Monday, 12 November 2012

Thailand: Trang, Krabi

If you follow me on my Instagram which I recently created, yes I only recently created an Instagram account, you will see a picture of an island and beautiful clouds above it and you may wonder, in broken Malaysian English, "Wah Malaysia got such thing mehhh?", well that was taken in Thailand! #SorryToDisappoint Oh, back to Instagram, follow me - magicporridgepotblog. *Follow Me shampoo commercial playing*

This trip was decided in one night and one thing I love about my family, when they say LET'S GO, they mean GO. Hahhaha. We charted a minivan and off we went on a weekend! The funny thing was, no one really knew where we were going, except for my uncle who arranged the trip, not until the trip itself. All I know was I was going to Thailand. And poor Hui Ling, she was invited but no one could tell her precisely where we were going. Up till she got onto the minivan, she had no idea and her mum was worried that we would human-traffic her.

DAY ONE: TRANG
Malaysia - bumpy coach ride - Arrive - Le Khaokob Cave - Robinson's Trang - Trang Night Market

In my opinion, if they build smoother roads, Thailand would get a boost in tourism by 268%. Hhahaha. #OppaGangnamStyle #Horse-rideDance. #DressClassyDanceCheesy. Except that we weren't dancing, we were suffering, on bumpy roads, like riding mad horses, at the back of the coach.

From the look of the entrance, Le Khaokob Cave didn't feel very impressive. When the whole adventure was done though, it's probably the best cave adventure ever!

IMG_9799
Me and cousins!

IMG_9815
Taking the boat into the cave.

IMG_9841
All the skillful boatmen.

IMG_9839
So the first part of the cave adventure was to walk like a duck. hahahaha.
The walls of the cave were so low we literally had to duck!

Then came the most thrilling caventure ever! (for me)

IMG_9844
We all had to lie down.
That is obviously my knee before I had to lie FLAT and point my toes like a gymnast.

IMG_3730
Into the darkness...!
The walls of the cave were so low that at times they were just like 0.5 inches from our face!
My mum even took out her specs. hahaha. We all had to tuck in our bellies. LOL
And it was pitch dark!!
And the opening of the cave was so narrow that only one boat can use the passageway at one time.
Mind you, we screamed like crazy!!

IMG_3736
Thankfully, the boatmen brought us all out safely, without anyone getting stuck in the cave forever.
You know I can't really describe that feeling.
When I was in there, it felt like we were going to get trapped in the cave, at anytime, and we all had to keep our body flat, at all times, to avoid bumping into stalagtite, stalagmite, cave, rock, whatever.
It was very exciting and thrilling at the same time very scary!
You have to experience it yourself!

Enough of scary-claustrophobic-yet-damn-fun cave adventure, our tour guide brought us to Robinson's @ Trang. By the look of the town, you wouldn't expect a Robinson's in Trang. Surprising!

IMG_3746
While waiting for our mothers, heheh.
Did you spot it?
We coincidentally wore the same pair of iPanema sandals!!

IMG_3748
I love how cute their toilet sign was.

Went for a stroll in the night market. The night market is a small one and due to the fact that we were all exhausted by the horse riding bumpy ride and cave boating scare, we went back to hotel early to rest.

DAY TWO: TRANG - KRABI
Trang - Emerald Cave - Island Hopping - Ao Nang Beach, Krabi

IMG_3777
Good morning! Time to go out and play in the sun!

IMG_9864
Mummy dearest and I can't wait to have fun in the sun!

IMG_3790
IMG_3791
I have learned that Kit Kat bars make good snacks when you're traveling!

First stop of the day was Emerald Cave. We all had to swim through a cave and at the other end is a beach. The experience swimming through a salt-water cave is already enough to make me happy, what with the emerald green water we can see in the cave. Ahhh, heaven on earth! 

IMG_3794
See where the boat stops? That's where we started our swim into the cave.

IMG_9900
At the other end of the cave, we were greeted with a sun-bathed, almost-private beach!
It's like an opening, in the middle of the island, blessed with fine sand and emerald green water, welcoming the world through the Emerald Cave.
Just too exotic!

IMG_9886
This is another group making their way out of the beach.
Same way in, same way out - through the Emerald Cave. Heheh.

IMG_9899
The gang!
What did I tell you about the emerald green water? :DDD

We all wished we could stay longer... But because there are other tour groups coming in already, and they cannot accommodate too many people. Note to self, next time, visit when it's low season. :)))

Next, island hopping and snorkelling! How I wish I had an underwater camera. The corals were of a myriad of summer colours - velvet, brilliant blue, emerald green, even orange! Some of the corals blanketed the sea floor and it's such a joy to watch the peaceful ocean life, where all different sea creatures give different colours and patterns to the underwater world.

IMG_3844
So many fishes in the sea, out there for me~~!
I think this line is from some Katie Melua's song..

IMG_3900
The most picturesque snorkelling background. Hahaha.
My dad was so smart to ask me to wait in the boat while he swam to this spot and composed his own picture. Hhaha.

IMG_3905
It was here that I got stung by many many mini jelly fishes.
But they are not poisonous so it's ok. Hehe.

IMG_3956
Then it was time to head back to the shore and continue our journey to Ao Nang, Krabi.

Alright, now I shall just show you the interesting crafts I saw in the streets of Ao Nang beach because after dinner upon our arrival at Ao Nang, we only went for a stroll along the beach.

IMG_3994
IMG_3990
How they make birds look so high fashion.

IMG_3996
IMG_4002
IMG_9994
These are hand-crafted from bull's skin.

DAY THREE: KRABI
Buri Tara Resort - Crystal River - Tiger Cave - Bang Kram Hot Stream - Depart

We stayed in a nice resort during our one-night stay in Krabi - Buri Tara Resort. Unfortunately, WI-FI was not free. Haha. #CheapskateAlert #ButWiFiShouldBeFreeEverywhere

IMG_0014
IMG_4008
The view from our balcony.

IMG_3975
My room, with cute elephants!

IMG_4022
Maybe next time I will stay in one of these. Haha.

First stop of the day, crystal river. I swear I could die here stay here for hours, sitting by the river, maybe with a book in my hands. I have not see any river like that! Its clear, calm surface makes a perfect mirror, reflecting the beauty of its natural surroundings; sun rays, blue skies and not forgetting beautifully intertwined mangrove roots. And underneath that perfect mirror, you see the beauty of the river itself, glowing from beneath. It's like I was lost, in an enchanted forest, and I did not want to get out.

IMG_4036
IMG_4052
IMG_4081
Seagrass in the water.

IMG_4066
I could get lost just by looking at the fishes swimming so peacefully and soaking in the warmth of sun rays from above.
And the soft ripples of the water makes it beyond perfect.

Next, we went to Tiger Cave / Temple. It's a temple, built in a cave. Have you seen cave paintings? This is the place to see it. Hahahha.

IMG_4094
IMG_4103

As if the day could not get any hotter, our tour guide decided to bring us to a hot stream, or hot waterfall. As its name suggests, it is realllyy hot! The water is 40C hot. The cool thing about this hot stream is, the rocks form a natural tub so we had the real hot jacuzzi spa and massage because the running water gave us a good massage. Hahaa.

IMG_4111
IMG_4137
IMG_4138
The entire waterfall is HOT!
Can you believe it? Believe it. #Ripley'sBelieveItOrNot

And, that was our last stop in Thailand. I still miss Thailand and I can't get the Thai accent outta my head!

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for your recommendation to go to Phuket and Surin Beach Hotel!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wonderful pictures, you’re really talented photographer :)

    ReplyDelete