Freedom! Well, for just four days. I have been so busy with schoolwork and classes that I didn't have any time to travel around Thailand. Since my study abroad is in the summer, most the the work is compressed into 8 weeks instead of a semester, which makes it hard to travel and relax. However, they gave us a four day break from classes and I plan on using those days to travel with my friends. Read the rest of my post to find out how we spend the four days.
Krabi We spend two days in Krabi. We took a flight from Chiang Rai to Phuket. The flights wasn't expensive at all. Once we reach Phuket, we took a two hour bus drive to Krabi. We stayed at Wake Up Apnang. The room was very nice . We got a room with a two bunk bed and the room had lockers to put our stuff.
Immediately we finished unpacking, we headed to the beach, which was a five minute walk from the hotel. The beach was very beautiful. There were big cliffs and island far from the beaches. Also, there were swings on the beaches, which I want to take some pictures with. There wasn't a lot of people on the beaches, which was good because I don't like crowded beaches. I decided to take a walk around the beach. As I was walking, I was enjoying the scenery and the view of the beach. It was so beautiful and calming that I felt at peace and I was glad that I didn't have any schoolwork to do for a while.
After the beach, we went out for dinner at an Indian restaurant. Something to keep in mind when you are in Krabi, the prices are high compare to other places in Thailand. For example, a meal at the restaurant was 200-300 baht, while in Chiang Rai, I usually get a meal for 70-120 baht. We also checked out the bar strip that was near the hotel. It was very chill and there wasn't a lot of people. There was a bar that allow ladies to trade their bras for a free drink! My friends taught me how to play pool, which was something I wanted to learn.
The 2nd day, we didn't do much. My friends went to the beach while I decided to stay back in the hotel and relax for a bit. I later joined my friends at the beach and had lunch with them. In the afternoon, it started to rain very hard and the wind was strong. So, we couldn't do anything fun. Instead, we stayed in the hotel and played cards in the lobby. In the nighttime, we explore Krabi and went to the markets. There were some good stuff and swimsuits that were my style. So many good things that I wanted to buy, but I had to tell myself that I really don't need and I don't have enough luggage space for it.
The 3rd day, we went to Railway Beach. Since, Railway Beach is separate from Krabi, we had to take a boat. The boat was small and made of wood. It looked like a fisherman boat. This was my first time riding on a boat. When I think about it, this study abroad program has allowed me to complete many firsts. The boat kept jumping in the water due to the wave and the wind. Railway Beach is so beautiful. Well, all the beaches in Thailand are beautiful and clean. I love how the water turned a different shade of blue. The water near the beach/shore was turquoise or blue-green and the water deep in the ocean was dark blue. We explore the caves that was near the beaches. The beauty of the cave was how the rock was forming a pattern. We took many pictures of each other and the surroundings. Hanging out with these girls was great. They kept boosting my confidence and encouraging me that my pictures were coming out well even though I didn't know what I was doing. Plus, they were able to tolerate my craziness most of the time.
Later in the night, we went to a nearby bar called Chang Bar to watch the soccer game between France and Uruguay. I think it was a match for the FIFA World Cup. I'm not really into soccer, but it was fun watching with friends and some people who were from France.
Phi Phi Island
We left Krabi and headed to Phi Phi Island for a day. We had to go on a ferry to get to the island. I think the ferry ride was about an hour or more. Phi Phi Island is actually built for tourism, which is very interesting because I haven't heard of an island being used or created for tourism. We booked a dorm room at a place called Ibiza House. The dorm room was good, but it wasn't what I expected it. We went on a boat tour to different places and did different activities. We went snorkeling in the ocean and saw little blue fishes. Then we headed to Monkey Island, which was very interesting. The monkeys were so cute and use to having humans close to their habitat. The interesting thing about the island was the protection it received from an endanger species program or something. The coolest thing to see was the mother monkey carrying her child on her stomach. The only upsetting thing about the island was the large amount of debris and trash around the area. One of the women tried to picked up the debris and clean up, but the monkeys started to attack her. I guess the monkey thought she was taking their food. We also went to Maya Bay and a little beaches. The scenery was so beautiful and breathtaking, like it was amazing to see what God has created with His hands. Also, the sunset was AMAZING! It made me to appreciate the handwork of God as He created this earth.
In the night time, there was a beach party. The area was lit. There was people jump roping, limbo, and dancing. In the limbo part, there was a man who was carrying people and limbo as the bar was getting low. Your girl tried to limbo, but I didn't get that far because I wasn't flexible. I was enjoying the activities that were happening. To end the night, I went on a walk on the beach and into the ocean with my friends.
The next day, we stayed in Phi Phi Island until it was time to board the ferry back to Phuket. We stayed in Phuket until the next day to take our flight back to Chiang Rai. This was a well needed vacation away from classes and it allow me to travel to the Southern part of Thailand.