Travel: Krabi Part 1

Hi all,

I just got back from my Krabi Trip from 22nd - 24th January 2016. This was my first trip overseas, I planned this trip through Firefly Holidays for my siblings and I. The trip includes return flights, hotel and tour for the 1st day.

Itinerary provided by Firefly Holidays

Day 1: Friday (22/01/2016)

My father was the one to send us to the airport on 22nd Jan. We started from Taiping at 7.40 am. My father wanted to stop by his office and show us around since there is a lot of time before we check-in into our flights. We reached the Engineered Medical Systems office at Koridor Utara Biotech Centre, Penang Science Park around 8.45 am.

We're off...

Checkpoint...

Koridor Utara Biotech Centre reception...

Even on holiday, I am at some office...

I am sorry that there are no pictures of the office or manufacturing area. This is for confidentiality purpose. It was interesting and a good experience for my siblings who have not been exposed to medical device manufacturing.

We arrived at Penang International Airport around 10.45 am, just enough time to check-in.

Penang International Airport

Check-In

Towards the departure hall...

Few drinks before we go... 

Let's go...

Boarding at 11.30 am...

Just a small plane...

On-board...

In the clouds...

Arrived at Krabi International Airport at 12.00 am local time. Bus taking us to the arrival terminal.

The flight took 1 hour and 10 minutes. The plane was quite comfortable for short distance travelling. We were welcomed at the airport by Mr. Charan, our tour driver for the day. We were joined by another group on the same tour, Miss Linda and her daughter. 

First thing we did before leaving the airport was purchasing traveler sim cards for each of us. We bought the True Move 90 Baht package which only has unlimited data. Another package was the 149 Baht which includes some airtime. The sim card was very useful and dependable for tourists visiting Thailand. The sim card is very reliable as the coverage doesn't end at the mainlands but also at the small islands in Aonang. It has a good internet speed for social networking so you can always update your Instagram or Facebook! 

The first destination for the tour was Wat Tham Sua (Tiger Cave Temple). It is a Buddhist temple located northeast of Krabi, Thailand. and well known for the tiger paw prints in the cave and tall Buddha statues (1272 steps up the mountain) 

From the airport to Wat Tham Sua

The traffic at Krabi is perfect for a vacation...

Wat Tham Sua entrance...

Malaysia gangters...Sheesh!

Monks getting their hair shaved...

We only had 40 minutes so we only went up 180 steps. The stairs are crazy steep! No stamina la...

New temple being built...

Wat Tham Sua is a definite place to visit on your trip to Krabi if you enjoy tradition and architecture. Next stop was not part of the itinerary. We were brought to Village Outlet where there are branded shops similar to what we have in Langkawi. It is a good place if your aim is to go shopping. We also met up with our tour guide, Nueang. She is very friendly and speaks good English.

We bought nothing...hahaha

It was around 1.30 pm so...LUNCH TIME! We were brought to a Muslim restaurant selling their specialty Duck Noodles or Duck Rice. The shop was in Krabi Town so we stopped by near the river banks for some sight seeing before lunch.

The river bank...We can see Mangroves on the other side...

The edge of Krabi Town...

0 km point of Krabi Town. The eagle is Nok Awk or the White-Breasted Eagle which is a very rare breed of eagles at Krabi. The usually lay 2 eggs at one time. A pair of them can be found at Kanaab Naam Cliff.

Having lunch at a small shop in Krabi Town

Duck Rice...

After lunch around 2.30 pm, the tour guide took us to ANOTHER shopping mall. We are no longer interested for shopping malls, so we decided to ditch them. As long as we regroup within the allotted time, we should be fine. We found this amazing temple in the middle of the town, Wat Kaew Korawaram. It is known for it's two 80 years old neem trees brought by monks from Phuket to cure malaria fever.

My brother being weird...

Krabi Town...

Some really awesome traffic lights...

At the foot of the Wat...

Dragon staircase...

Beautiful architectures...

We were back in the tour van to get to our next location which is Tapom Nemo Fish Farm. We managed to stop by a souvenir shop. I bought some dried seafood (the baby crabs tasted awful!). 

Nueang also showed us some island hopping options that we can go on the next day. There are the 4 Islands Tour, Hong Islands Tour, James Bond Islands Tour and Phi Phi Islands Tour. We decided to take the 4 Islands Tours by speedboat as it is the shortest and cheapest tour on the list.

We arrived at Tapom Nemo Fish Farm around 4.00 pm. The fish farm is part of Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre where they study various salt water fishes in ponds. These ponds are filled with salt water drained from nearby beach 500 metres away. They are called Nemo Fish Farm because of the number of clownfish bred in the ponds and aquariums.

 Marlin and Nemo...

On the right is Nueang, out travel guide...

There are not so many fishes at the time we came because the farm is under construction. According to Nueang, the construction will be complete in six months. If anyone plans to go out there, do not get your expectations too high. Just come and enjoy the nature. That was the end of the half day trip.

We arrive at Aonang Orchid Resort around 5.30 pm. It is located 3 minutes walk from Aonang Beach. Aonang is a vacation spot 30 minutes from Krabi Town.

Reception...Check-in...

Very comfortable room...

Spacious bath...

The view is stunning...

Too bad we can't see the ocean clearly...

We managed to have a quick swim at 6.00 pm. It is almost dark around 6.30 pm in Krabi.

We rested and freshen up for a while before going out for dinner and night walk around the streets of Aonang.

7 Eleven just in front of our hotel...

A lot of people just hanging out with plastic chairs in the streets

A small police station...

This bar is interesting...

A Canadian band entertaining the bar visitors... Everyone in the streets listens as well...

Talented performers...

I always wondered what fast food was like in other countries...

They're everywhere...

Nothing beats getting a tattoo with your family! (No we didn't)

Looks like a good place to eat...

Beef with basil leaves rice, tom yam, duck rice, mango, sticky rice with mango and so much more...

Cozy shop...

Good shop for Halal food...

There are many shops selling souvenirs, electronics and clothings in Aonang. There are a lot of ATM and currency exchange booths around so you do not need to worry as long as you have cash in your bank. 

We also went to get massage at a nearby massage shop. They offered all of us 1 hour of any massage in their list for 1000 Baht. Most of their package was 300 Baht and above so it was a great deal. After a refreshing massage we went back to the hotel. Most shops closes around 10pm in Krabi. The bars do remain open.

For more pictures, add me on facebook to view my albums HERE

To be continued: Travel: Krabi Part 2