Thailand Vacation Part Three

Krabi Province

Dec 26 - 30

On a trip to Thailand you're expected to include a beach destination in your itinerary. Because only a fool would skip the opportunity to enjoy one of its numerous idyllic beaches. Of course, there are those tourists who've experienced nothing but the beach resorts. I won't pass judgement on them! After doing our research we chose Krabi, over Phuket and Pattaya and all those other overbuilt, package tour destinations. And so we spent the final days of 2018 at a hedonistic wonderland by the Andaman Sea.
Hmmm. How do I avoid describing our time in Railay like a piece out of Condé Nast?
Take a look at this photo.

West Railay Beach

Our hotel, Sand Sea Resort, is hidden in the foliage close to the water. It's in the middle of a row of resorts, all designed to blend into the scenery to preserve the area's beauty. Between our hotel and the milky emerald water lies a wide stretch of white, powdery beach. The water is warm, shallow, and calm, like a sheet of colored glass. Dramatic limestone cliffs, called karsts, jut out in every direction. The karsts are also the reason this area is cut off from the mainland. An isolated spot, accessed only by boat. A place inhabited solely by tourists and the locals who run the services to keep tourists happy.

Mangrove swamps at East Railay Beach

East Railay, on the opposite side of where we were based, is characterized by mangrove swamps and a muddy, pebbly beach. Though it lacks the grandeur of West Railay, resorts and restaurants nevertheless, line the shore.

Our four days here were all about rest and relaxation. The Sand Sea Resort, where we stayed, wasn't posh. In fact, it was easily the most modest of the strip of resorts lining West Railay Beach. That's why we loved it. The rooms, each an individual bungalow, with thatched roof and a front porch, were charming. Tropical landscaping around each bungalow provided semi-seclusion, and added to a feeling of being away from the real world.

Each room at our not fancy resort is an individual bungalow

There was a back pool and a front pool, each balancing out the other with their attributes. From morning to late afternoon we escaped the cacophonous long tail boats and hordes of day trippers by hanging out at the back pool, where it was peaceful, less crowded, and shaded by mango trees. From lounge chairs we could admire the tops of karsts against a blue sky. Between dips in the pool I spent large amounts of time reading Zadie Smith. I finally finished Swing Time, a novel I had started a while back but for some reason had only got through the first half. Like all her books, I lapped up her originality, her wit, her spot on characterizations. I also got through Feel Free, a compilation of stimulating essays. I especially enjoyed Smith's analysis of the painful Brexit referendum result, an essay she wrote right after that dreadful event. Rupert Murdoch, she mused, is the culprit for the political climate in the UK and the US.
I usually left the back pool when a troop of monkeys paid their daily visit. They bounded up trees, gobbled green mangoes, and showed their disdain for us, humans by peeing and pooping as they swung from tree to tree.

West Railay Beach - time for a swim

Toward the late afternoon the beach's allure was impossible to resist. First of all, the long tail boats, which ferry tourists all day to neighboring islands and the mainland, shut down their services by 5:00 PM. A note about those boats: They are awful! Belching out black, odorous smoke, their loud engines assaulting the ears, how are they allowed here?
When, late in the day, the beach became shaded and cooler from a light breeze, the warm, calm waters of the Andaman Sea beckoned. Yes, this was why we'd flown thousands of miles! To feel that delicious sensation of salty wetness from head to toe.
It was also a popular time for kayakers to paddle out into the water, around the karsts. The sound of splashing oars added to the magic.

Stalactites on a karst

A leisurely beach stroll, barefoot on soft sand, splashed by warm water, followed a swim. The coolness and shade allowed us to get close to the karsts. They were full of attractive features like stalactites, caves, and gouged out surfaces.

Sunset over the Andaman Sea from West Railay Beach

Sunset at the Andaman Sea was an event. We headed to the front pool of our hotel for the show. At 8 degrees above the equator, sunset in December was at 6:15 PM. The beach filled up with people sitting on mats, sipping cocktails, gazing at the horizon. A gin and tonic was our drink choice, and from our pool lounge seat we'd look straight across the water. As the sun sank lower and lower, a stillness would fall, everyone transfixed by the changing colors and reflections. When the sun disappeared the clouds turned fiery. Dusk lingered for about an hour after sunset.

Then it was time for dinner. We'd head to the walking street, a vibrant lane full of restaurants, shops, and bars. It has to be said the dining scene for vegetarians was unexciting. There's variety, which excited us initially. Pizza (wood-fired even), pasta, lots of Thai food, a vegan/vegetarian take-out, and Indian. Most restaurants emphasized freshly caught fish and seafood prepared on barbecue grills. We had a disappointing Thai meal, but two excellent Indian meals at Kohinoor. I was reminded of the delicious food I'd had in India when I tasted their paneer tikka masala cooked in a tandoor oven, and a mixture of fresh vegetables exquisitely cooked in a spicy tomato based sauce. Even the naan bread was crisp with a slight smokiness, and divine.

Divine. A word that could be applied to every waking moment during those four dreamy days on a gorgeous beach in southern Thailand...

Krabi Town

Dec 30

We spent a night in Krabi Town for a more "authentic" experience in this part of the country before heading to Bangkok. A long tail boat ferried us back into the real world of car traffic, busy streets, and people going about their everyday, normal lives. We hid from the unbearable heat in our air-conditioned hotel room until sunset. Stepping out into the town, as night markets were opening up, we were pleased to see a good blend of locals and tourists. On Railay Beach the only locals we encountered were hotel and restaurant staff and strangely, most of them were muslim of Malay descent. In the evening the whole town of Krabi seemed to turn into an open-air market. We soaked up the vibrancy as we wandered through lanes of stalls carrying souvenirs, textiles, crafts, clothes, and made to order food, mainly seafood.
Suddenly, the sky clouded up, and a storm erupted. We escaped to a trendy, western restaurant for an overpriced pasta dinner.

The next morning we had breakfast at another trendy, western restaurant, May and Marks.

A healthy breakfast at May and Marks in Krabi

Everything on their menu sounded heavenly. Daryl opted for muesli with yogurt and tropical fruit (papaya, pineapple). I had to work hard to resist a breakfast pastry and settled for their house made sourdough toast topped with poached eggs. Of course, the cappuccino was as satisfying as we'd come to expect everywhere in Thailand.

The Crab Sculpture that gives the town its name

Before leaving Krabi we strolled along the inviting paved riverside pathway. From the picturesque river-mouth, the karsts, further away, seemed tame.We came to a square crowded with tourists all lined up to be photographed beside a giant crab sculpture. Aha, we thought, so that was how the town got its name!

It was the last day of 2018. New Year's Eve excitement was in the air. More heightened than in the northern hemisphere where it was midwinter.

We would be in Bangkok in the evening, and hoped for a good view of fireworks at midnight.