There are some holidays that we often forget about. But there are some holidays that we never forget. I would have to say that my honeymoon at Krabi, Thailand was a trip I would probably never forget.
One thing you will need to know about Krabi. It is that when people say they went to Krabi for a holiday, they usually do not mean that they had spent their time at Krabi town for a holiday. They usually mean that they had spent most of their time at some surrounding islands around Krabi or at Aonang, a coastal province of Krabi. There are many tourist destinations around Krabi. However, I made a research over the internet and decided to spend my time at Aonang mainly because it had much more affordable accommodation compared to the ones at the other neighbouring tourist destinations.
Aonang is about 40 minutes away from Krabi International Airport. There is a tourist bus that you can take from the Krabi airport to send you directly outside your hotel at Aonang. Taking the tourist bus will only cost you a fraction of the price as compared to taking a taxi to Aonang. The accommodation at Aonang is very reasonably priced. My husband and I stayed at Aonang Goodwill Hotel. The hotel is situated right at the heart of Aonang town which was good for us as we saved a lot of money on transport as everything is at walking distance from the hotel. We only paid $50 per night for the hotel as I managed to get it at a discounted price from www.agoda.com. The only setback is that if you book a room from that website, you will not get a refund if you decide to change your travel date.
Aonang is a really nice place. It’s filled with street stalls, clothes boutiques, souvenir shops, restaurants and pubs. There is also a clinic and a pharmacy there just in case you get sick or hurt yourself. You’ll never get bored at Aonang as there are plenty of activities to do there.
As a Malaysian, it was only natural for me to go food hunting in Krabi. Those who say that the Thai food sold in Thailand is not delicious must be kidding. I still remembered a friend of mine telling me that the Thai food she ate in Thailand was not as nice as the ones sold in Malaysia right after her holiday at Bangkok. After my trip to Thailand, I felt that was totally untrue because I found the Thai food sold in Thailand so delicious. During my time at Krabi, I tried eating as much local food as I can. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough meal slots to eat them all. I loved especially the Thai tom yum soup, fish cakes and fried spring rolls. I also enjoyed the sticky rice and mango dessert there.
During our honeymoon, my husband and I went for an elephant trekking trip as well as a visit to a catfish farm. We also went on a speedboat to do our island hopping trip. The elephant ride made my husband and I really dizzy but it was still quite fun. The island hopping tour was a really good experience for us. I just cannot describe how beautiful the islands were and how the crystal clear water sets the islands apart from other islands and beaches that I have visited.
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| My husband and I during the elephant trekking |
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| The spectacular view we enjoyed during the island hopping trip |
One thing I learnt through experience – when you want to experience activities that are only done by the locals, always talk to the locals and ask them. We spoke to a local who worked for a breakfast coffee shop right across our hotel and found out that there was a local market that the locals love to visit during the week.
The journey to the market was tiring because it was a long walk. But when we reached there, we instantly knew the trip was rewarding. That’s because at the market, we got to buy some cheap local food. I bought a sticky rice and mango dessert for only RM1 (about $0.30!). That’s not all...on the way to the market, we discovered a really good eating stall that sells food catered to the locals at the locals’ price which was much cheaper as compared to eating at the stalls situated at Aonang town. This place is called ‘Sareefah Food & Beverage’. They sell ala-carte dishes as well as specially cooked Thai dishes. We ended up eating most of our meals at this place because the food tasted so good and we could get all the seafood we wanted at such a good price (at a non-tourist price).
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| Our favourite eating place in Aonang. It's called Sareefah Food & Beverage |
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| The Aonang local market. Most of the people there are locals |
Just before our holiday ended, we decided to take a trip to Krabi town. We booked a return bus trip from Aonang because it turned out cheaper than taking a taxi there. We got to Krabi town by bus. However, when we wanted to return back to Aonang, we waited and waited for the bus but it never showed up. So in the end we spent more money because we had to take a taxi back instead. Krabi town is just a normal town with some cheap food and shops selling clothes, textiles and souvenirs. I still prefer Aonang to Krabi town though as the place is more interesting to me.
Krabi is a tourist destination that I would recommend to anyone if they want a relaxing holiday. The people there are really friendly and the place is just so peaceful. I would encourage you to go to this beautiful place if you are given the opportunity.
I hope you enjoyed my illustrations on Krabi.
