A four-hour minibus ride flew by thanks to the chatty Dutch and German boys sitting beside me. Arriving in Krabi town mid-afternoon on Saturday, I hopped on a public bus for a half hour to my first beach, Ao Nang. After wandering the little village and cooling off in the ocean, I grabbed a longtail boat for fifteen minutes to Tonsai Beach where I’d be staying for the next 3 days. After settling into my private bungalow, I admired the stunning scenery while walking the beach.
As the sun fell it had just cooled down, so the dozens of rock climbers were attempting to scale the surrounding limestone cliffs in the bay. Famous for its numerous challenging routes, climbers flock here from all over the world. I met one in particular who had flown from Israel and was staying for three months… just to rock climb. After enjoying a delicious dinner at his recommended restaurant, I ran into a girl that goes to UVic… what a small world! We eventually migrated over to the atmospheric Reggae Bar to watch the ongoing fire show, poi. The performers were absolutely insane, swinging fireballs inches from their faces. I was right to have been squirming the whole time because one guy actually burned his chest but still continued his routine! Mingling with randoms from all different countries continued late into the night and made for a lazy morning, but a continental breakfast got me going. I hiked over to the neighbouring beach, Railay West, where most of the tourists stay when they visit Krabi. With more expensive accommodation and an equally nice beach, I was glad I’d made the decision to stay on Tonsai.
That evening was entertaining once again, listening to the live music and socializing with other backpackers. On another hike the next morning, I met a Calgarian on the same path. We were headed to the same location so spent the day chatting about strictly Canadian things haha. It took one hour to walk over to Railay East Beach, but only a short path brought us to Phra Nang Beach. It was absolutely gorgeous with limestone formations, soft white sand and crystal clear water. After taking a dip and tanning on the beach, we strolled over to the ‘Viewpoint’ sign and looked straight up. Not expecting to have to climb, we both had unsuitable footwear for a steep ascent. Watching the sweaty muddy people slowly make their way down, we knew sandals couldn’t stop us and conquered the trek no problem. The incredible view made it definitely worth it, overlooking Railay West, East and Tonsai Beaches.
I was sad to leave this paradise the next morning, but at the same time I was excited to get to Ko Phi Phi!
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