If you’re looking to go from one side of Thailand to another, your best option is to go by coach.
And here’s a tip: book an overnight coach. This bad boy had AC, reclining chairs, free snacks, water and a blanket – you’re booking yourself travel and a bed for the night.
We had travelled from Bangkok to Krabi in the south. We checked into a hostel for one night and visited the Krabi Night Market. Get used to night markets in this part of the world – they are good though, you can find some great deals and great food. The prices in Krabi were noticeably cheaper than Bangkok. Also, the amount of people shouting at you to buy things takes a considerable drop.
Krabi itself is not on the beach, and Andy and I wanted some beach. The next day we went back to the Night Market to the 7/11 to catch a local bus. The charge was only 50 baht – taxis will charge you 4 or 5 times that to take you to Ao Nang.
After 40 minutes or so we arrived in Ao Nang.
It was great to finally see the sea.
Ao Nang has a nice long beach on which you’ll easily find a space to park your arse. The water is fairly clear – Andy was straight in like a puppy at the earliest possible opportunity.
Day One in Ao Nang was spent sunbathing, and that’s about it.
We had booked ourselves into a party hostel called Slumber Party, but arrived on the one day in the year where nobody drinks alcohol. Makha Bucha Day is a Buddhist festival and selling alcohol is not allowed. So for once, our hostel was more “slumber” than “party”. Tbf I didn’t mind at all…
That night we went for a wander around Ao Nang…
They still had the Christmas decs up!
We wandered all the way up to the Muslim sector which featured an impressive looking mosque and a market. On the way back we found a little pop up bar selling alcohol. Obvs we sat down. Soon the police arrived and we made a very hasty exit…
Day 2 and let me just give you a moment to laugh at me and definitely not with me…
After buying the shirt we went to a major attraction in Ao Nang: the Monkey Trail.
First we had to get around a stream of shit.
The stream came from the town and flowed into the sea; not far from where Andy had been swimming the day before. Perhaps it wasn’t raw sewage, but it was black and it stunk. There are a lot of these waste water rivers in Thailand. It’s worth holding your breath when you pass one.
Anyway, we came for monkeys, not shit streams. We’d read online that the monkeys were difficult to find. We found them immediately.
The monkey trail leads over the rock and to another beach. In Ao Nang there are a few beaches that you can only reach via rocky trails or by boat.
This is Pai Plong Beach. The column in the bay is known as the Ao Nang Tower.
It was a little quieter here. The water also seemed clearer than the main Ao Nang Beach. Probably cos it wasn’t so close to a stream of black water.
We hiked back to Ao Nang and found the pop up bar from the previous night.
It was still open! The police hadn’t shut it down!
De Garage is in the entrance lobby of the Vago Hotel and it is the cheapest place for Chang in Ao Nang. We found nowhere cheaper. Changs cost just 40 baht a bottle and the food is pretty cheap too. De Garage is a definite destination if you’re on a budget.
Those of you not on a tight budget should check out the next beach along: Tonsai. From Ao Nang you can only get a boat.
A friend of mine had recommended it to me so Andy and I booked two nights on Tonsai. Catching a longboat around to Tonsai was pretty cheap.
Life on Tonsai is very, very basic. The main street is set away from the beach and into the jungle – so don’t forget your insect repellent!! Accommodations are made up of shacks and mosquito nets, and there’s no electricity between 6am and 6pm. You’d think this rudimentary way of life would translate into economical prices – but oh no. It was more expensive here than Ao Nang, in terms of food, beer and beds.
We stayed at the Chill Out Jungle Bungalow behind the Chill Out Bar – at which the barman stole 10 baht of my change from me and laughed it off. He was also mostly too busy creeping on pretty girls to serve you.
Tonsai is a climber’s heaven. There are huge cliffs enveloping the beach that attract climbers from all over the world. Unfortunately, if you’re not a climber you’ll find it very hard to make conversation with any of the other Tonsai visitors. You may resort to smoking weed, as the beach has a very relaxed attitude on cannabis.
Other than that, there’s nothing to do on Tonsai. The beach is shit too. Very rocky.
There is a jungle path that leads from Tonsai to Railay – one of Thailand’s most beautiful beaches. Be prepared to get a sweat on in here.
You’ll pass the Diamond Cave on your way into Railay. We didn’t go in but you may be interested!
The trail brings you out at the East Beach. You want to head through the town to the West Beach.
The water here is emerald green and crystal clear. It’s a great place to go for a canoe.
Prices start from 200 baht for an hour, and go up to 800 baht for the whole day. We only needed an hour.
To the left of this photo is Tonsai Beach. To the right is Railay. The cliff juts out into the sea to create enclosed beaches – a typical geographical feature of these parts. 🤓
Anyway, at Railay you can kayak around the bay and explore some caves. We kayaked around to Phra Nang Beach, where there are more towering islands and sea caves for you to explore. Apparently there’s one around here with a load of dicks in…
Unfortunately for us, the weather decided to turn. We’d been in Thailand for a week without the merest drop of precipitation, yet now we were out on the sea in a canoe and the heavens decided to open. When it rains in Thailand, it really rains. Thankfully we made it back to shore and there was no thunder.
After another boring night on Tonsai we returned to Ao Nang and checked one item off of the Thai to-do list.
Thai Massage time. Before you think it, this was a reputable place – none of that happy ending shit. Sukhothai was one of the cheapest places for a traditional Thai Massage in Ao Nang, at just 200 baht – we were a week into Thailand and had yet to find a cheaper place.
It was painful! I left the place an hour later feeling abused! Mostly cos I’d not mentioned to my masseuse that I had a horrible sunburn on my shoulders. She’d rubbed it up with a towel and now it was horribly blistered.
GRUESOME. If this should happen to you, get yourself some Aloe Vera after sun. And try not to pop those buggers.
The massage itself was really good though. Painful at times but relaxing.
The blisters meant sunbathing was out of the question for me so I left Andy to the beach. In the evening we visited one particular bar for some home comforts…
OK I know, Ireland isn’t exactly “home” for the English – I’m not harking back to days of the Empire – give me a break. But they served Guinness and cooked up roast dinners. However, it ain’t cheap. The Irish Embassy is probably one of the most expensive pubs in Ao Nang, but that’s the price many will pay for nostalgia.
As for us, we are on a tight budget. So we ignored the Guinness and stuck to the local beer: Chang. We did make the most of Wings Wednesday and partook in a pub quiz that evening. Very homely.
Well, that’s about it for Krabi and Ao Nang. I’m sure there’s something we missed out on but hey ho. The next morning we’d be catching a ferry to the Phi Phi Islands…
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