Traveling in Thailand: Last stop... Krabi

Hello from Bangkok!

My trip is finally coming to an end you all. I traveled from Krabi back to Bangkok yesterday. I spent about four days in Krabi and I had a wonderful time. Krabi is absolutely gorgeous. I stayed in an area called Aonang and the beach was literally down the street. The small town feel reminded me of Chiang Mai but it definitely catered mainly to tourists.

After my day in Phuket, I woke up the next morning and took a bus ride to Krabi. It was about a 3 hour drive, however very safe. Not the VIP luxury treatment that I was hoping for but it got me from point A to point B. This time, instead of using Booking.com, I found a Groupon online that had a discounted nightly rate at a nice resort. Not 5 stars, but definitely nicer than some of the other places that I had been staying at. I stayed at the Krabi Tipa Resort and for the location and price, I was satisfied.

My plan was to stay in Krabi for two days and then go to Koh Samui but because going to Koh Samui meant more traveling and packing and moving, I decided to just stay in Krabi for the whole time. Traveling and living out of a suitcase is very tiring after a while. Honestly, my first day there, all I did was walked around, ate dinner, and had a beer. It was raining as well so I slept the night away peacefully!  I woke up the next morning rested... and ready for my day.

I had already booked a tour to do more island hopping, but when I woke up the next morning, it was still raining like cats and dogs. Monsoon season hadn't even started but it rained so much during the trip; mainly at night. I called the company that morning and rescheduled my island tour for another day. After the call, I got back in the bed and did not wake up again until noon. I spent that day lounging. I sat in front of the pool writing in my journal, I walked around to see the shops, I sat out at the beach, and later ordered room service. I spent the night watching The Book of Eli on TV.

I woke up the next morning and it was beautiful outside. The rain had finally stopped and I was excited for the adventures of my day. The previous day, I had booked a tour to go and visit the hot springs in Krabi. The tour guide picked me up that morning. The itinerary for the day was to visit two hot spring areas and then the Tiger Cave.

When we arrived at the hot springs, I was surprised. I know that there are areas in the states that have hot springs, however I have never visited those areas. The springs actually remind me of a lake because its not a big body of water, but the water is actually hot like a sauna.
They say the water is very healthy for the body, but I was only able to put my feet in. Nobody told me that I needed to bring my bathing suit. People were splashing and having a really good time in the water.

On the way out, I became very irritated. I hadn't had my morning cup of coffee yet so I went to one of the stands to order some. I finally had reached a point where I was fed up with the eating and drinking standards in Thailand. All I wanted was a cup of coffee and the ants had already started attacking all of the carnation milk and everything that was sweet in stand. There were so many ants that there were even a few on the ladies shirt as she handed me the cup of coffee... I checked to make sure there none floating around in there and then... I drank it. I was finally tired of the outdoors; tired of flies, mosquitos, ants... just tired.

When you are in certain areas and five star restaurants start to look like this...it gets old... quick! Luckily my immune system will have the strength of the Incredible Hulk but dang... can a sista get some cleanliness in her life... maybe some clean hands and surfaces to serve my food?

Earlier in the trip,  I went to a Thai restaurant and ordered phad thai noodles and a pina colada. When the man brought the phad thai, the smell made me feel sick to my stomach. I was thinking... what the heck is that... what kind of phad thai is this?? The pina colada had a strong after taste too... I couldn't eat or drink that mess. I got up to go because the only thing I wanted to do was get out of that restaurant. I looked to the back and what was supposed to be a kitchen looked like a "You Wrench It" car lot full of old and abandoned everything. I don't even want to imagine where they cooked that food because there was not a stove in sight.

I tried to be slick so I went to Subway after that. I swear... EVERYTHING in that place was burned. I was pissed... all I wanted was something for my hungry body.
I now understand why McDonald's is all over the world... after you get fed up with all of the local cuisine... or lack there of... you know McDonald's will never fail you. McDonald's is a safe guard and has saved many lives from diarrhea, constipation, the flu, salmonella and any other kind of dis-ease that you can think of. While Americans were wasting time filing lawsuits and complaining about cooking grease and obesity,  McDonald's was busy saving the lives of many tourists visiting other countries.

 Thanks McDonald's... I have a new found everlasting connection with you!

After we left that area, we went to another hot springs lake. This is when I met Richard. Richard is from the Philippines. I was sitting on the side with my feet dangling  in the water and he came and sat next to me. He said, I noticed you at the other lake and you remind me of my cousin. I'm thinking... me? He said his aunt (from the Philippines) married a guy from Africa and I resembled his cousin...OK. Richard and I started talking and he told me that he was an English teacher in Bangkok. He has been teaching in Bangkok for about 5 years and he was on a R&R trip with his coworkers. When he asked me where I was from, I told him I was from the states. He said his boyfriend was from the states and he was sad because his boyfriend was moving to LA. He was originally from Michigan but they met in Bangkok. I meet so many random people and literally within an hour or so, I know their entire life story. I guess I just have the look that encourages people to share their world with me. Either way Richard was sweet and
I actually got some inspiration from our conversation.

He understands that you can't force someone to love you or to want to be with you... although he still loves his boyfriend, he has completely accepted the fact that when he was dumped, he had no choice but to move on. He found ways to cope with the situation and he is still happy.
Nice meeting you Richard...

After I left the hot springs, we went to visit the Tiger Cave. There was a huge mountain and I actually climbed all the way to the top; 1,237 stairs! Can you all believe that I climbed all the way to the top in my sandals? I was so proud of myself. It definitely wasn't easy but I kept on pushing and praying and the next thing I knew.... I had made it. The view from the top was gorgeous and definitely worth the journey. There were wild monkeys living on the mountain and on my way down, they were getting ready to have a war. I know monkeys are territorial but I wasn't sure if they were trying to attack me or another monkey. I caught up with another girl in my tour group and we grabbed each others hands and prayed all the way down, hoping not to get attacked!

On the way back to the hotel, I started up a conversation with this couple in the tour group. They were from Brazil; Cesar and Bruna. Cute couple. They were in Thailand to get married and they were heading to Koh Samui the next day to exchange their vows. We started talking about the World Cup because it is scheduled to take place in Brazil this year. It's always interesting to hear what the locals have to say about big events and politics. They didn't think Brazil was ready to have such a large event and they were interested in seeing how it would all work out as well.

Later that day, I went to the beach to watch the sunset. When you google Krabi, Thailand, there are pictures that come up that show the most beautiful sunsets ever. Because it had been raining so much, I hadn't been able to witness it. I sat at the beach for about two hours and the entire time was worth it. Deep in thought about life, blessings and gratitude... wow it was amazing.















The next day was another beautiful day and I was finally able to do my island hopping tour. We were scheduled to visit Chicken Island, Poda Island, Koh See Island, and Yawasam Island. Once again, when I got on the bus full of tourists, I saw the stares. Not only was I the only person reppin for my people, I had also tied a scarf around my head that day. Tired of curling my hair, it all started again.... can I take a picture with you...? This Chinese lady, not only took one picture but like three with me. Every time she saw me sitting and chilling, she would come up, dang near wrap her arm around me and snap... One of the pictures was really nice too... I think she thought I was Rihanna!

Of course the islands were beautiful and I had an amazing time.
Thanks for the wonderful memories Krabi!