Fishermans shrine at Rai Lai beach. This is a animist shrine having nothing to do w Buddhism or Muslims.

At rai Lai beach, near the fishermans shrine

We have been in Krabi for a few days now. It is a hub for traveling to Islands in the Andaman Sea. We took the cheapo "4 island tour" (400 Baht). These little islands are beutiful, but absolutely hammered by tourists boats. Our longtail boat (so called because a car engine with no sound supression runs a prop at the end of a 15 foot shaft) belched black smoke the entire trip and was LOUD. Our last stop on this tour was to a famous beach which may be one of the worlds most beautiful beaches, with a backdrop on limestone cliffs all around. Sadly we were part of a mob of 1000 tourists who crouded this 1/4 mile long beach, and there were at leasrt 40 longtails parked on the beach. Also, just off the beach a few feet sat several exclusive resorts. But all that said, we we happy to visit this very special place. A highlight was the cave at one end with a fishermans shrine (not buddhist or muslim) , a statue a a fertility goddess, and a pile of lingham all around.

We are headed for a Khao Sok National Park now where we hope to find trails and wildlife, and a quiet bungalow in the jungle.

Phang-Nga

We keep finding the good stuff. Went to a little local forest park today and it was really nice. Little stream running down thru a limestone valley and a wild  trail going to the features such as a bat cave, a fish cave and a tangled jungle. Really a treat.  We started walking back to town about 8K and the first truck to come along gave us a lift. As we walked to road we passed little local rubber, coconut and banana plantations, and people greeted us all along with sawadee (hello) and a smile. So different than Bangkok where the smile is based on getting your money.

Now the down side: everybody in Thailand from 12 year old school kids to grandmas drive a moterbike, and pedestrians have no rights at all, so watch out. They won't run you down, but they will swerve around instead of stopping.

Prang Nau is so laid back, but time to leave.

"James Bond " Island



We arrived at Phuket airport an opted out of doing anything there after reading and hearing about the over the top tourist BS, so we got a bus (after resisting a hoard of taxi drivers) and arrived in a non descrept town of Prang Nau in fantastic surroundings of tremendous limestone spires. We found a fantastic inn for 17$ and really like the totally local and friendly flavour.

And things got better. The boat tour out to Prang Nau Marine National Park was fantastic. It is an area of huge limestone mountains flooded by the sea in the last 12K years. And the best remaining mangrove forests in T. Caves and the shoreline drip with stalagmites (or is it stalactites?) One stop was "James Bond Island", so named because a Bond film used this location. Not surprising, the tiny island has been turned into tourist trap with stalls lining the only flat spot, and a mass of boats pulled up.

The mountain village we stayed in
Back in Chang Mei after a 3 day trek near Pai. Good hiking but the guide shorted us a little to save himself some money. Took a wonderful walk down a small river, wading it many times. Also drank a bit of local moonshine, which seemed a little weak, and then we shared a bottle of Thais wiskey, which was weaker still. Overall we enjoyed the trek. The hill tribes live a subsistence life, hunting, farming corn and rice, raising chickens and pigs, and using bamboo for everything.

We have been eating our way through Thailand, food everywhere and I'm getting fat!!!

Sukothais

We spent a day riding bikes around Sukothais Historic Park, location of the first Thai kingdom
circa 700-800 A.D.