Finally, a much needed break. We spent a weekend in Krabi, just because. For nothing. Finally, a trip that was not for work or race. A trip for no particular reason. :) Well, ok, I had 3 aims - have an entire steamed fish by myself, rock climbing, and massage.
The trip was suppose to be Sat - Mon, but the infamous Tiger Airways cancelled our flight. So we had to reschedule it to Fri - Sun, and rebook the accommodation. But all went well eventually, because we had great weather on the trip. There was a slight drizzle when we arrived on Friday, which cleared up quickly. Cool and sun-less, perfect. We had equally cool weather on Saturday for rock climbing. And then it rained the whole of Sunday when we left.
Friday -
The flight made it to Krabi, and we checked into the Phra Nang Inn in Ao Nang. It was located near the beach front, a superb location for exploring the little shops in the vicinity. We spent a lazy afternoon wondering the streets. It had been 3 years and there were many new shops and hotels. We had a light bite from the roadside hawkers. It was impressive that the lady was able to whip up so many delicious dishes while keeping her little push-cart spotlessly clean. It put some of our hawker centre stores to shame.
We walked some more to find the seafood restaurant that we patronised on the last trip. Papaya salad, glass noodle salad, fried vegetables, steamed cockles, deep fried soft shell crab, and a giant steamed white snapper! The fish was so fresh and its meat so thick, it was heavens!
I ended the day with an 1h oil massage, while Alber sat alongside an ad-hoc drink store enjoying his alcohol with an united nation of tourists. Bliss.
Saturday -
A full day of rock climbing! Yeah! We signed up for a full day event, and were picked up at 745am to catch a longtail boat to Railay island. Our climbing school was Hot Rock, and the instructor was called Nut (??) We had our own gear and off we went. He asked what level our climbing skills were, 6 or 7 (according to the French system). He thought too highly of us, we were probably at beginners Level 5 (the most basic).
There were many climbers at the rock wall. We tried 3 routes, one of which was a 6A. But we cheated and 'walked' to the starting point instead of starting in 'mid-air'. It was great fun. The walls were limestone and were relatively clean and sturdy for climbs. Most of the natural handholds were very good - big solid handholds for a very strong grip. I could even wrap around my elbow around some of them!
We stopped for a quick lunch, and continued climbing. We headed to the northern part of Railay island, where I had the chance to try out lead climbing twice. Nut refreshed my memory on what to do when I reached the anchor point (which had a metal ring) and how to secure the rope through the top ring. Nut was very familiar with the climbing route, and could give exact pointers on where to place my feet, where to move my hands, and what to grip onto. Every move was exactly like what he instructed, if he said to move my right arm higher over my shoulder, sure enough, there would be a very good handhold there for me to move on to.
It was extremely fun to be rock climbing in nature, especially limestone walls. We covered another 4 routes before calling it a day at 5pm. My fingers, arms and shoulders were aching, but it was very good to refresh my memory on how to climb! This would be the reason for re-visiting Krabi.
We headed back to the hotel for a quick wash-up and decided to have another steamed fish again. :) Chicken in coconut soup, white fungus salad, 3x steamed tiger prawns, steamed squid, and a steamed fish.
After a nice stroll back to the hotel, it was time for another massage. I chose a 90min aloe-vera massage. Cold aloe-vera gel from the fridge was mixed with some massage oil, and applied onto the skin. Oooooh cooling! For every body part, the masseur would knead to prepare the muscles, then slap on that cold mixture, and rubbed with deep, firm strokes. Then she would end off with some light kneading and patting to totally relax the muscles. All that for about S$20. Heavens.
Sunday -
The day started with a slow breakfast and then walking around the same streets again. I was getting bored by shops. It was drizzling in the morning, and luckily we did not sign up for any outdoor activities. Our flight was in the late afternoon, and we had half a day to kill. I decided to lounge in bed with a book, while Alber tried out the open bathtub in the room. Soaking in the hot tub with a chilled beer in hand, he certainly knew how to enjoy himself.
We went back to the same push-cart hawker for lunch. Green curry seafood, fried noodles, fried chicken basil + rice, a chocolate-cashew pancake and a watermelon juice.
Ahhh, I would certainly miss the lemongrass-lime-with-anything food. Looking forward to the next trip to Krabi. Perhaps I would try the island-hopping next.
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