Vietnamese Whirl (and a Cup of Thai) Part 12 – A Home in the Sun

After being “on the road” for over two months, we were looking forward to a longer stay back in the condo we had made our home on previous visits to Thailand.

Our journey south didn’t get off to a great start, when our taxi to the train station failed to turn up and we had to be rescued by the local dive truck.  Thankfully we had left enough time, and made it for our train’s departure down to Surat Thani, the gateway town to southern Thailand.

Thai railway standards had obviously slipped over the past few years, as we weren’t supplied with a meal this time, much to Ian’s disappointment, so had to make do with the contingency cheese sandwiches I’d prepared for the journey!

The three-hour journey went quite quickly, and we were met outside the station by our young taxi driver for the next leg.  Arriving into the coastal town of Klong Muang just after sunset, we noticed quite a few changes since we were last there two years ago.

We’d booked a corner apartment, so we had the wonderful views of the coast and the sunsets, but we were a little disappointed to find that our home for the next month was less luxurious than our previous stays. 

I feel that it’s always a bit risky when you return to somewhere that you’ve loved, only to find that it doesn’t quite live up to your memories any longer.  Obviously, you never expect that places will remain the same forever, but as we walked down the street that evening, we were shocked at how busy this once sleepy little resort had become, and how many new bars, hotels and eateries there were.

We were comforted however to find our favourite Indian restaurant still open, and with the same friendly owner who claimed to remember us!

Apart from a few journeys to the giant Makro and the local Seven Eleven to stock up on food (and wine!), our first weeks comprised of walks along the beach (large parts of which were now taken up by a flashy beach bar and lot and lots of sunchairs) or sitting by the pool (which always seemed to be full of noisy French and Russian kids).  Gone were the days when we were virtually the only ones here…

I was delighted to discover a little vegan café right next door, who made their own ciabattas and humous and soon became a “regular”.  We also found a great cocktail bar, whose personable young owner seemed to have cornered the market for the “over 60s” by showing non-stop 80’s and 90’s music videos!  Sitting there, with the entire place singing along and waving their arms to “Sweet Caroline” did give me a disturbing glimpse into my possible future in the old people’s home!

Feeling brave, and fancying a change of scenery, we hired a scooter for a day and set out to the nearby popular resort of Ao Nang.  Much had changed here too since our last visit, and although it was always busy (it seems to be the place everyone heads for in Krabi), it was now a major tourist hub.  After a quick burrito (our favourite Mexican restaurant in Klong Muang had moved here), we headed off to the beach at Noppharat Thara for a dip (although again, the sea was disappointingly dirty and the beach full of dead jellyfish).

Having previously explored most of the “must do” sites in the area (and I don’t think we’d have the stamina or inclination now to climb the 1,260 steps up to the Tiger Temple!), we took to the seas on a snorkelling tour claiming to visit no less than “Seven Islands”.  For the price, we hadn’t expected much, and although all the islands were quite busy, it turned out to be very well organised and good fun. The visibility was excellent and we saw plenty of fish…ending up with a buffet on the beach at Koh Poda watching the sunset over the rocks. Very pleasant indeed…

Most evenings consisted of a stroll down to one of the local eateries before heading back to the flat to watch a bit of telly (we must be getting old!), but we couldn’t resist a visit to the Landmark Night Market in Ao Nang.  Although very much geared to tourists, it was a lively spot with a huge stage set up for live bands, a much-enlarged kids play area and lots of stalls selling everything from colourful Thai dishes, to jacket potatoes and pizza.  The place was buzzing, and after soaking in the atmosphere, we found a little Italian restaurant with good air-conditioning for dinner.  We topped off the evening watching a Thai quartet trying valiantly to knock out the hits of Metallica, Led Zepplin and the Beatles.

The one tour that we never miss whenever we visit this area is the excellent Krabi Sunset Cruise – an afternoon spent on this old wooden trading junk is always a delight and one of our highlights.  Run by Aussie Mike and his sister, they seem to have created just the right combination of fun and relaxation. After a short long-tail transfer to the ship, we settled down with a free drink to our first snorkelling stop, which we had to ourselves.  Ian was excited to spot some black tipped reef sharks in the clear waters, while I was happy just to drift about looking at the pretty fish!  Back on board, we lounged on the deck admiring the impressive rock formations (Halong Bay, eat your heart out!) – and the captain’s excellent music soundtrack – as we drifted along.  After a couple more stops we anchored up for dinner, just as the sun was setting… I must have had one cocktail too many, as I decided to take up the challenge of jumping off the top deck!

As night fell, the final stop was to see the bioluminescent plankton – which again, we declined as it required getting back into the water plus, we had done this before (and it wasn’t that impressive to be honest!). All in all, a brilliant day out…

Ian finally succumbed to one of his recurrent chest infections just in time for his birthday, but I managed to persuade him to take a cab up to the Dragon View Restaurant, next to our resort, for a birthday meal.  It offered stunning views over the coast and was a popular sunset viewing spot.  We were surprised to find that the place had been completely remodelled and its rustic styled bamboo viewing platforms and bean bags had been replaced by much more up-market tiers of small dining tables and chairs facing the sea.  We discovered that the reason behind the change arose from a fire in 2024 which completely destroyed the place.  It had lost some of its charm, but we still enjoyed a pleasant meal and we were treated to a wonderful sunset.

As we headed further into the Thai “summer” the days became hotter still, and more humid.  However, watching the rain, storms and floods back in Europe, we constantly reminded ourselves of how lucky we were to be in the sweltering sun!!

While it was good to “drop anchor” for a few weeks, we were beginning to get that Groundhog Day feeling, so were ready for a change of scenery…if not a change of pace!

Next Stop:  The last resort