We hadn't planned to visit Thailand. It was a very spontanous decision. We were curious to get to know another country in Southeast Asia. That is why we took the night train from Kuala Lumpur up north to Hat Yai in Thailand.
It was not really a very comfortable train journey. Being used the 4berth compartments in Africa we were really surprised to travel in a huge "dorm train". Anyway it was not freezing cold (just cold) so we finally arrived safely in Thailand. The start in Hat Yai was difficult. We had to face a lot of hassle and arguing about our ongoing journey to Krabi. The minibus drivers turned as half crazy. But after another 4 hours on a much too expensive bus we arrived in Krabi Town and found a pleasant place to sleep, some delicious food and a couple of Changs.
Then, doing an organised tour the next day we experienced another annoying side of Thailand: mass tourism. Millions of people were carried by boat through the really beautiful landscape around Krabi. The absolute lowlight was Railey. On the beach there, it is so crowded, it is impossible to lay in the sand (people will step on you). Anyway, we loved the landscape and the climbing routes in Railey looked extremely inviting. This is definitely a perfect place for some decent rock climbing.
After a lazy day of eating, trinking and massages in Krabi Town we went to the island of Koh Jum. There, we stayed in a simple Beach Bungalow and enjoyed the real thai way of live: great food, lazy chilling in a hammok and at night some beach partying till the early morning.
After these luxury days we went by boat to Phuket Town. We did not intend to go to the beaches there (help, there are even more tourists), but we really loved the old town. We stayed in a nice B&B in Soi Romanni, a beautiful small street with a lot of galeries, bars and cafes. We loved the atmosphere and the people here. 9 days in Thailand is much too short, but we got a first impression. It is a nice country with great food and really amazing people. But we
Big hug and kisses to May in Krabi, Lyn in Koh Jum and Ja in Phuket - it was great to get to know you and we enjoyed the time with you.