On 28th Jan 2012, we boarded tiger airways at 11:30 am from Changi Airport, Singapore. The flight ticket cost 358 SGD for 2 persons. We reached Krabi International airport around 12:15 noon local time. The journey time was 1 hour and 20 minutes. For Indian nationalities, there's a visa on arrival facility at Krabi airport. I paid 2000 baht as a visa fee for me and my wife. It was fast and efficient. I was impressed by the courtesy and politeness of the immigration officers at Krabi airport. After immigration, we went downstairs to book a public minivan. We opted for the public van as it was cheaper. It cost 390 baht/person and we boarded the van around 12:45 noon. Since I carried USD also, I exchanged USD at the rate of 30.81 baht/USD before leaving the airport. Apparently, it was the same rate at Singapore.
Had we arrived earlier, we could have booked ferry to Koh Lanta from the airport. There is only one passenger ferry running every day at 10:30 am to Koh Lanta. Nevertheless, the journey via van was alright. It was air-conditioned. First, it drove us to Krabi town. We first reached a travel agency at 1:30 pm and at 2 pm we boarded another van to Koh Lanta. On the way, the driver picked few other tourists and headed off to Koh Lanta. The road to koh lanta was a smooth journey, we got to see the plantations, rivers, and fields which reminded us of Kerala in India. After driving for about an hour, we crossed the first island via ferry. Few kilometers ahead, we crossed the Lanta Noi island via ferry. Finally, after driving few kilometers, we reached our destination at around 5:30 pm. The resort was beautiful. We stayed in room B104. Personally, I think, it's one of the best resorts in Lanta.
After dropping our bags in the room, we took tuk-tuk, similar to autorickshaws in India, to saladan from our resort. It cost 100 baht for 2 persons. At Saladan, there were lots of shops selling beach clothes, souvenirs, restaurants providing Thai food, pizzas, pastas, etc. Saladan was far better than I thought. We could have got beach clothes from saladan instead of Singapore. We inquired about 4 islands and phi phi tours from various tour agencies. Each one gave a different rate. Finally, we got a better deal from one of the agencies and opted for four island tour via longtail boat on 29th Jan. The four island tour cost 750 baht which included pick n drop, lunch, and tour guide. We later had dinner at one of the Thai restaurants and headed back to our resort. At night, we went for a walk on the beach near our resort. It was a beautiful moonlit night with stars shining and waves splashing on the beach.
29th Jan 2012.
After a good breakfast, the driver reached at sharp 8:10 am for the 4-islands tour. It was 9 am when we boarded the longtail boat. There were 15 people on the boat. But I was not impressed by the boat as the engine made much sound. After an hour we reached Koh-Chuck. It was a beautiful mountain in the middle of the sea. We were given 30 minutes to do snorkeling. Since neither of us knew swimming, we enjoyed the beauty of mountains and the tranquility of the sea all around. The waters were clear enough to see colorful fishes and corals on the surface. After Koh Chuck, we went to the emerald cave which was a marvel of Nature.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
30-Jan-2012.
We woke up at 6 am and after shower and breakfast, we waited for the pickup van. It was 9 am when we boarded the ferry to phi phi. This time the journey was better since there was not much engine noise. It was around 10:30 am when we reached the phi phi Don. From there we boarded a longtail boat. There were around 10 people on the boat. When we reached phi phi Lay island, I was stunned by the ravishing beauty. It is a hidden gem in the middle of the vast ocean.
Psalm 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
There was an enclave of mountains and a narrow opening that allowed passage of boats and ships. The waters were crystal clear with corals and colored fishes visible to the naked eye. There was an air of freshness all around. I wished to spend more time there but then the guide took us around Viking Cave and then Ao Pileh. It was also beautiful with an enclave of mountains and beaches. We spend there an hour and from there we went to Ao Maya.
How Great Thou Art
Lyrics ~ Carl Boberg, 1859 - 1940
O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The world Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Each island was beautiful beyond description. Later we went to monkey beach where there were lots of monkeys. But more than monkeys, I was awed by the white sand on the beach. After spending there for 30 minutes, we boarded the ferry for lunch. This time we had green chicken curry, rice, and salad. Later we toured around phi phi town. The streets were crowded with tourists from all over the world. After spending an hour, we boarded the ferry at 2:30 pm back to Lanta. It was 4 pm when we reached saladan pier and from there they dropped us back at our resort. After a quick bath, we went to the beach for a walk when out of blue the rain started pouring. We were completely drenched as we headed back to our resort. That night, we had dinner at the Lanta beach restaurant. We ordered pizza and Thai chicken noodles.
On the 31st morning, we checked out from the resort at 9 am after breakfast. We had booked our return journey via the same public van that we came. It cost 700 baht for 2 people to return to Krabi Airport. I expected traffic delays but surprisingly, we reached the airport at 11:30 am. Our flight was only at 3:20 pm. We passed time at the coffee house in the airport and finally boarded the flight back to Singapore.
Since I had Thai currency left, I decided to convert them back to Singapore dollars. At Krabi airport, the exchange rate was 24.36 baht but since they ran out of SGD, I decided to buy it from Singapore. At RHB, the rate was 24 baht for 1 SGD and at UOB, it was 24.87. I miscalculated and bought SGD from UOB.
Later we boarded MRT from the airport and had a subway from Bishan. It was 8 pm when we reached home.
If you are planning to visit Krabi and got any questions, you can email me at abeeshthomas@yahoo.com.
