North of the Border

Day 1- Penang-Krabi

We had to leave Penang rather early that morning. This was to avoid getting caught in the traffic that will be building up in the Greenlane area. So, we didn’t have a chance to settle the bet whether Jodi Foster who was staying in the same hotel was having her breakfast in bed or in the coffeehouse.

But where are we having our breakfast?

The question was quickly answered when we reach Sungei Patani! The new shops are located very close to the highway so we would not loose much time.

After breakfast, we reached the border and cleared the formalities on both Thai and Malaysian side without any hustle. Into Thailand we went!

Our destination was -we would make an island hoping trip in Krabi OR we would be in the Phi Phi Islands if the time schedule would worked in our favor!

That morning the road leading into Had Yai was exceptionally beautiful. The trees that are planted in the divider were in full bloom. The yellow flowers painted a scenic view for us to drive through. To stop Zen from hustling us FK and myself promised her that we would collect some pods for her on our way back.

40 minutes later we were in the intersection of Had Yai with Chana. And Mr. Loo factory is just besides the overhead bridge. Good to drop by and pay a courtesy hello". He was there swinging in his hammock and holding his hand phone as if prodding his mind whom to call next!

He was pleasantly surprised offered us breakfast, lunch and drinks. He then told us that the whole factory is a stand still as the fishing fleet had suspended operation due the warning of strong winds. My goodness, that is where we are going! Our trips were all related to going to sea. What shall we plan now with this new input as it confirmed what I heard from the weather report?

Anyway we pushed on our journey. Another one and half-hour, we were in Trang and time for lunch. I made a beeline for my regular noodle shop near the market place; lucky enough it was still opened for business.

 The group decided to try something different and instead we patronized the shop next to it. The lady manning the stall was very friendly and realizing we were foreigners spoke to us in Chinese and for the first time we had "kuey chep" in Thailand. After the hearty meal we continue on to Krabi.

With Zen air-conditioned car we could cruise at an average of 130 kilometers per hour. By 2.00 PM we were in Krabi. I drop by my regular tour agency to inquire on the room availability, weather and prices!

They are no longer there and we moved on to the next street and very soon we were at the jetty itself. FK inquiries showed that the ferry for Phi Phi leaves at 2.30pm. Without hesitation the decision where to go was made. The ticket booked and we ere on our way to the islands.

But first I had to look for a safe parking place for the car. That was not a problem.

I had told Zen that the cabin are meant for the locals who feared the hot sun while most or all Caucasians preferred the sun on the open deck. 

Mr. Loo good advice was still on my mind and at that time a similar type of ferry came alongside arriving from Phi Phi. They looked good after coming from the open sea. The sea could not have been that rough after all. That was comforting! Very soon, our ferry set off for Phi Phi, the deck was not as crowded as the one we saw arriving. Here is FK again with the Krabi's skyline as background

Our ferry chooses a route very close to Lanta Island and after going most of the way passed Bamboo Island. From there the ferry turned right to sail into the Phi Phi Don jetty.

Here is the picture of the Long Beach on Bamboo Island.

Our arrival coincided with that of another passenger liner from Phuket. Imagine a few hundreds passengers pouring into the tiny jetty. At the end of the narrow walkway, the touts waited there to sell rooms and services. That was no chance for us at all as the crowd simply overwhelmed the few soliciting for business.

There is a small community of locals in Phi Phi. It made up of workers staying here and servicing the tourist trade. Another group live just beside the sea, next to their long tail boats. The shops, restaurants and local community occupy the land that makes up the narrow isthmus.

We took the lanes behind the shops and headed for the chalets perching on the hillsides. We reckoned that those places would less pricey than its counterparts besides the sea. After a couple of inspection, we settled down for those available at the highest lane.

Here you can see Zen seated outside her domain.

It tasted good and with the Beer, a situation of overeating. I went along with FK and Zen around the shops to relieve my stomach. After our share of walking, FK and I decided to call it a night as we both had not been sleeping on previous nights. Zen the lonely stroller combed the tiny shopping place.

Here I have injected into this page a couple of contemporary posters of the times

Just scouting around to weigh what we could hve as for our meals on the island

The looks when we had breakfast by the roadsides

A quick shower of salt tasting water and light brown in color, we went off to the rows of shops and beaches to see what was in store for us. Good! We made our choice as to what each of us would like to do for the evening. But we still got together for dinner!

 Dinner according to Zen's recommendation is "Phat Thai" a sort of fried "koay teow" in Chinese.

More posters of the times -showing the type of activities they were offering