Krabi

Southern Fried Chicken- Krabi Style

Waking up to a breakfast of deep fried chicken and Kanom Chin Namya (rice noodles in spicy coconut milk) may not suit everyone but this traditional Southern Thai Chinese dish is a must at least once while visiting Krabi. According to locals Ko Joi Restaurant serve the best, so while we was down south we paid them a visit. First impressions are that its just another market food stall but the proofs in the eating. Everything is home cooked in a kitchen that is open for all to view. For those who have never seen rice noodles made before this is the ideal opportunity to learn step by step. The service could be described as different, no plates for the chicken just note book size pieces of paper (it saves on the washing up) and no cutlery the chicken is eaten with the right hand, according to Muslim tradition. Chopsticks are of course provided for eating the noodles. A bowl of noodles cost B10, a small piece of chicken is B12, a large piece B15 and it is finger licking good.

Ko Joi Restaurant, Krabi (66-75-691145).

Krabi Meritime Hotel

Just minutes from Krabi town either by road or long tail boat on the Krabi River, the hotel is set amidst 25 acres of meandering waterways, towering limestone formation, it was at this 221 room hotel that Leonardo di Caprio stayed while filming the Beach in Krabi. We may have slept in the same bed but not at the same time.

The resort is a cluster of five low-rise buildings surrounding a natural lagoon and landscaped garden. Each lagoon-facing bedroom has a generous sized bathroom with separate show and bathtub and there is a great view towards Krabi town from all the balconies.

Krabi - The Dawn of International Tourism

Until recently limited access has been the major restraining factor in the growth of Krabi's tourism industry. The nearest airport was 155km to the east in Phuket and the drive on what is a rather basic road took a good two hours. But all of that has changed with the opening of Krabi Airport (see issue7). Now the problem is no longer access rather accommodation. Currently Karbi has a total of 5,000 hotel bedrooms of which 3,000 are in the three to five star category. Several resorts are working flat out to be complete and open for the start of the high season in November as 1,000 bedrooms extra bedrooms are already fully booked and paid for by major Travel Agents allocation.

What Krabi has to offer over many other beach destinations are its cluster of tropical islands that offer a wealth of diving and snorkelling opportunities. However reaching them does involve a boat ride of about one hour across seas that aren't plain sailing as I discovered as I boarded a fishing style boat at Choa Fah Bridge pier bound for the uninhabited Ko Poda.

As the boat pulled away I started the journey sitting on the open deck chatting with my fellow travellers and enjoying the sunny morning. About 1km out each time the boat cut across a wave it bounced gently out of the water and as it hit the sea on landing a small wave lapped over the deck. That was fun for the first couple of times but as the sea became rougher each wave became bigger and within 5 mins I was soaking wet. This was no longer the fun it had been at the start so I decided it was time to move but how. By now the deck was very slippery and with a guardrail of just 18 inches I couldn't walk off. I had no alternative but to slide on my backside until I reached the safety of the stepladder leading to the cabin below. During our bumpy voyage, several of my fellow travellers involuntarily parted with their breakfast.

The spectacular colours of the sea at Ko Poda, midnight blue, turquoise and aquamarine were our compensation for the boat ride we had endured. A longtail boat came along side to ferry us ashore for a picnic lunch on the beach. One of the main reasons for us coming to the island was to snorkel and explore the marine life, but the rough seas had thrown up so much sand and silt from the seabed that there was virtually no visibility it the water. A lesson to be learnt, if the sea is rough you may not enjoy the boat ride and when you get there you may not be able to see what you are looking for. I have already pencilled in my diary to return in November when the conditions will be better, but the prices will also be higher.

From Ko Poda our schedule was to visit Ao Nang beach and return to Krabi by road, but as we approached the coastline the wind direction changed making transfers to longtail boats too dangerous. We had no alternative other than to return the way we had come. Its worth remembering when book an island tour in the Andaman Sea that tidal and weather conditions at certain times of the year can cause involuntary re-scheduling.

Krabi has more to offer than just beach and island tours. Sitting on the crossroads of the old searoutes to China and India, Krabi as some of the most fascinating archaeology in Thailand, according to some experts' far superior to that found in the Northeast. A short longtail boat ride from the hotel brought me to a small clearing on the bank of the river where I met an American archaeologist and his wife from Brown University, Rhodes Island USA who had been digging with his team for about 14 days. They had uncovered a burial site which having DNA tested charcoal buried in a claypot found beside the skeleton was date around 2,000 BC. The study was being made under an agreement with the Fine Arts Department which allowed them to dig, test and record all specimens providing that they were not taken out of the country and that the site was returned to its original condition on completion of the dig.

In our short yet highly informative conversation with Prof. James Willoughby I learnt that early visitors from India came to Thailand at the time in the year when the tides are running from there to here and made their annual return journey when they reserved direction, the travellers themselves had little say as to which months they would visit.

Will Krabi attract business away from Phuket or will it appeal to its own market? " Usually, tourist come to Krabi to tour the islands, enjoying the beaches and nature" said Mr Pichai Tangavard, General Manager of Krabi Meritime Hotel, " There is no reason why Phuket and Krabi should compete with each other," he added" Phuket is the attraction in itself and tourists will still want to go there," But for the time being Krabi is less expensive than Samui and Phuket.

PB Air, 17fl UBC II Building, 591 Sukhumvit 33, Bangkok 10110 (66-2-261 0220-5, fax 66-2-261 0229)
Thai Airways International, 89 Vibhavadi Rangsit Rd, Bangkok 10900(66-2-513-0121)
South Bus Station (66-2-435-1199-200)
Krabi Boat Tours, Chao Fah Pier (66-75-630165)