Part 16: Krabi and the Four Islands

Saying farewell to the Layalina Hotel, we are picked up at midday by a driver called Sorasak for our transfer to Krabi. Many people do the journey by sea, taking the ferry past the Phi Phi Islands, but after our rather traumatic experience a couple of years ago on a lake in Guatemala, Coman is reluctant to ever set foot on a boat again. So we load our bags into the van and set off for the four hour drive to our next hotel. 

Although technically an island, Phuket has a big road connecting it to the mainland. The traffic is very heavy, crawling along until we pass the airport and then cross the bridge to enter the Phang Nga province of Thailand, at which point we pick up speed and soon arrive at Wat Suwan Kuha, a temple inside a prehistoric cave. There is no record of its original founding but it was re-discovered and renovated in the 1850s, featuring a large reclining Buddha, various standing Buddhas, ancient stupas and inscriptions. 

It is colloquially known as Monkey Temple and the stalls outside the entrance all sell bags of food for tourists to feed the monkeys who supposedly populate the area. However there’s a number of disappointed children carrying bags of bananas today as there’s no sign of any monkeys anywhere, other than the distant rustle of some leaves high on the cliff above us. 

As we drive on, we start passing Krabi’s famous limestone karsts which dot the landscape, rising up like jagged towers from the fields, until we arrive to our hotel on Muay Klang beach, in the Ao Nang region of Krabi. We’re staying at a large resort style hotel called the Dusit Thani for our final few nights and after the various colourful and characterful smaller hotels we’ve stayed in for most of our trip, its rather beige ‘international’ feel is a touch bland. 

We take advantage of its concierge service though to check what local excursions are available and after a bit of consideration Coman agrees to join me on a boat trip tomorrow to four nearby islands, having been assured by the smiling hostess that we do not really spend any time on the ‘open sea’. So it’s another early start the next morning for us to be taken to the river-side pier where a number of large speedboats are docked ready to take different groups on various day trips to explore the region, including to the Phi Phi Islands, the James Bond island (from Man With The Golden Gun) and more. 

Our Four Islands Tour is the shortest and closest to shore, and Coman is reassured that our fellow passengers include little children and grandparents, none of whom look in the slightest worried as they strap on their life jackets. Three young guides talk us through the trip and our multinational contingent of Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Malaysians, Russians and Germans settle in for the smooth sailing ahead. 

Our first stop is at Railay Beach, where we dock on the eastern side and walk through limestone cliffs to reach Phra Nang Cave on a beautiful stretch of sand with amazing views and a Hindu ‘Shrine of the Lady’, said to be a figure who prays to Shiva to keep sailors safe, which features an unfeasibly large collection of phalluses. By the time we return to our boat many more vessels have arrived and hundreds of sightseers are descending on the beach. 

We set off trying to get ahead of all the other day trippers as we race over the water for about ten minutes to our next stop on Tup Island, which is actually two connecting little outcrops called Talay Waek which we can walk between at this time of day as it’s still low tide here. More boats pull up here too including two featuring excitable school children from a Muslim school, one full of boys and the other full of girls. They all splash around having great fun, with the boys spending more time swimming and the girls more interested in taking selfies in big groups. 

We have enough time for a swim too in the gorgeous warm, clear waters but it’s off the shore of Chicken Island, where we are able to go snorkelling above a coral reef, that we see beautiful tropical fish surrounding us. Our last island is nearby Poda Island where we are served lunch and get to swim once more in the idyllic Andaman Sea, off beautiful white sand beaches with enormous limestone karsts peppering the horizon. 

Back on dry land at the end of our excursion Coman breathes a sigh of relief, his fear of boat trips having been allayed by this very enjoyable few hours seeing some of Krabi’s spectacular maritime scenery, without unexpected storms or near-death experiences rearing their heads. And walking along beautiful Muay Klang beach by our hotel over the next few days we’re able to take in more of the gorgeous landscapes and blissful tranquility of this part of Thailand. 

It’s a proper slice of paradise to end our three and a half weeks exploring the country. We spend a final few relaxing days doing yoga classes on the hotel lawns and swimming in the pool, watching the sunset over long tail boats and eating dinner in little beachside restaurants. Soon enough we’ll be on our connecting flight back to Bangkok for an overnight stay in an airport hotel and our return to London, but for now we just drink in tropical Thailand’s beauty, hoping that one day we’ll be back to enjoy it again. 

Who knows what new adventures lie ahead…