It was midday as we docked on a beach after four hours of cruising along the waters of Andaman Sea for a day of island hopping activities. We escaped the intense heat and settled under the shade of huge trees that lined the shore. My buddies insisted on hiking while I chose to bum around with some cans of Chang beer. This was our first and last island stop on our Krabi Four-Island Tour.
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| Fine day for our sea excursion |
After a ferry and bus ride from Koh Pangan (THB550 each), we settled at Holiday Inn Resort Krabi and snoozed the afternoon away for a much needed respite. That night, we went out and searched for a nice dinner place when I saw a small tour agency that offered island hopping tours around Krabi. The gracious Thai lady was suggesting for us to hire our own boat instead of joining shared trips, which actually was a good idea. I haggled, and haggled, until all eight of us were on the counter computing and pleading for the cheapest price (THB1,700 for the whole boat). The lady, amused but confused, agreed to our price which brought some cheers from the group that some of the guys almost kissed her, we’re crazy like that.
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| Picturesque |
The
plan was to visit some of the neighboring islands and explore snorkeling sites
around Krabi. The standard Krabi Four-Island Tour consists of Koh Poda, Koh Hua Gwan, Koh Tub and Koh Mor. There
were certain islands that require entrance fees, but we don’t wanna spend that
much (as me and my buddy were saving up for the next leg of our trip) so we
specifically asked for the boatman to bring us to those islands that are free-of-charge
which practically meant that we won’t be visiting the island itself but just
the surrounding waters. Haha.
I was seated on the front row seat of the boat and had an unobstructed view of early morning scenes as we sped off across the quiet morning.
First
stop was a snorkeling area where a number of boats can be found. The water was
crystal clear and everyone wanted to dive in right away. After we anchored in
the middle of the sea, the boatman put down a ladder for easy dismount but I
rushed towards the bow of the boat, grabbed my snorkel gear and jumped into the
water. It was totally refreshing.
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| Our first snorkeling site |
We
had too much fun snorkeling that soon enough our skin wrinkled.
After almost an hour, we headed to another snorkeling site near Koh Hua Gwan or Chicken Island, named so because of the shape of the rocky ridge similar to that of a chicken’s head.
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| Chicken Island |
We just enjoyed looking at the gorgeous rock formations off the shore and took a hundred of photos as we sailed on.
Next was beach chill time.
Our
boat docked on shore, its first and last, along Phra Nang Cave Beach. A dozen
or so long-tail boats lined the beautiful shoreline. Karsts, white sand,
traditional boats, turquoise water and glowing midday sun; it was the perfect beach day sans a cool chill
music as background.
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| Phra Nang Cave Beach |
We
bought cans of beer and basked into the sweltering heat of the sun. I enjoyed
that quiet time; chillin’ and people-watching on the beach. While I was
relishing that perfect beach moment, my friends decided to explore the whole
stretch of the shore and Phra Nang Cave, another lazy friend was left behind
and shared that beer time with me.
Two
hours and three cans of beer later my buddies went back to where I was with
their muddy feet. I was just about to take my afternoon siesta but was too
absorbed with the serenity of the beach. Their stories were great as they spoke
of their hike adventure which didn’t captivate me at all as I do not adore
hiking that much.
After
the hullabaloo, we jumped back into the boat and passed by Railey Beach and were amazed on the beautiful karsts and rock formations. We would’ve docked there for more beach chillin’ action but it
was too late. We ended up using it as the perfect backdrop for our group shots.
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| Gorgeous backdrop of Railey Beach |
The Krabi Four-Island Tour was great as we got to see the gorgeous rock formations and checked out the underwater scene along the waters of Ao Nang. The good thing was that we had no time limit as
we had the boat all to ourselves and with crazy friends around, it was a great
way to spend the day while in Krabi.
It was sad, them leaving us behind. After five full days of non-stop chitchat, laughter and mockery, me and my buddy were left with no one to make fun of or drink beer with. But we had to move forward and explore more of what’s left on our 2-month trip bringing with us the memories of Koh Pangan and Krabi with our dear friends. That day when we had nothing to think about but enjoy snorkeling and island hopping around Krabi with our friends were truly remarkable.
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