

Another picture of the beach at Bamboo island.

James Bond Island


Today we were on another day tour and we were excited to see more of what Thailand had to offer. The standard was set high on the previous day, which made us look forward to our trip today.

The first stop of the day was and island that is now referred to on all the tourists signs and by locals as James Bond island. The island was featured in a James Bond movie, "The Man with the Golden Gun", which made it a big tourists attraction.  It was jammed packed with tourists. The long boats were lined up in a queue like airplanes ready to land as one boat would pull up to the dock, 40 or so people would disembark, the boat would pull out of the way and more people would pile onto the island. It was a sight to watch in itself.

We walked around the small island and got some pictures of the rocks featured in the movie. It was a great place to see, even with all the people.

Our next stop was different and a lot of fun. We stopped at a floating, we guess you could say store or outfitters.We rode in the long boat from James Bond island to another island and everyone got onto this large floating store to get into smaller inflatable kayaks. This part was great as there was a Thai person who was the paddler in each boat and we were able to relax in the boat as he cracked bad jokes and guided us into and out of caves and mangrove forests.

The highlight of the day was the stop after lunch at the monkey cave! Outside of this cave there were approximately 50 monkeys who loved tourists and knew when feeding time was going to start. The monkeys were well behaved and just walked around and looked at the tourists. The fun began when people would buy a bunch of bananas or nuts from the ladies selling food at the carts beside the cave.  One German couple decided to buy a bag of bananas and some nuts. After making her purchase, the lady bent down to feed the monkeys some some of the nuts. As she feed the first couple, two or three went behind her and stole of bananas out of the bag she had in her other hand and ran away. Literally ripped through the plastic bag to get to a banana!  It was really funny for everyone including the German couple. The monkeys were smart enough to steal a bag of chips when the ladies were handing over the bananas to people who were buying them.

 Ang was not feeling up to feeding the monkeys because they would climb onto the people while the feeding would take place and Ang though she might get carried away!

Steve stepped up to the plate with bananas in hand and quickly started monkeying around. The video below shows how they started to garb at his shorts while a little one climbed up his back. It was a lot of fun and they were really friendly. We laughed and laughed at the monkeys as they would eat the bananas as fast as they could and would come right back for another!

We were transported to a waterfalls pool for an hour swim after the monkey business and then home to Krabi. It was a great day even though we did not get to some incredible beaches, but because we visited areas that were unique and popular tourist sports for Thailand.

Tomorrow we venture to  the island of Koh Samui, which is further north and one of the more well known areas for its white sand beaches.

Ang and Steve on James Bond Island.  Neither of us have seen the movie yet, but apparently this rocky island is a big part. 

Here is a pic of Steve and our guide laying down while we go through the caves.  We were caving at high tide meaning that some of the passages were really really narrow!  The next passage we went through, Steve even had to put his knees out flat or would have scraped along the rocks.  It was really fun, though, because once you went through these little cave openings, you were often in a little quiet pool of water, you wouldn't otherwise be able to travel to.

Oh the monkeys!!  It took about four bananas before we actually could  capture a picture of Steve feeding a monkey because the snatch up the bananas so quickly and run to eat them!  Video of Steve feeding the monkeys to follow!!