Best Places in the World?
Our first month in Northern Thailand was wonderful. Month two, traveling across Cambodia, was adventurous and rewarding. That said, we were both looking forward to getting back to Thailand. The food. The culture. The people. It was drawing us back. Plus, our Cambodia VISAs were running out.
Also pulling us forward was the knowlege we were heading south. The scenery and stories around southern Thailand are well known by many, but I am not sure most people appreciate the geography. The Malay Peninsula extends from just SW of Bangkok and includes tense border between Thailand and turbulent Myanmar for several hundred miles, then Thailand continues until it runs smack into Indonesia. The peninsula ends at Singapore and covers over 700 miles. It is bordered by the Andaman Sea to the west and the Gulf of Thailand to the east. Oh yeah, and it is SPECTACULAR! The region is filled with beautiful islands and coastlilnes covered in white sand, palm tress, jungle forests and simply jaw-dropping rock formations. In short, it is a tropical paradise.
We set course for Hua Hin at the top of this peninsula with sights on the Krabi Province to the south and then a hop NE to the more remote paradise of Koh Tao (Tao Island) in the Gulf.
Hua Hin & the Phraya Nakhon Cave
As Mick Jagger told us a mere 50 years ago, sometimes you don’t get what you want, but you get what you need. As the bus rolled into Hua Hin (Who-wa Hen) it didn’t look like much – a crowded, slightly dirty and seedy town with “OK” beaches – and certainly not a shiny tropical getaway. Alex had reserved a place at a large, mostly vacant condo complex several miles north of the busy town center, which was a sleepy area without many businesses. We had 2 weeks to do what? Nothing. And it turned out that was what we really needed. We found great neighborhood restaurants, slept in, and hung out at the massive, mostly unused pool.
We did make one very great decision. That was to head 40 miles south to the Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park to visit the Phraya Nakhon Cave. We didn’t really expect much from what we had read. Then the steep 2-mile hike started off rather ominously. Alex clicked a photo, caught a sandal on a rock and tumbled face first into the narrow trail of large, nasty jagged rocks. The trail guide and I gently lifted her up not knowing how badly she could be hurt. Would there be severe cuts, stitches needed, a concusion or even a head injury? Suddenly, the fragileness of our adventure was directly visible as I stared at my wife laying motionless on the rocks. Fortunately, while she was cut, bruised and shaken, she was OK. We patched her up, she shook off the nerves (and pain) and we continued on to what we would be a stunning natural wonder in Phraya Nakhon Cave. (See pics and video.)
Exotic Krabi - Living the Good Life!
After two weeks, we departed Hua Hin via an over-night 9-hour bus ride south. (Steve’s pharmacy skills made the ride more bearable.) We were very excited to be heading to Krabi. While many of you may know the island of Phuket – a prime vacation destination – just across the large bay sits the magical province of Krabi. As the bus rolled through the province and we approached our destination of Ao Nang – a beach town – the landscape began to shift. When we arrived at our apartment and hit the 6th floor room we got a great view of what awaited us.
It is a distinct landscape made of vertical islands rising out of the water with limestone hills and cliffs. surrounded by glistening water. Ao Nang is base camp for exploring Krabi with hotels, bars, restaurants and shops and many tourists packed into the small beach town, but not nearly as crowded as Phuket.
From Ao Nang, several beaches are accessible within short walks, but the real fun and exploration requires a boat. Old school, wooden “long boats” line the shores and can whisk you away to spots near and far for a small fare. Day 1, we hopped on a long boat and headed for the Railay Beach area passing by limestone towers of immense size and surreal shapes. It was a “pinch me” moment for us both. We made our way across a limestone passage way to the more isoated Tonsai beach, where climbers took turns on the limestone cliffs and reggae streamed from a lazy bar. We knew we were in the right place! The next two weeks involved exploring this amazing area and taking boats into the islands. If there is any bad news in Krabi, it is overtourism. It’s a big province and you can avoid the masses, but it is getting harder and places like the Phi Phi Islands are becoming quite a mess. That said, we often shared stunning beaches with small numbers of travelers from all over the globe.
One very special highlight of the trip was reuniting with friends from back home. Ruth and Soodjai Kutrakun worked with Alex for many years. Since Soodjai is from Thailand, they had the inside scoop and shared some of their favorite foods, destinations and cultural experiences with us. Ruth even wrote and shared a blessing for travellers with us. Check out our pics and start planning your own visit.
The Problem with Koh Tao is...... Leaving
Leaving Krabi was tough, but we had a good incentive….just a three hour bus trip and a similar length ferry ride would place us on one of the most beautiful islands in the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Tao or “Turtle Island” is much smaller than its neighboring islands, but it could be the poster child for tropical destinations. With luscious beaches nested between giant granite boulders, towering jungle mountains and clear coral-filled waters, Koh Tao checked all the right boxes. Did I mention water temps were very comfortable at 82F! The island is a diving and snorkeling mecca and attracts a large nunber of young backpackers from around the globe. We stayed in the only notably populated area of Sairee Beach which is well equipped with restaurants, bars, night clubs and a lot of cannabis shops. (FYI -No inhaling or ingesting by us.) Our focus was being in or near the water as much as possible. With our cheap, leaky snorkel gear, we managed to make daily visits to the prime bays and beaches of Koh Tao. We saw table coral, massive brain coral, and elkhorn coral in vibrant colors, as well as many types of fish and a few Black Tip Sharks. The highlight was a few hours on Nang Yuan – a small neighboring island and national park- and the dive area known as “the Japanese Gardens.” Our private long boat ($60) dropped us into this lush bay where we were the only 2 people snorkeling for several hours.
Gorgeous nightly sunsets on Sairee Beach at any of the numerous sandy-floored restaurants (and maybe a few cocktails) put the exclaimation mark on our days in Koh Tao. Like many places with such beauty, the tourism numbers are climbing with some negative impacts, but the vibe on this island is still very relaxing and rewarding.
Goodbye from Up High
We jumped on the ferry on our final day on Koh Tao and made our way west to the mainland. A bus took us back north for a couple of nights in Cha-Am, Pretchaburi. Then we made our way back to Bangkok, preparing to say goodbye to Thailand. What better way to end this part of our adventure than celebrating on the top the Marriott hotel at the 49th floor Octave Lounge. Cocktails at 500 ft with a lovely sunset was a great way finale. Lookout Thailand, we will be back!
Discover more from Two for the Road
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
WOW. How wonderful! Glad you were not too seriously hurt, Alex! Cave was truly magnificent. Thank you so much for posting. Had you been back in Edmonds you would have enjoyed snow and cold!! Continue to enjoy and post! Janis
Me too, Janis!! I will have a scar on my upper lip/nose, but it really could have been so much worse! We are now enjoying the rain in Nha Trang, Vietnam…
You guys are so cool! Thanks for all the great videos.
Loving your narrative and videos! So thankful Alex was not badly injured from the fall!!
Alex is rocking that bikini and Steve looks great with a beard (albeit gray😀). Be safe and continue to share your adventures- awesome!!
Joan and Ken😘
i thought i was already subscribed but i guess i wasn’t. correcting that now.