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August 01, 2005
Krabi - The Tubkaak & Phi Phi Island
The first trip of the year down South...
After cancelling a trip to Similan due to the tragic Tsunami early this year, we ended up buying a special package at Thailand Travel Expo (thanks to T.A.T., the Tourism Authority of Thailand for organizing that event) for our first trip down south. Well, it might not be very cheap but it was "the least" expensive, though. :)
We finally chose to go for The Tubkaak Boutique Resort's package, which I can say was "terrific" and really "worth buying"! We were very impressed by their well-organized and warm service. Believe it or not?! Just go check it out by yourself!
*Sunset at The Tubkaak
A vacation for a working person seems to be much shorter than usual (in my opinion at least). Looking back to the time when we were students, taking a 2-3 week vacation during school holidays wasn't such a big deal, while asking for only "one" day leave might be troublesome, as it took my boss quite a while to think it over before he finally agreed to sign the leave request, hahaha.
Anyways, 3 days and 2 nights is not nothing. On our first day, we only hung out at the hotel, feeling kinda "Hi-So", 555. The next day, we took a one-day trip to Phi Phi Island including snorkeling among fish which nibbled on us, as they might think we're food.
*Talay-Waak* (Split Ocean) in the morning - the first stop of the trip, the tide is still somewhat high to see the “sand bridge” which splits the ocean.
Too bad that we were not allowed to visit Phi Phi Lay where "Ao Mayha" is located (Yeep, it's also a well-known scene in the Hollywood film The Beach). Due to the monsoon around the area that morning, we could only make it at Phi Phi Don. Ao Mayha is said to be unsurprisingly gorgeous as it's the furthest hideaway beach of the Phi Phi Island group. Well, I guess the further it is, the more difficult it is for people to get there, so hopefully the better condition it will remain.
Upon our first steps on Phi Phi Don, the remnants of the Tsunami’s damage immediately hit us. I couldn't believe that I was standing on the beach where many people lost their lives. With every step, I wondered if I might have been walking where somebody breathed their very last breath....
*Where I was standing taking this photo, it used to be a big resort but right now, only empty ground remains.
Heading into town, strolling into a small walking soi or street, the quiet island was full of foreign tourists while Thai tourists could hardly be seen. Excluding me, only the street shop sellers were Thai.
*Walking street on Phi Phi Don, seemingly the most crowded area.
One thing kind of interesting was that the mobile phone network there works just as well as in a big city like Bangkok! "Oh, very cool!!!" I was quite surprised and was stunned for a while until a lady seller caught my attention saying "Well, they've just set it all up recently. Before, we never had a mobile phone network. It was not until that sad disaster happened, then they thought we'd better get some phone networks for safety and convenience. How sad, as if we had it, we might not have ended up this bad when the tsunami occurred." I, feeling more stunned inward, couldn't say anything afterwards but "Oh, really?..."
With a whole day trip to Phi Phi and some small islands, I've found that travelling in the low season period isn't so bad as I had believed. On the other hand, it is "the best" time to vacation in terms of all the deals you can get, smaller crowds, cheapest stuffs and the best service. The only one thing that cannot be guaranteed is rain, as it's during the monsoon season and we can't tell how good or bad the weather will be. It’s kinda interesting how most people don’t take their vacations during the low-season because of the weather. While during the high season, the one good thing that is guaranteed is the weather...
Go ahead people! Wrestle for “resting” in the high season! But I'm not fighting with you guys – now I’m starting to like the low season more.
Posted by art at August 1, 2005 04:50 PM
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