of wat and wat and wat

chiang mai, dubbed the 'city with a hundred temples' and often called 'rose of the north' was the location of my city crawl on a tuesday afternoon. founded by king mengrai in 1296, it later became part of lanna thai kingdom.

we hired a tuktuk at 320B for 4 persons and the driver brought us to the places we wanted to go. as a tuk tuk usually only sits 3 persons, me-the 4th person sat on a modified seat next to the driver. it was a very small one and i had to hold on to the hand rail on the roof. if i am not wrong, my 'seat' is the vehicle's battery box but was topped-up with a cushion. oh, it was such a stiff ride while the 3 ladies sat at the back.

2 of our modes of transportation while in chiang mai. the pink coach was our coach for 5 days. i did not get on the red taxi. you just hail one and ask the destination, then you can hop on.

so while the rest spent 400B for 2 hours of massage, 4 of us were visiting 3 of the oldest wats in the old city.

first up- wat phra singh which houses the phra singh buddha image which is said to have come from sri lanka.

well, i am not a devout buddhist or am i an expert in buddhism, so you guys just enjoy the photos and the intricate work of the temple.

on the left is a wooden shrine on the right of the main temple.

inside the main temple. if you look closely at the top left photo, you can see a guy asking the monk to bless a mong kon (a cord worn on the head on thai boxer). he was asking for blessing for his family. the westerners all who visited were really keen and interested.

i have seen a photo of this venerable monk before. yes, he is alive, sitting there. you can hardly see any rise and fall of the chest. the devotees have so much respect for him. well, i do too.

how beautiful.

the day was starting to get hotter and hotter and the sun did not show any sign of exhausting itself. i could feel my face being covered by a layer of dust. even the camera which was hanging on my neck was covered too.

we then moved to wat chedi luang. i think this is one of the biggest temples inside the old city.

on top- the naga, which is found at the entrance of most temples is the guardian of the temple. it is sanskrit for serpent.

the new temple buiding at the entrance called viharn. love the ceiling.

this is what you go for at chedi luang. this chedi was destroyed in an earthquake in 1545 and now stood at 60m.

other smaller shrines around the chedi. this one houses some relics of monks.

the relics in their cases on top left. a reclining buddha is also in another shrine. and they even have a monk chat programme here. i saw a white young couple chatting with one monk. the rest were lepaking there as their tables were empty.

the last chedi for the day was wat chiang man, the city's oldest. this houses a crystal buddha and an emerald buddha.


this is my best shot of the crystal buddha.

the small crystal buddha statue is kept in the golden shrine inside the temple.

there were dogs wandering everwhere they were all so well-fed. someone was selling birds too. you can buy one and release it. on the right are paintings of lord buddha's journeys or stories.

the larger viharn.

time was not on our side. we did not expect to spend so much time at the three wats. well, there were just so much small details to take in at the wats. we got the tuk tuk driver to bring us to wakokot market which the receptionist recommended. one of the biggest in chiang mai if i am not wrong. it is situated in chiang mai's chinatown. well, the market closes at around 6p.m. and we were there at 5.15p.m.

top right is the entrance into chinatown. just a street with one block of shops on both sides.

bottom left, the moat which is now much smaller than what it used to be. bottom right, what remains of the old fort surrounding the old city now. our hotel is outside the old city. how dull.

above, wakokot market. you know, that is the name printed on the map, but the locals called it 'walolot'. haha...i couldn't get myself to say the ls in the name. it tickled me. the ladies got what they wanted to find- siang pure oil at one of the chinese medicine shops.

then it was goodbye to the tuk tuk driver who dropped us at the hotel at around 6 plus.

had to take a shower before the bus picked us up for our dinner.

those who went for the massage were all waiting at the massage centre.

dinner was at a place called kantoke palace. it serves nothern thai cuisine. khan means bowl while toke means small. so it is literally the tray used as a small dining table by thais. dinner was accompanied by traditional dances of nothern thais.

we sat in long rows and we had the triangular cushions to lean against. but be careful not to push too hard, it would fall.

appetisers- fried crunchy banana and a bowl of vege soup. the soup was very salty.

the 8 bowls included fried chicken, fried potato, fried pork rind, pork curry, fried cabbage, pork tomato chilli paste, fresh cucumbers and green chilli paste. they also had sticky rice in a bamboo basket and for dessert, fruits again and crispy rice cakes. everyone said the food was not appetising and the most attacked dish was fried chicken. they would refill the bowls when the food finished.

the dancers would perform 8 dances but we left after 3. the aunties all did not know how to enjoy them and were complaining that the music and dances were putting them to sleep. i quite enjoy them.

so these were the things i did on my first day there. was so glad that i did my own sight-seeing of the old city. the rest did not get the chance at all.

p/s: i paid my samans online. rm300 gone.

8/12/09. chiangmai day 1. of chill and park

with eyes barely opened, body which still wanted to be so much in bed and face with breakouts, i boarded the coach with mom in tg malim to lcct at 3a.m. on 8 december 2009. it was the 3rd consecutive nights i did not get my sleep. the dark eye patches seemed to extend all the way to the nose.

the flight to chiang mai was at 7.20a.m. and it departed right on schedule. i was so cold in the flight and i had running nose. luckily those sitting next to me were not strangers or i was sure they would request that i be quarantined. the flight took 2 hours and 40 mins. hence, we arrived at chiang mai international airport at 9a.m. local time. our tour group consisted of 24 including me. everyone knows everybody as all are from tm. so it was quite a chatty group with me being the youngest of course.

i was still chilly as we stepped out into a bright shiny morning. the tour guide was there to pick us up and i think all tour group members were photographed with a pretty thai girl who garlanded a string of flower around your neck. temperature was around 17C.

they then brought the photos to you, already framed and sold it for 100Baht. din buy any and i din even stop for photograph. mom took a photo but she din buy one because i took one using my camera too. they did this at a few other places that we went to too. what a way to earn easy money.

since it was still early and we had a few hours to kill before lunch, the guide brought us to a park called royal flora ratchapruek 2006. this was the location of a huge horticultural show in 2006 to celebrate the king's birthday.

pictures taken outside the park. you don't have to pay any admission fee but i saw ticket booths. maybe they were for 2006. the photo on top right was taken from ratchapruek hill. the park stretched all the way till the white building which is the royal pavilion.

ratchapruek hill outside the park. it is named after the tree which is auspiciously related to royalty.

mom and i decided to board a 'bus' to explore the park while the rest chose to walk around. the ride to all the sections of the park took 20 mins. you can get off at designated stations and board the next bus when you are done. i paid 20B for one ticket.

some of the different gardens (30 international gardens) and sections of the big park. you can also rent a cart and get someone to drive you. i think it was 160B for one.

found malaysia's park. there were also some parts sponsored by corporate sectors like toyota and singha (beer company).

the royal pavilion which is sponsored by singha. a very beautiful building surrounded by a moat. i could not get a snapshot from the front because of tree obstruction.

the much revered thai king can be found everywhere you go in thailand. visitors to the park can also leave greetings to the king by signing books provided. as they king had just celebrated his 82nd birthday in the same week, there were still festivities around the country. saw big platforms in chiang mai city centre built for the king.

we left the park at 12 plus. was supposed to leave at 12noon but some of our group members were so attracted by an expo being held there selling local agricultural products and local products. they bought pineapples (oh-so-sweet) and fried vermicelli noodles.

then we went to a restaurant for lunch. meals in this tour were so much like those that one get in china tours. we got 6 or 7 dishes and one soup and one fruit platter. fruits were pineapple/ watermelon/ papaya. soup- tomyam. food wise, it was very boring. well, i did not like it since i was quite used to travelling at my own pace and eating where i want to and ordering things from the menu.

what can you see here? fried egg, stir fried kailan, stir fried cabbages and mushrooms, deep fried pumpkin, sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour chicken and tom yum. i did not drink the beer. well, was trying to avoid any stomach discomfort you see. many of them felt unwell during the trip and the most common complaint was stomach discomfort. some even vomitted and purged. one uncle even had fever. i was a-ok. took my own sweet time eating slowly and moderately.

then it was off to the hotel- chiang mai hill. well, it was not on a hill, but not in the city centre either. initially, we were supposed to be in the city centre, but because of a public holiday in thailand, the room rates increased and we were kicked out. the first hotel also accepted bookings for business conferences so they were overbooked. hence we had to settle for this one. the rooms were ok but too bad about the location.

the city centre of chiang mai is surrounded by a square moat and you can see remains of the fort still standing. it is a vibrant city in my opinion. there are also a few institutions of higher learnings here. as there are more than 300 wats (temples) in the city centre itself, the city is void of illicit entertainments...well, not totally of course. you don't get cross-dressing shows (aqua shows) here but you can still find girls in show rooms (aquariums). one of our members went to have a look that night. women are not allowed.

afternoon was free-n-easy and the rest of the group decided to go for a massage. no-no for me and 3 others including my mom. i decided to hire a tuktuk to bring us to 3 of the oldest wats in the city and do a little sight-seeing ourselves. the tour did not drop us at the city centre at all for a walk. sucked big time.

well, all the wats and city centre will be in the next post. i need a rest now.

back from chiangmai and bye bye rm300

i am so so so tired now. the whole body just wanna collapse and fall asleep for a long long time.
morning call today in chiang mai was 5.30a.m. local time, that is 6.30a.m. malaysian time.

i only reached home at around 4.30p.m. and it was sooo hot. the heat just came to you after the cooling air up north.

still can't hit the bed yet. just got a call from aunt in germany to quickly finalise the things i want them to buy in the states because they are going to leave for usa in about 10hours.

mails and letters for me in the post is very scarce but i got 2 big things waiting for me.

first one is a 2010 calendar of bags. sender- unknown but i have a feeling that it is from yunli. have to check with her later.

second....i can cry over this. i got a letter from polis diraja malaysia, cawangan trafik stating that i have unpaid summonses. so i checked via sms following the instructions given on the letter....and the sms replied saying that i have 2 summonses. then i smsed again for more details regarding the 2 summonses, and the dates of the summonses actually dated back all the way to 11 nov 2008 and 10 july 2006. my offense? speeding of course. was caught in tapah and slim river. i am not complaining, but i am questioning. why didn't i get my 2 summonses in the first place?? the letter that i got is a reminder to pay my summonses which i did not know existed. so it is not my fault that i am not paying right? oh, the amount i have to pay for both the tickets is rm450. i went to myeg.com.my to check too and they gave me discount- i pay rm300 instead. so there goes the so-called rm500 bonus.

i actually checked at myeg this year before i went to renew my roadtax and there was no mention of any summonses. wtf.

ok, dun wanna type anymore or i will be cursing the traffic dept for their snail-pace work. better go window shopping now and prepare my shopping list.

things you can do on a monday...

ok....one post before i go to sleep. really need my sleep.

the trip to da vinci the genius exhibition at the national science centre at mt kiara was ok. well, sorry if i am not as enthusiastic anymore. there was simply too much reading to do ok. so they have the prototype of his drafts of machines built up for you to see, but many of them have the 'do not touch' sign. they exhibited his works on arts, mechanics, arms, music, etc. you just go from one mini hall to the other admiring the prototype and the mechanics that go behind each of them. well, i am dumb at physics and was trying as hard as i could to connect his creations which were to become the basis of many of today's inventions (well, not that dumb as i could see them). that guy was really a genius and multi-talented in all fields. he was such a forward thinker too and nothing seemed to be impossible. well, maybe the word impossible is not in his vocabulary. i like one of his quotes- art is never finished, it is only abandoned. i guess he applied this to all of his works. salute.

it would be good if i had my physics teacher there explaining each and every prototype, well except for the creation of mona lisa of course. schools should organise trips for their science students and make sure the physics teachers go. i am sure the students will be more interested in the subject after that, or at least learn who da vinci is. there was a big group of international pupils there. these are only like 10-year-olds and they are already soo inquisitive. and each of them had few pieces of paper to fill up regarding the exhibition. i glimpsed and saw 2 of the questions- design a brochure about the exhibition to attract year 5 students to visit and draw the machine that fascinates you most from the exhibition. it was great seeing those pupils taking such keen interest in the exhibition. but sigh...i can't help lamenting the state of our own government schools. what would teachers say when all pupils chatter at the same time to ask questions? 'QUIET or SHUT UP' would most probably be the answers. blame the education system or blame the educators? i have learnt from the exhibition and the visitors.

one structure that intriques me is da vinci's safety bridge. it is meant to be a quick bridge built for the convenience of soldiers during war. you only need 15 wooden bars (no nails or whatsoever) to complete the project. this is one i would like to try....with match sticks haha.
click here for the picture.

we (3 kids and i) spent about 3 hours there. the exhibition hall was brrr....soo cold. the other exhibits in the science centre are free but they are kinda lousy. some of the machines are not functioning and you only go from one to another, press the button, see some lights flash, the listen to explanations, that's it. a trip to petrosains in klcc is more fun. oh, no photos allowed in da vinci's halls.

we went to 1 utama then and it tooks ages to find a parking lot. finally found one on level 5, rooftop. luckily it was a cloudy day. only had lunch at 2p.m. the kids then decided to go watch 2012 and i went jalan-jalan. it was quite a torture spending 3 hours on my own. first, i was looking at nothing in particular, second, my legs and feet were sooo tired and starting to ache. sob sob! tried looking for facial, but thalgo had moved out and sk-2's beautician was not around. so walk. went to check britain's high stree fashion stores because i saw some nice items from one of the magazines. went into miss selfridge, warehouse, dorothy perkins and topshop. love those dresses they have...and i got one from miss selfridge. not something glitzy... something which can be casual and maybe vamped with a pair of heels. i love dresses...because i am lazy to wash 2 clothing items haha...i wish i can wear dresses to work everyday. really....the androgynous me wearing dresses everyday. try to imagine that.

so i walked, and sat at benches when i saw empty one. then walked and sat again. oh, i also found a book to read in chiang mai. it is 'Little Altars Everywhere' by Rebecca wells. and the best things is, it is free. just go to pick up a book ppl dropped at book crossing's cabinet near one of the escalators on level 1 i think. after you have read the book, logged into bookcrossing's website and record it. then you can leave the book at a place that you think ppl will pick it up, and the journey of the book continues. this book is definitely better than the enchantress of florence.

well, i got to go. whether i will be able to sleep or not...that is another question. been losing sleep 2 nights in a row. blame myself lah for staying in front of computer till past midnight. sleep will come in chiang mai.

have a happy week.

magazine rampage

well, just couldn't stop myself at the magazine shop. was only planning to get female, but when i was there, saw the bumper issue of women's weekly, then michelle yeoh looked kinda attractive on the cover of bazaar, plus it has been quite a while since i read a bazaar. and then there was the magazine 'hanger' with edison chen on the front cover...it is their first issue and featuring all street wear and stuff. so...i am just plain greedy huh?
thought i was going to bring one of those magazines up to the plain on tuesday morning, but dun think that is possible now. i have already gorged one and a half.
am reading the enchantress of florence now but i am definitely not going to bring that with me to chiang mai. the psasages are just enchantingly long and wordy. i can't be burying my head in the book all the time. so i better find an easier read from the pile of unread book at home.

and oh, i am trying to round some kids up to go with me to the national science centre. i only know that the da vinci the genius exhibition is already in malaysia. it was previously in singapore and was reported by the star paper. if not for one of the editorials in the business section of today's paper, i wouldn't have known of its existence. it has been here for 2 months! it started on 1 october and will end on 17 jan. well, the writer said the attendance was kinda poor, when he was there the hall was quite empty. what a pity. where is the promotion for this exhibition? well, it is presented by tm (telekom malaysia) and one of its partners is new straits times. maybe that is why thestar readers do not know about it.
i hope i will go on monday. the admission charge for adults is rm25 and for kids below 17- rm20. open from 9a.m. to 6p.m. daily.

4th day in krabi, 30 nov

no photo, no activity.

itinerary: woke up, had breakfast, returned motorbikes, lingered in the room, picked up from hotel at 11.30a.m., plane which was scheduled to take off at 2.10p.m. only took off at 3.40p.m. and reached malaysian shore at 6p.m. lunch was at airport's food court. even took a nap inside the terminal because of the delay.

so all in all a very relaxed trip. too relaxed for me who was already relaxing at home before going. those who want to get away from the hectic schedule, this is the place to go...hotels are cheap and the pace is slow. good road condition too for that motorbike cruise, no potholes at all.

well, i am looking forward to the next one now- chiang mai and chiang rai. the weather is colder than genting highlands and i am going with a bunch of middle aged. food is all paid for...good, i dun have to think what to eat. just bring a little pocket money and a jacket...voila, i am almost ready to go.

chilling at home

la la la la la la la...
been lazying around and doing nothing.
have finished all the levels in ice-cream mania and sally salon. right now, playing burger island sally spa. let me finish these two games before i start others.
watched aliens at the attic and shorts. kiddie movies...but hey, why bother using the mind.

am thinking whether i should watch star trek or cloudy with a chance of meatballs next.

3rd day in krabi, 29 nov

i started my day very early. the eyes automatically opened at 6.45a.m. local time (7.45a.m. malaysian time). so i headed down for breakfast with my book while the others were still in bed. took my own sweet time there reading and eating at the same time. the air in the morning was fresher and crispier. you could see many joggers along the road too.

when the rest had done with breakfast, we walked out of the hotel with no plan in mind. yup, we did not know what to do. hire a tuk tuk to ferry us for the day? we had decided no more island trip since it would almost be the same. then i said, 'why not the motorbike?' only hua and i have our licenses and mine is a really rusty one. i couldn't remember the last time i went on a bike. one clumsy incident where i dashed into a neighbour's shop still haunted me when i accidentally twisted the accelerator instead of pressing the brake. the rest jumped to the suggestion, i know hua really wanted to do this and it would be her to ferry sammie who is bigger. i doubt that i could control the motorbike if i lost balance.

so the rental was 150baht for one day. cheap huh? only rm15. and you filled your own petrol. i left my passport for the day with them (hope nothing is done with it) as a deposit and off we went.

i was keeping my fingers crossed the whole time on the motorbike the whole day. really scared and cautious. i am glad i made it back in one piece and my pillion rider as well.

we went to krabi town on a sunny morning. was actually looking for a stop at gastropod fossil beach but we missed the turning, so we headed straight to krabi town instead. we parked in front of their departmental store named vogue to enjoy the air-conditioner and have a drink which later turned into our lunch which was kfc meal. it was lucky that we lingered longer for lunch because, as soon as we finished lunch, it decided to pour. the rain was really heavy.

initially, the plan was to go to a waterfall recommended by the motorbike rental guy which is north of krabi town. so if we really went, we would have packed our lunch and got soaked in the rain in the journey.

we waited for the rain to stop and cancelled our plan to the waterfall. what a waste. staying longer in a departmental shop is not a good idea for ladies. haha...i bought a pair of shoes from keds and pikkien bought some pajamas for her son. oh, i also got something from doraemon for atticus. shh....dun tell him.

as soon as the rain stopped, we decided to head back to ao nang since the sky was still cloudy. unfortunately, the rain still caught us as soon as we were outside the town and we quickly looked for shelter. luckily it was a sunday so shops along the road were closed and we could just sit at the pavement and waited. 2 other locals on motorbike also joined us.
the rain only stopped like 30 mins later. but i had my book with me, so i did not complain.

we wanted to look for the tsunami memorial centre when we saw the signboards on the road, but we lost it after a while. most of the signboards are in thai. luckily we found the one to gastropod fossil beach which we lost in the morning and it led us straight there.

it is actually a mollusc fossil site and of course a national park. there are only 2 other sites like this in the world, one in the usa and another in japan. you can also call this a mollusc cemetery as all the hardened 'stones' that we stepped on, are actually formed by shells. the cemetery is reported to be around 75 million years old. so cool huh, to be actually standing on it. i saw a sign telling visitors to take off their shoes before entering, but there was no one to enforce it. they should because as more ppl go on it, it is just going to erode and become thinner. they charge you 200 baht per entry as well.

we were near ao nang already by then and before reaching ao nang, i saw the shooting range sign. we saw the sign on the map earlier and had decided to go. we of course turned in and surrenderred our money to get hold of two guns- .35mm and .45mm. sammie pulled out because she was scared of the noise. it was really loud everytime a bullet is released. hua and i share 5 bullets each on each gun we paid 1960baht for the 2 guns, 20 bullets and target poster. quite expensive huh? there were also some locals there doing their gun practice and a group of scandinavian father and sons.

we reached our hotel at about 4p.m. we did not know where else to go with our motorbike. what a waste.
kien, mi and i headed for the pool while hua went to the beach and convenient store running errand for kien...buying more smirnoff and lays chips. these are some photos taken of the sunset at the beach. really pretty huh? the long tail boats made the scene kinda rustic.

dinner that night was at a western looking place called tanta restaurant but most food we ordered were thai. the thai dishes here looked more appetising than the one yesterday. our plan was to have western again but their western menu was quite limited. we ordered a pizza to share, tom yam soup and white rice, spicy thai noodles, pad thai (fried thai noodles) and fried rice. it was all right. sigh....i missed the good food we had on the first day.

2nd day in krabi, 28 nov

we had booked ourselves an island tour to phi phi island, maya bay, loh samah bay, peh leh bay, monkey beach and bamboo island.
the guide picked us up at the hotel at around 9 a.m. and we headed to the beach to board the speed boat. we were joined by 13 other tourists, from malaysia and there were 4 foreigners. 2 were from scotland. will let the photos do the talking here.

this is the aonang area. the beach and the shops along the main road.

the speedboat which was to be our mode of transport for the day. the one with green, red and yellow stripes. the tour would end at around 4p.m. and lunch was included.

ahem...checking the view as the speedboat cruised on the open sea. are you checking them??

the journey to phi phi took around 45 mins but that was not really the main docking area. we spent more time on bamboo island and maya bay. we were brought to 3 snorkelling sites and the water was so clear. however, the variety of fishes were not as good as those in redang. you see more fishes and varieties in redang. the reefs here were slightly better.

viking cave where bird nests are harvested.

i like this...reminded me of two eyes and a nose on a skull. see how clear the water was.

this is the right way to wear the safety jacket.

fishes going for the piece of bread. don't ever get near them...a bit scary when they were swarming around you.

the next few photos were taken at maya bay where leonardo dicaprio filmed the movie 'the beach'. the tour guide on the boat was one of the protesters who went to phuket to protest the filming on the location as they destroyed the beach by changing its look.

this way to tsunami evacuation route. most of the areas in krabi are designated national park.

wonderful view of the rising cliffs from the inland.

all speed boats docked here while the passengers got down for some time on maya bay.

we had our lunch at one of the restaurants at phi phi island. we only went to one side of the big island. what a waste.

there were also many shops and resorts and diving centres here.

our lunch. tomyam soup, sweet and sour fish, fried fish cake, stirfried mushroom with cashew nuts, and stir fried mixed vege. they also had a plate of spaghetti. eat as much as you can because they will fill the plates once they were empty. but our group did not go for it. the rice was not good at all, too dry. thailand is so famous for its rice and all we got was lousy ones.

our last stop before heading back to ao nang was bamboo island. there they cut a pineapple and watermelon for us. the pineapple was really sweet. that was the only fruit besides banana at the breakfast buffet which i had when i was in krabi. simply sweet and juicy.

kien, sammie and i decided to go for a massage back at the hotel. 300 baht for 1 hour of massage. that is rm30. so both of them went for the neck and shoulder massage while i decided to give thai massage a try...my first time...and i think will be my last. i did not know that it was going to be sooo painful. my body and limbs were bent and pressed in all sorts of places which i never thought would be possible. those elbows were really useful to cause pain huh. i could almost scream but thank god not to that level yet...almost. the masseuse stood on my back and curled her toes and pushed them into my back. oh god. i came out in one piece and i did not feel any more relaxed than i already was this holiday. is this massage more on the bones and your frame??

after massage it was jalan-jalan cari makan.

they advertised this as thai pancake...but i think we malaysians know this as roti canai. this is banana and strawberry sauce. you can choose different types of filling.

on this day, we decided to go for some thai food and we found ourselves at red chilli restaurant. don't go there if you are in aonang. quite lousy. but their western food looked good on the tables around us.

we had thai seafood spicy salad, tom yam soup, green curry and fried morning glory (kangkung). the chicken pieces in the green curry was hard. no fun at all.

so we later headed to 7-11 and i got myself a magnum almond ice-cream. ok full.

got a very sound sleep that night and found myself wide awake at 6.45 a.m. the next day.

first day in krabi, 27 nov

krabi: the pearl of the andaman sea. population of about 300,000. the locals called it 'krab bi'. it is one of the smaller provinces in thailand. krabi town is where the port and airport is. but most tourists do not linger here, instead they head to ao nang. well, we were there at the end of the wet season, the dry season was just beginning...so i was keeping my fingers crossed for good weather.

there were more scandinavians than locals. everywhere you go, blondes and brunettes. beautiful features with blue eyes and high noses. most came with their families and middle-aged couples (a lot). young travellers were quite rare but you do see a few groups scattered here and there. asians? well, there were some singaporean, malaysian of course and a few japanese.

those who have been to phuket, you will find a lot of similarities, but phuket has more activities to offer. it is more crowded in phuket too. so if you want a quieter and more relaxed holiday where you can spend a lot of time at the pool side reading and sleeping, krabi is the place for you.

and now my story:

upon arrival at krabi international airport (which is a new and small one), we were met by 'chai' a local tourguide. our package included lodging, transfer to and fro the airport and 1/2 day tour. besides us, he also picked up 7 other malaysians.
our first destination: lunch.

the bus drove us to a place, quite secluded from the main road, nestled among trees and dropped us for 30 mins quick lunch. you can choose between duck noodles and seafood fried rice.

this was the place we were at. the bowl of duck noodles was a bit sweet and sourish at the same time. well, the fried rice was normal lah. i choose the fried rice because they fried it when you ordered. the noodles were all pre-prepared and they only added the soup and duck meat....but it was still good. the meat was thick and tender.

the bus next stopped at a shop selling local products. i din buy anything. hmhh...should have just to appease dad. haha...he asked mom, if i bought anything back to eat. they had coconut sweets, fried anchovies, grated coconut, etc...nothing interests me.

then it was to tiger cave temple...no... you don't go there to see tiger. instead, there are monkeys.

the monkeys were all fed by the tourists and they were not scared of humans...so watch out for your belongings.

right inside the compound is a pagoda housing a giant kuan yin statue.

for those who want some exercise, you can go up the steps to the tiger cave temple on the mountain. we didn't mind going, but we were short of time because of the flight delay. so we could only take photos at the bottom. i am sure we can get a good view at the top. it was such a clear day and naturally it was hot.

last destination before the hotel: krabi fisheries research centre where they breed the fishes before releasing them into the sea. fishing is one of the main occupations for the locals who live by the sea. so this is a good effort huh. guess these are the 'sea gypsies' who are mostly muslims. there is a chinese population too but in krabi town. the muslims live at the outskirts.

yeah....finally the hotel at 5+. everyone was getting hotter and stickier.

from krabi town to ao nang beach, which is where most tourists are, it takes about 20 mins by car. most ppl stay here because this stretch provides easy access to the sea and islands. our hotel is just across the road from the beach. however, this stretch of beach is not suitable for water activities as it is the docking place for long tail boats. if you want a swim, you have the pool or go out to one of the islands nearby to swim in the clear water. our rooms were one of those facing the pool.

our spacious room. we got a good deal for the room, bought 2 nights and free 1 night.
kien and i decided to go for a swim while sammie went for an aromatherapy massage. hua just lazed around on the lounge chairs with her psp. at the bottom right, you can see the fire escape route and also tsunami escape route pasted behind the door of the room. everywhere you go on the street, you can see signboards of tsunami evacuation route pointing inland. according to the tour guide, ao nang was not affected during the tsunami because all the smaller islands (about 80) blocked the impact of the waves. that was a relief.

see those books there? non in english. provided by the hotel for their scandinavian guests. luckily i brought my own- testimony by anita shreeve. ;P good choice because it comes in short chapters. i finished the book and now it is with cousin en who will bring it to koh samui. hehe...that book can really travel.

the sky turned dark at around 6p.m. and we went out looking for dinner at 7p.m.

all along the road in ao nang, you have shops selling souvenir items and clothes, restaurants, pubs, and travel agencies. ao nang road is in the shape of a 'U'. our hotel is right at the bottom of the 'U' and across that is the sea. so if you wanna walk, you walk from one end from the top, to the bottom, and then up the other end.

7-11 convenient stores are everywhere, and that is the place where everyone goes for snacks and water. it is cheaper than the local convenient stores. they increased the prices themselves.

so dinner was western. we saw one which was crowded called aning restaurant. you won't regret going there. food was good but the service did not come with a smile. the locals here are not as developed as those in phuket and their english is quite limited. just dun try any complicated requests or conversation.

we had nachos, pork chop, beef burger, bacon and cheese with chicken and chicken tortilla. everyone pronounced satisfaction with their meal....except me. i ordered pork chop and it came a bit dry. there is no service tax in the bill, so please give some. also, they won't understand if you request for the bill, instead go for your cheque.

so after makan, we jalan a bit. bought bottled alcoholic drinks like smirnoff ice and bacardi breezer.

another flavour for me to try- rasberry and this is the worst. taste like f&n grape and it made my tongue purple. the lime is still the best i think.

then we called it a night.

pre krabi

these were the things which i did the morning before i boarded the flight to krabi on 27 november 2009.

woke up at 5.30a.m. and were at the tm train station at 6a.m. yawn! the train came right on the dot at 6.15a.m. and i said goodbye to mom.

this is the coach which i was in. does this look second class to you?? and would you pay rm14 for the train journey? economy class is rm7 and i have no idea how they look. frankly speaking, i felt cheated of the fare i paid. the sliding door....true to its name, kept sliding and emitting sounds of the wheels on the track and of course, the fumes as well. urrggh... so i definitely could not catch any nap. luckily the seat was still all right and the journey was only 1 hour 20 mins to kl sentral. can ktmb please have a facelift of the coaches? or at least go and fix the sliding door.

at sentral, i took the lrt to wangsa maju where sookhua picked me up in her kancil. then her sister and bf came to pick us up and we went for breakfast. yum yum

my first time having breakfast at imbi market and it is a haven for breakfast! no kidding. there are soo many many choices and all of them are good. you just simply wish you could order one from each stall...but of course, it is impossible to stomach all. must go there again next time. aunt would love it...they have her popiah.

ah weng koh stall is famous here for its beverages and 'space bun' (tai hong pau)...well, it is toasted bread with kaya and a slab of butter which naturally melts and drips as you savour every bite. heavenly. the apam balik is also very very good...its 'skin' is not as thick as the ones you normally find and the peanuts are chunky. bottom middle pic. cheong fun, curry noodles, wan tan noodles, pan mee, etc are just as mouth-watering. what a way to start the day. and the place was soo crowded so you just stand by the side and wait for ppl to finish eating. as soon as they finish, you must take the place.

then we headed to the airport where we meet kien and her friend...sammie..haha...yeah, i travelled to krabi with mi. flight was delayed by about 40 mins and we only arrived at krabi international airport after 3p.m.