SIMPLY (t)RAVELLING

Awesome Ao Nang

 

A few days after Raya we are off the tarmac again, and this time we are doing Krabi for three days. Departed from LCCT via AA airbus AK804 at 1.25pm, the journey is smooth; and soon we are flying above Thailand. Being the few Malays, the rest of the plane is occupied by Chinese and some Westerners, which is quite normal considering the fact that the month of Syawal is only approaching day five.

 

Krabi from above. Located in the south of Thailand, this part of Thailand is less developed, compared to the much popular and happening Phuket, its neighbour.

 

The plane safely landed at Krabi International Airport forty minutes passed one, and immigration check is a breeze. It is less hectic at the airport, as our flight is the only one arriving that afternoon and coincidentally it is now an off season in Krabi.

 

We purchase the bus ticket to Ao Phra Nang, or commonly known as Aonang on our way out. The fare is 150B per person and that’s the cheapest and easiest way to get to the seaside where we will be staying for three days.

 

Our bus tickets.

 

As we step out from the terminal, a waft of hot air hit my face. It is hot outside, and luckily the air-conditioned bus is readily waiting where we quickly hop into for shelter.

 

The only drawback in taking the bus is that it will wait until all seats are occupied; which thankfully in our case we don’t have to wait for too long. It seems that half of our fellow flight mates are using the same means of transport to get to Aonang.

 

Located roughly 15km from the airport, the journey to Aonang passes by small Krabi town, ordinary villages and palm plantations. Somewhere along the way, the bus stops in front of a travel agent company and a guy hop on.  Without introducing himself, he starts asking every one of the hotels that they will be staying. While others promptly answer his query diligently, us being a total skeptics and in self-protect mode (especially against travel agents) lie that we are yet to book any and plan to search ourselves. He then ushers those people off from the bus and informs that another transport will pick them up to their intended destination. I overheard a lady sitting at the seat next to us whispering to her friend that she didn’t trust the guy. We then resume our journey to Aonang, which eventually not very far away from the stop and are clueless of the fate of those people.

 

The bus stops in front of our pre-booked guest house. What?? We are back in KL? Not!!!

Apart from the many scattered hotels and guest houses, we choose KL House as it sits on the quieter side of the beach, with 7-11, internet café, motorbike rental and halal eateries in close proximity. In three words, it is clean, cheap and convenient.

 

Our room at 500B per night.

 

I drop my bags and head straight to the balcony. With the karsts cliffs as the backdrop and blue sea lining nearby, I immediately fall in love at first sight.

 

Panaromic view of Aonang from our hotel balcony.

 

Since it is already 3pm, we quickly wash ourselves and rent a motorbike from the operator next door for a quick tour of the place. The bike could be rented at fixed 150B per day. We fidget when we are asked to surrender our passport as a guarantee; to roam a foreign country without any identification is a bit unnerving and feels insecure. The uncle who owns the lot assures us that it is a common practice and discloses passports that are in his custody. Seeing that we are out of choices, we cross our fingers and pray for the best.

 

 

 We take a short ride to central Aonang, where all the shops and tour agents could be found fronting the beach.

 

The street is a bit quiet; being midday I assume that most of the inhabitants are either having an after lunch siesta or still at sea on island tour.

 

Aonang red taxis.

 

We stroll along the shop lots, browsing the goods on display and checking out the tour package for tomorrow. The tour price from one agent to another is about the same, and being off season, the rate for everything is a bit lower than usual. We manage to get an island hopping package to Koh Phi Phi at 800B per pax, and 10L dry bag at 350B which is really cheap.

 

The agent, where we book our tour to Phi Phi island.

 

The last time we have our meal was during the flight, and that was already a few hours ago. Spotting a halal stall selling assorted Thai pancakes, we decide to give it a try.

 

Pancake preparation. The stuff looks like our own typical roti canai with banana fillings. Heck, aren’t we on the Banana Pancake Trail? Duh!

 

My Banana Nutella pancake. Yummy stuff.

 

We enjoy our pancake at a nearby bench, marveling  the Andaman sea in front of us.

 

Aonang was one of the area affected by the 2004 tsunami, thus the warning signpost. Apparently,  there seems no indication that such disaster ever happened, and the small town is lively as always.

 

Typical scene at Aonang.

 

As we admire the picturesque landscape, a boat appears somewhere along the horizon amidst the stone karst island, which later known to me as the Poda Island.

 

The boat stops upon reaching the shore to dispatch the passengers, who just come back from their island tour.

 

Enough with sightseeing, we make a move to the neighboring Nopparat Thara beach, and it seems that the locals prefer this side of the beach as it has longer shorelines, shallow water which is suitable for kids and less touristy compared to Aonang. But we are more attracted to the food stalls across the road, selling seafood fritters.

 

Among others that caught our attention is the fried prawns and veggie…they look inviting.

 

With nothing much to see at Nopparat, we return back to the bubbly Aonang. It is almost night time, but we still haven’t decided yet whether to go to Krabi night market or not. Since DH is not comfortable riding all the way to Krabi (due to the passport and licence issue) and I’m a bit reluctant on leaving Aonang (it has its charm on me already) we dump the idea. We saunter along the road and decide to do Aonang night market instead.

 

The scene at Aonang night market, not much different from that in Malaysia. It has local ambience; we are the only strangers there. Aonang has quite a sizeable muslim community, finding halal foods is no hassle at all. In fact we are spoilt for choices, especially with what the night market has to offer.

 

Skewed fishcake and sausages dipped in fiery red sauce, they look delicious… (they are indeed, and we repeat to the night market on the second night just to have a taste of them again!)

 

Assorted Thai rice. Thai is the world’s largest rice exporter, and the most popular is their fragrance rice. We do not buy any though tempted we are, as rice is prohibited by the custom and immigration (they are under the purview of import license).

 

Fruits, the usual culprit in any night market.

 

By the time we got out, the bike is overloaded with food – thanks to our huge appetite.

 

But that’s not the end yet. Later that night we  join the crowd at the nearby stalls in front of the McDonalds. There is no harm in having street dinner especially at Aonang, they are clean and cheap. Off course, halal too.

 

Dinner is served! We are having Pad Thai tonight, something like our own fried Kuey Teow. The taste is a bit sweet (due to the pound nuts) and sticky; as a fan of spicy food it didn’t get my vote. But that’s just me. There is no shame in trying local foods really, they are as good as experiencing the people and the culture.

 

Dinner’s over, we are back to our comfy room. I spot the mango sticky rice on the table which we bought at the night market earlier and figure that it would be nice to have it while watching some Thai soap opera. Indeed, it is the best that I’ve tasted anywhere so far! You have to pour the sweet sauce and sprinkle the crunchy fenugreek on top of it, and voila! A nice supper to end the day.

 

Next: Island Hopping