There is always something for everyone in Krabi, whether you are an active or laid-back person. I just have to agree completely with whoever said that.
After spending half of my day walking around Ao Nang, taking a closer look at every detail (I talked about this in the first blog post "Krabi Kalling"), I realised that the more things I explored, the more I would fall in love with this place. Having the right mindset made it easier for us to decide what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. We bumped into a small tour agency in Ao Nang and quickly booked our itinerary after listening the salesman's recommendation. Thirty minutes later, a private car was arranged, and ready to bring us to all the places that we wanted to go to.
The famous Krabi Tiger Cave- Wat Tham Sua, located just about three km away from Krabi town, was our first stop. Many people wanted to visit this place, but then gave up after knowing that 1,237 steps up to the mountain awaited them ahead. I and Ken both love challenges and exercise, so we thought: "What would be a better way to work out during our holiday?". Besides, not every day I could get rewarded with beautiful scenery like this while exercising.
200 steps were easy, 600 steps got more challenging, 800 steps were a live-or-die kind of situation. The higher we climbed, the steeper it got. I needed a voice inside my head to constantly encourage me "C'mon! No pain, no gain. You are almost there".
At the 1000th step, I felt like I could walk no more, but the curious thought about "What's there at the top?" kept pushing me forward. If I gave up half way, I would have never had a chance to enjoy this spectacular view. All the sweat, pain and thirst were compensated with this stunning panoramic view of the amazing Andaman Sea and the dramatic limestone cliff formations during the sunset. This was the most satisfying thing I did on this trip.
Leaving the Tiger Cave, our driver took us to Krabi Night Market as I wanted to buy some souvenirs for friends and family. It turned out to be a food night market instead with hundreds of food stalls along the roadside, selling all authentic local dishes such as barbecued seafood, meat, Thai mango sticky rice, fruits and many more. The market looks chaotic from the outside, but once you dive into that frantic, noisy and smoky crowd, it's actually quite fun and satisfying.
It was raining shortly after we visited the night market. Instead of eating out, we headed back to our hotel and pampered ourselves with some wine, nice Italian food, in the most romantic place that we've never thought we would be.
Having to get up at 6am the next day, on a holiday trip was a challenge for me, but it was totally worth it because for the first time in my life, I did Kayaking. I was excited like a kid, and of course nervous too because I didn't know how hard it could it.
Surprisingly, It wasn't difficult as what I imagined. Kayaking like this?
I could do it every day :D
Even though, it was ridiculously hot and humid, but this view made it all worth it. Sitting on a craft, floating along the river that was calm and quiet like a painting, while looking at the canyons and caves made me feel like life is too short to be wasted with so much stress and worry.
There were many other things I wanted to do, but time didn't permit, I had to say good bye to Krabi after 3 wonderful days. The last thing I wanted to do before leaving this paradise was to spend my time by the beach, soaking up the sun, listening to the sound of the ocean and feeling so appreciated with every moment I had. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to bring all these wonders home, I tried to capture them as much as I could, and kept them safely in the "Happiness" folder in my mind and my heart.
If you asked me again, whether I could re-visit Krabi, I knew the answer would always be: "Absolutely yes".
In fact, I already feel like going back there again, right now.
Thank you so much for reading, and thank you so much for following me on this travel diary.
Till next time.
