20 NOV 08 - Ao Nong Beach, Krabi, Thailand (Nong Eeb Guesthouse)

After our horrifying experience getting to Phuket, we stayed in Phuket Town for 2 days. If you ever come to Thailand, you should know that there are three ways to move across the country:

1. to fly

2.to physically go to the bus and/or train stations and purchase tickets personally

3. to buy travel arrangements from the dime-a-dozen tourist shops. The tourist shops are cost effective and will save you time arranging connections but the trips they arrange are a genuine ordeal. You are basically treated like cattle and hurded from one point to another and put in very exploitive situations. i.e. paying for meals/snacks at a price usually quadriple what the locals pay. The only good thing to take away from this route is you know your money is going straight to the communities.

All in all, I recommend going to the government stations personally. It so much better of a trip and way more comfortable.

Phuket Town
After Phuket, we boared a government bus and had the best trip ever to go around the way to the town of Krabi. It was air conditioned, spacious and both Heather and I sprawled out to view the countryside; it was very nice.

Krabi is easily the most touristy place we have been to so far. When we first got into town we took a long tailed boat to a beach around the bend which is only accessible by sea. This place is beautiful. From here, you can either take day trips to visit national park islands that are prestine to dive or snorkel. Or you can just go out for a day long ride. In fact, the movie 'the Beach' was filmed on one the island near Phi Phi Island and you can go for an overnight camp there!

Ao Nong Beach, main drag

Ao Nong Beach;

It is still the rainy season in Thailand so some of the days have been wet but these days serve as perfect relax and restoration days. This is the beach at Ao Nong. You can see the que of long tail boats waiting to taxi cashed-up tourists to tropical resorts and spas.

Rai Lay Beach

It's kind of interesting to be a place like this because it was one the areas devistated by the Boxing Day Tsunami 4 years ago. This particular beach wasn't damaged as badly as all of the island areas. I guess Phi Phi island was completely wiped clean but has now been totally rebuilt and is the European Family's dream holiday.


Tomorrow, we are leaving Thailand and flying out of Krabi to Maylaysia's capitol city, Kuala Lumpur!!!

Here are some highlight pics from the last 1.5 weeks!

Big Buddah Pier on Koh Samui

This is the rickety arrangement of poles you walk across to board the ferry to the island north of Koh Samui called Koh Pha Ngan. (which you can see off in the distance in this photo)

Sea Breeze Resort

We still cannot figure why we were able to stay at this place for such a budget cost (roughly $15/night) but we did. This was after we stayed two nights in a room that was trecherous. The blinds didn't close all the way so anybody who walked by our windows could see right in and there was literally a Philippine Gamecock Farm directly below in the field behind our windows which we couldn't close. It was like a dog pound for angry roosters. I never understood why South Carolina chose the mascot it did but I now have the first hand knowledge that angry roosters are nothing to mess with! That must be why they are bred to fight and kill one another in arranged matches in seedy back-ally rings.

Anyway, we stayed at the Sea Breeze for 8 luxurious days.

View of the Bay of Thailand from the Resort Pool

We think it was an insect that bit her eyeball while she was sleeping that caused her to rub her eye so hard that capularies were burst, but waking up that morning was a shear panic. The white of her left eye was blood red, blurred vision and she could barely stand up because of the pain it caused. The clinic we took her to was very clean and legitamate. She was not a happy camper in this pic...

Had Riin, Koh Pha Ngan Town Center

Thailand rainy season don't mess around!!! I thought I knew what rain was...

Full Moon Party

Every month, 5,000 maniacs from all over the world come to this island for the famous Full Moon Party. I figure I had to partake simply for the full sociological experience of it. And it truly is an experience. I can't say for sure, because I don't want to be hanged or spend the rest of my life in Thai prison and I'm a clean kid, but I'm almost positive there was more than just alcohol being consume at this party. This shingdig kicks off at about 10p.m. and doesn't quit untill well after 10 a.m.

I still cannot figure out why these two guys were wearing ponchos. It wasn't raining but they did not seem to mind me taking this photo.

Banana Pancake

For a little more than 70 cents on average, these have been my primary source of sustenance. This is probably why my belly is so jiggly now but they are a scrumpcious and cheap snack.