After thoroughly enjoying northern Thailand for a few weeks, I was given a sign from Allah when I crashed my motorcycle that it was probably time for me to slow things down and kick back in the south and let the sunshine heal my beer-battered body. I decided to crack my Lonely Planet and instantly became overwhelmed reading about the million different islands with crazy names I could never remember or pronounce , so I decided to just take my chances and book a direct flight form Chiang Mai to Phuket which would get me into the southern mix.
I had always seen pictures from the beaches in southern Thailand and heard about Phuket I guess because it has an international airport , but after reading a little bit more, it seemed that Phuket Town itself was actually a slum and the nice beaches and islands were all just surrounding it.
Krabi Town is pretty small, but long. I was surprised with Krabi as it was definitely pretty quirky but had a cool vibe. The street lights all paid homage to a few caves in the area where some remains of early humans were found as well as some other prehistoric beasts. Krabi Town was also especially nice because it was dirt cheap, almost as cheap as Siem Reap in Cambodia. The hotel had free Wi-Fi and breakfast too. I also broke up a fist fight between two Thai girls that both bowed and thanked me after the fact, ridiculous.
One thing I noticed about Krabi Town that was different than other places in Thailand was the high number of Muslims. Supposedly the provinces just south of Krabi are primarily Muslim as they border much more Islamic Malaysia. Oh, and it only cost 1 USD to use and included a bottle of water! The rest of my days in Krabi Town were spent working and chilling. The Tiger Temple is only about a 10 minute ride outside of town by scooter. It is actually a little complex with a very impressive temple being constructed not something you see every day , the actual Tiger Temple which is built into a cave nothing special , and the real draw, another temple on top of the steep karst cliff right behind it that is over 1, steps up!
To really grasp how high up the cliff was, look at the picture of the temple being constructed from the ground, and then above! The Emerald Pool is a good way to spend a hot and sunny day, but it is way farther than any local tour guide or guide book will tell you.
