4D3N Taiwan 2014 - Coming Soon

Dear readers,



Sorry for the slow update! Work just resumed and I'm too occupied to edit the photos for my 4D3N Taiwan trip. But, I promised to update the posts before next week! Stay tune! :)

 

Krabi // 甲米 2014

So I've finally finished updating my posts on my Krabi, Thailand 2014 trip! Do check them out and leave down your comments! :)

2014 (Krabi, Thailand)
Day 1 // 第一天 – Krabi, Thailand
Day 2 // 第二天 – Krabi, Thailand
Day 3 // 第三天 – Krabi, Thailand

 

Day 3 - Krabi, Thailand

We'll be going for the 4 Islands Tour today on a private longtail boat. The tour is form 9.00 am to 2.00 pm. We had booked the private longtail boat through our resort at 4800 Baht (SGD$188.20) for 2 people. I'm not too sure if it will still be 4800 Baht if you have more people. Well anyway, we were told that food and drinking water are provided, however when we come to the end of the trip, there wasn't any food or even drinking water at all. A little disappointed over that but still I must say I really enjoyed myself. They did provide snorkel sets though. So, next time, remember to double check with the person who run the longtail boat before you board it.



After breakfast at the resort, the longtail boat owner came with his motorcycle tuk tuk and drive us to the shore where all the longtail boats are.



These are the owner's friends but they're not going to the tour with us. They just hitched the ride to get to another boat.



The first island we visited for the tour is Tub Island & Chicken Island. When it's low tide, there'll be a sand bank where you can walk leading from Chicken Island to Tub Island. It's really interesting to stand on the sand bank and watch the waves as you'll see that the waves crashes into each other from both sides. However it's extremely dangerous to walk on sand bank when it's going to be high tide.



While walking along the shore, I came across this (below) jelly looking thing. Seems like a dead jellyfish to me. Correct me if I'm wrong.



Didn't manage to get a photo of Chicken Island though. But it's called Chicken Island as the limestones look like the head of a chicken while viewed at a certain angle.



This is the owner of the longtail boat is Bao and he's 25 years old.



After Chicken Island, we did some snorkeling, followed by visiting Poda Island. I really love Poda Island as it's has a really quiet and clean beach, and there's lots of beautiful shells on the shore!



Look at the shells I've collected!



They are so pretty!



Came across this shell with star imprint on the middle! It is really beautiful. If I'm not wrong, it's the Sand Dollar Shell.



After Poda Island, we went snorkeling again. Bao brought along bread to feed the fishes. Look at the huge amount of fishes!!!!



We went to look for the Clownfish as well at the bottom of the bed. This photo (above) was taking with the help of Bao.



Last island we visit was the Phra Nang beach where it is famous for its cave.



The cave is behind me (above).



It's really a good experience to be on a longtail boat. Though it does not run as fast as the speed boat, you'll get to experience the traditional way of traveling on the sea.

We also passed by the Aonang Beach on our way back to resort after the Private Longtail Boat 4 Islands Tour.



We had booked the Hot Stone Massage at Boossabakorn Krabi & Spa Beauty the previous night. There'll be someone to pick up us at our resort to go to the place. Their service is really good and I think the price is somewhat affordable as well.



Haven't tried Hot Stone Massage before, but it was really a bad choice to choose that after a day under the sun. It was really relaxing yet it was really painful as I was suffering slight sun burnt. But towards the end of the massage, I was actually in deep sleep and snoring really loudly (according to my friend). Oops. The massage cost 1890 Baht (SGD$74.20) and the duration is 90 minutes.



After the massage, they served tea and mango to us. The mango is so juicy and sweet! I think it's the tastiest mango I've eaten by far. Can't remember what tea they served but it was really good as well. I will definitely go back to Boossabakorn Krabi & Spa Beauty again when I'm in Krabi!



After massage, we went to take a walk at Ao Nang Beach Walking Street. Was looking for cheap manicure and I came across this salon - The Season Salon.

Manicure cost 200 Baht (SGD$7.80) and simple nail art cost an additional 200 Baht. So in total, the manicure I did was 400 Baht (SGD$15.60). According to the lady boss, they uses OPI Polish, however my manicure came off within 1 week. I'm not sure if it's my problem or theirs because back in Singapore, my nail polish came off really fast too. That's why I rarely do manicure. So if you happen to do your manicure at The Season Salon, let me know how is it!



Outside the salon, there's a old lady driving her tuk tuk around selling coconut ice cream. I was asked by the lady in the salon to give the ice cream a try as she finds it really good. And so I did. It's really good! You can choose the different toppings you want. They have sticky rice, nata de coco, peanuts, bread crumbs etc! The ice cream is 50 Baht each (SGD$2). You can also choose to have the ice cream in the coconut shell or cup. If you like to eat coconut flesh then I will recommend you have the ice cream in the coconut shell!

I must say that the lady boss as well as the lady working in the salon is so talkative and friendly! When asked, where to find delicious and authentic food in Krabi, they immediately recommend Krua Thara (Thara Kitchen) and also showing us photos of some of the good dishes they recommend we order.



After I finished with my manicure, we called the motorcycle tuk tuk taxi drive (same as day 1 and 2) to drive us to Krua Thara. He charged us 180 Baht (SGD$7) for a round trip to the place.



I did not manage to take good photos of all the dishes but we ordered:

Salt and Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab at 250 Baht (SGD$9.80). I find that the black pepper has overwhelm the soft shell crab's taste and I don't really like that.

Garlic Scallops at 200 Baht (SGD$7.80). I recommend this dish! The scallops are really big and fresh and it comes in 6-8 (can't really remember) in a serving! Really worth the money!

Prawn with Vermicelli at 360 Baht (SGD$14.10). I'm not really a fan of vermicelli so I don't really like this dish. The prawns given were too little too (not enough for a prawn lover, like me).

Steamed Fish with Hot and Spicy Sauce at 360 Baht ($14.10). The fish is really fresh I must say and the sauce goes along well with the fish. If you can't take spicy, you can always ask the waiters/waitresses to separate the sauce.

Crab Meat Curry (bottom) at 200 Baht (SGD$7.80). The crab meat here are made into small bits but I don't like it as there's too many crab shells with the meat. Find it a little troublesome to eat.

The ladies at The Season Salon recommended me to try the Coconut Shake (bottom) too and so I gave it a try. The shake cost 70 Baht (SGD$2.70). It's not too sweet and the coconut taste is really refreshing! I love it!





This is our Motorcycle Tuk Tuk Taxi driver. His name is Chak. The taxi drivers are differentiate by their own number. Chak is number 036. You can look for him if you need a driver in Krabi! He's really friendly and nice but remember to ask for the lowest rates!



It's our last night at Krabi and I'm really grateful for the resort staffs! They're all so welcoming and friendly especially these 2 staffs (bottom). Kook on the left and May on the right. These 2 ladies definitely brighten up my trip - always greeting us whenever they see us, asked about our tours, making sure we enjoy ourselves in Krabi. Excellent staffs from Ao Nang Phu Petra Resort.



The next morning, we had an early flight back to Singapore.



I bought this Lays Scallop flavor from a minimart while walking along Ao Nang Beach walking street and we ate it on the plane. It's yummy! Scallop Lovers, remember to give it a try when you're in Krabi!



The in flight meals look delicious too!



I ordered the Seafood Tom Yum with Rice & Coca-Cola set at 190 Baht (SGD$7.50). It's not too bad, quite tasty!



That's all for my 2014 Krabi Trip!

Check out the video of my Krabi Trip 2014!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwLIxlBHhxs]

Day 3 Itinerary

7.30 am Breakfast
8.30 am Hotel Transfer to departure location
9.00 am Private Longtail Boat 4 Islands Tour
2.30 pm Hotel Transfer back to resort
4.00 pm Massage at Boossabakorn Krabi & Spa Beauty
6.00 pm Manicure at The Season Salon
7.30 pm Dinner at Krua Thara

______________________________________________________________________

Check out my other posts on Krabi here:

2014 (Krabi)
Day 1 – Arrival in Krabi
Day 2 – Speedboat Phi Phi Island Tour, Chao Fah Pier Market
Day 3 – Private Longtail boat 4 Islands Tour, Boossabakorn Krabi & Spa Beauty, Krua Thara

 

Day 2 - Krabi, Thailand

When we check-in to the resort during day 1, we also booked some islands tour - Speedboat Phi Phi Island Tour (Day 2) & Private Longtail Boat 4 Islands Tour (Day 3).  And so, we woke up early on Day 2 for the resort's breakfast buffet and also the tour.



The breakfast buffet cost 300 Baht (SGD$11.70) for each perso. The food is quite decent, though I felt that the variety was not much. But, there's a egg station for egg lovers like me! You can choose scrambled eggs, egg omelette, poached eggs, and etc!



The tour agency that we had booked our Speedboat Phi Phi Island Tour is Chokpaisan Andaman Sea. I read quite a number of bad reviews on a few Krabi boat operators and so I was quite wary when booking tours. However, I must say that Chokpaisan Andaman Sea is really good! The speedboat is really clean, the life vests look new, there's chilled mineral water and lunch provided, really clean snorkeling sets, friendly and helpful guides as well as hotel transfers! Overall, it was an excellent experience. I will recommend Chokpaisan Andaman Sea if you're looking to book tours in Krabi!



So the tour starts at 9.00 am and ends around 4.30 pm. And, The tour costs $1800 (SGD$70.50) per person.



Tour Itinerary as follow:
1 Maya Bay
2 Monkey Bay
3 Snorkeling at Lohsamah Bay
4 Pileh Bay
5 Viking Cave
6 Lunch at Phi Phi Don
7 Snorkeling at Runtee Bay
8 Bamboo Island



At Phi Phi Don, we'll head to a restaurant and have our provided lunch. There's quite a number is Thai dishes - Sweet & Sour Fish, Salad, Tom Yum Soup, Mixed Vegetables, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Fried Chicken Wings and Fruits. I find the Fried Chicken Wings really yummy! Hehe.



I think we had about an hour there, and so after gobbling down our lunch, we quickly head in to the walking street to look for stuffs to buy. The things you find at Phi Phi Don is some what similar to the things you can find at Ao Nang Walking Street, but most of them are cheaper at Phi Phi Don.



So while walking around on Phi Phi Don, I bought a float bed (below) at 200 Baht (SGD$7.80) which I think is really cheap! And I can't seem to find this in Singapore. I bought a snorkel too at 200 Baht (SGD$7.80) and it works well.



I really love snorkeling as I'm always so amazed by what's in the water! And the most common fish you'll see in Krabi's water is the Sergeant Fish. I find them really adorable and I love their stripes. They're always in a shoal. So when you spot one, you'll properly spot a lot more of the fish.



If you're lucky, you'll get to see a lot other fishes swimming around near the sea bed, if the water visibility is high. It was getting closer to monsoon period when I visited and so the water visibility was not really that clear. In fact, during the second snorkeling tour, I hardly see any fishes in the water.



The tour size is usually about 20-25 people. Check my trip video at the bottom of this post for videos I've taken during the tour!



These are the guides, they're really informative and outgoing!



You'll get to see a lot of these beautiful lime stones in the middle of the sea during the tour.



 

So after the tour, we went to the nearest 7-11 store and bought their cheese bites (cheese hotdogs). They are reallyyyyyyyy yummyyyyy! They are so cheesy and tasty! We bought this at 2 for 22 Baht (SGD$0.80). Super cheap! I'm so hungry now again after looking at the photo!



After cheese bites, I went to test out my newly bought float bed in the resort's pool before heading for out for dinner.



 

After resting for awhile at the resort, we called the Motorcycle Tuk Tuk Taxi driver (the one we hired in Day 1) and have him drive us to Krabi Town again to visit Chao Fah Pier Market for dinner. Chao Fah Pier Market is along the river and it basically features outdoor food stalls along the roadside.

The first thing we bought was the chicken satay from this stall (above). If my memory did not fail me, it's about 20 Baht (SGD$0.80) per stick. It is not bad!



As we continued walking, we came across this stall called Chaofah Phochana with a lot of customers and so we decided to give it a try. The food are really cheap and we ordered Pad Thai, Omelette with Crabmeat, Fried Squid with Salted Egg and Tom Yum Seafood Soup.



Fried Squid with Salted Egg - 80 Baht (SGD$3.20). When it says Fried Squid on the menu, I imagined it to be something like Calamari, however, it's not. But still, it's good. I love salted egg, so I think nothing can go wrong with salted egg. Haha.



Tom Yum Seafood Soup - 100 Baht (SGD$4.00). This soup is really good. Compared to the one we had during day 1, this is more spicy and has more seafood inside.



Omelette with Crabmeat - 80 Baht ($3.20). The omelette was deep fried and I don't really like it as I find it too oily. However, it still taste quite good.



Pad Thai - 40 Baht (SGD$1.60). I would say this is my favorite Thai dish of all time and the Pad Thai from this stall is really tasty!



Ordered a Thai Milk Tea for myself as well. It's very sweet but delicious! Can you believe that we only spent SGD$12.40 for this dinner for 2 at Chaofah Phochana?! If you love to try authentic local Thai food then I will recommend this place!

Caught sight of a stall selling fried quail eggs and I simply cannot resist. Bought a serving at 20 Baht (SGD$0.80).

I went back to the resort stuffed to bursting.

Check out the video of my Krabi Trip 2014!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwLIxlBHhxs]

Day 2 Itinerary

7.00 am Breakfast
8.00 am Hotel Transfer to departure location
9.00 am Speedboat Phi Phi Islands Tour
4.30 pm Hotel Transfer back to resort
6.00 pm Chaofah Pier Market

______________________________________________________________________

Check out my other posts on Krabi here:

2014 (Krabi)
Day 1 – Arrival in Krabi
Day 2 – Speedboat Phi Phi Island Tour, Chao Fah Pier Market
Day 3 – Private Longtail boat 4 Islands Tour, Boossabakorn Krabi & Spa Beauty, Krua Thara