A.S.I.A. No being crabby in Krabi IV

April 29th, 2010
Krabi, Thailand

'Orange sticker deees wayy'  'Pink sa-ticka deees boooattt' 'Brue satickahhhr come wis meeeee'  We were amidst a throng of foreign and Thai tourists all waiting around like livestock to get organized into our respective tours and when our stickers were finally called we sheepishly (catch the pun?!) made our way forward and grabbed our snorkel gear.  It was a beautiful morning and the sun was just coming out and the 3 of us were excited to get started on our 4-Island speedboat tour. 

First stop:



The Phallic Statues

Phra Nang Cave beach.  It was explained to us that this cave was very important to local fishermen and folklore.  The story goes that the spirit of a beautiful princess resides in the cave and it is her blessing that keeps the fishermen safe on their journeys and as a result, locals come to the cave to make offerings to her spirit as well as to the goddess Shiva.  The cave is really beautiful as you look up and are overpowered by ornate stalactites and stalagmites set against the backdrop of Rai Leh island and the surrounding sea.  However, it's when you look down that you are in for the real eye-opener; the mouth of the cave is literally filled to the brim with phallic statues of all shapes, sizes and colors.  We're talking 10 feet to 10mm scattered all over the walls, floors and spilling over onto the beach.  It was hard not to laugh, but you have to remain respectful, so we just followed what the other tourists were doing and posed with some of the statues.  They are supposed to be symbols of protection and fertility for the spirits in the cave, but to those who aren't aware of the cave's history it looks a bit Red Light.



Beach Monks



Postcard

Second Stop:

Next we headed to Poda Island for a swim and snorkel.  Although the fish were beautiful and there were some nice coral formations and sea cucumbers, the best part of stop #2 was probably Sue.  Mom and I were able to convince her to try snorkeling for the first time-such a trooper- and there she was along side us with the whole kit and caboodle: from snorkel to mask to jacket to flippers.  Mom was trying to explain to her that to snorkel best you sort of just float on top of the water and let the waves and current move you around.  Sue was trying her hardest to listen, but she kept rolling over.  I don't mean once or twice, but it was as though someone had put her on a rotisserie and she just lost control.  I swam over from my snorkel post to see how they were doing and there's poor Sue trying her hardest as Mom has completely lost it and has tears rolling down her face as she is 'helping' her friend.  It was one of those hilarious moments where no one can stop laughing--even as Sue would say 'stop it,' she'd burst out laughing as around she went again which just got Mom going and then me.  Soup wouldn't give up though and she found a happy medium; she held onto the anchor rope for one of the boats and used that as a stabilizer for the rest of our time in the water. 

Third Stop:

Chicken Island

Next we found ourselves dining on our lunch next to Chicken Island, so named for it's chicken shape (I think it looked more Turtle-like.)  We made our way around it's neck and beak and were brought to an open water snorkelling spot.  We were warned before we hopped in that it was the time of year when jellyfish are abundant, and we were definitely aware as we'd seen many of their little pink bodies jetting around since we'd been in Krabi.  I couldn't pass up another snorkelling opporunity in water where you can literally see to the sandy bottom below; however, I was quickly out of the water after playing an impromptu game of 'Tag' with a massive smack of my jelly friends (and yes, I looked it up, it is called a 'smack' of jellyfish!)  They are beautiful and mesmerizing to watch in the water, but it's pretty terrifying to be watching one group of them and feel a smooth jellied-head move against your back or your foot.  Somehow I escaped unstung, but my adrenaline was definitely pumping. 

4th stop:

Sand bar starting to emerge at Tap Island

After I'd made sure I was sting free we were already at our final destination for the day: Tap Island.  Mom and I decided to do some more snorkelling while Sue set up camp on the beach.  The sand was unreal--pristine white cut out perfectly by the crystalline blue waters slapping against it.  We spent our longest time at this beach, because as the tide went out, a sand bar emerged connecting the three surrounding islands and you could literally walk all the way between them.  Amazing.  Soaking up some sun in the water we happened to befriend a group of local kids who were enjoying the beach on their day off school.  They were so curious about us and it was hilarious watching them show off and then swim away and then huddle together en masse until the designated leader came up to us with the question they had just debated about asking. 

One of our jellyfish friends

We found ourselves back on Ao Nang beach and more than satisified with our perfect sunny afternoon.  It was back to Ming and some final afternoon rays by the sun before we ran some errands and headed off to dinner.  We opted for our new favorite joing, Jeseao, where we continued to be chatted up by the staff.  After our meal we all exchanged emails and took some group pictures together to remember our time.  It's so easy sometimes to just connect with people--one of the many perks of travelling I guess!

Even if you're surrounded by phallic statues, groups of kids or smacks of jellyfish: No Being Crabby in Krabi!