Sawattdee ~ Krabi!

Sawattdee-Kaa!

I'm back!!!!......in the dusty land after spending 2 months at the homeland....I am sad to part with my lovely families and friends back  in Msia but yet happy to be back in Doha to continue the journey seorang perantau....qeh!

Eid was great...and I've hoped that yours was the same or even better! Filled with lots of love, exchanging stories and gossips..(haipppp!) and loads of good good foooooood! I think we ate a lot, despite the fasting month. And the 5-day trip to Krabi during the last week of our holiday was the tip of the icing! Aiyooo....I think I have to be on strict diet for 1 year straight kot lepas ni...Help!!!

How nice would it be if we can wake up to this view every morning?@Bamboo Island, Krabi

For this post, I wanna share about our Krabi get-away which was a bliss.....Alhamdulillah.
We needed a beach retreat after surviving the hot summer here in Doha and Krabi was the closest deal we could get at the last minute. We stayed at Sala Talay Resort, in between Aonang and Nopparatthara Beach (check out Booking.com for good rates!). The resort was very very pleasant and their pool access rooms are awesome! So eventhough it rained almost everyday when we were there (where swimming in the sea is impossible), the pool was still our best escapades!

Or at least like this for that matter? @ Sala Talay.

Since we were a big group (Mama/my bro/wifey/ baby Airiel tagged along) we rented a mini van for sight- seeing on the 2nd day there. However, there was nothing much to see in the stop-and-go rain throughout the first 3 days, so we ended up renting motorbikes instead. We also fully utilised the "Tuk-tuk" rides  of which we can easily get in front of the resort to the nearby Aonang for dining or night shopping.

Me loving my Tuktuk ; P

Muslim food can be found at Aonang area. One should look out for the crescent and star sign which means halal food displayed at the stalls/restaurants. It's good to ask again for confirmation though ; ) The nasi campur meals is available during the daytime at many stalls located nearby Aonang tourist spots. The further up you go towards the end of the town, the cheaper the food is, I think ; ) But do be careful of the extra spicy dishes ya....Sangat pedasss okkayyy!

Top: Lovely Prawn Cakes,
Mid: Fried Calamari, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice & Krabi-style Goreng Pisang
Bottom: Sea Bass in 3 Flavours Sauce (3 Rasa la tu... ; P) 

We enjoyed our dinner the most and savoured great sea bass dishes every night we were there, steamed or deep-fried. I wasn't really craving for any Thai food since we had great ones here too in Doha but I've had the nicest prawn cakes and pineapple fried rice there in Krabi - we don't have these in Doha, I think ; P

As for the street food, we found a very yummy goreng pisang stall in front of one of the small Muslim restaurant in Aonang and I swear it was the best ones I've had in my life! And I loved indulging the banana pancakes with nutella (okay, that justified the weight gain-lah!), with my Luv after a short ride on the bike along the beach at night! We've had this too in Phuket last time. I believe it's a very popular street food of Thailand. You should try it whenever you're visiting - Do ask for less oily version cuz it can be too oily at times ;P

I took Mama for a spa treatment on the 3rd rainy day. It was cheap yet very good. It’s true that spas (not massage centres) along Aonang tourist spot is so much cheaper than the one in the hotels, yet the quality is not much different. We’ve had ours at Let’s Sea:Let's Relax, a very simple yet serene place to relax and get pampered ; )

My bro getting a fish spa @ a small operator along Aonang street...

In case you are wondering, we didnt get any elephant ride or visit to the safari. Mama said she wouldn't even set her foot or nose to the safari...hahaha. But on my bro's request, we did go looking for the safari, so that he can see what's it all about. We followed some signboards that led us to this small operating safari (couldn't remember the name) but what we found in that spot inside the rubber plantation was devastating to the hearts. The elephants were still babies, very dirty and looked like they were in complete sadness and pain - some even got their ears chipped! Would we find joy in riding these ellies? Hell no!

Definitely not our choice for a joyride....

We thank Allah for giving us the chance to experience the island hopping around Phi Phi islands on the 4th day we were there. It was the only day the sun came out shining and not a rain dropped. The weather was wonderful and kind and the tour took us to Bamboo Island (I love this one!);

Following his Baba's footsteps.....@ Bamboo Island

Maya Bay, made famous by The Beach movie (very beautiful white sand but still too crowded for a low season and overrated, I think!);

Cheekyface @ the magnificient Maya Bay...

Viking Cave (where you can get a glimpse of the swift birds' nests thriving industry; from inside the boat) , Monkey Island (watching big monkeys ruling the island, again from the boat) and experience the open sea snorkelling around Phi Phi  islands.

I didn't go down but I took these pics from my boat!

The tour was okay for the price we paid i.e. THB 900 per adult (50% reduction due to low season) inclusive of a buffet lunch. But it would have been even better if  we could spent more time on the island (instead of the congested speed boat!), enjoying the beautiful scenery and snorkelling at our own pace – like the one we had in Sabah last time….

But no regrets, still we had a great time in Krabi. Maybe not so much of soaking up the sun but we got to spend more time with our loved ones before we flew back here sob! sob!

And as for this cruise to Krabi, the award for the Best Crew went to our little champ, Baby Airiel! Yayyy!!!

Airiel was such a sport throughout the trip, never once being cranky; bringing smiles to all of us in every of his. We heart you Adeq..........! And right now we all miss you berry berry much!!!!!!!!!!!!