Finally, a vacation which I have longed for has arrived. It was a fantastic break away for me although it was only for 3D2N stay in Krabi. After working like a dog for more than 12 months, nothing sounds better than a holiday along the beach, on an island.
For this trip, I had forced my parents to come along since I have not bought them any vacation since I was born. So, this is the first affordable vacation I could buy them, although it sounds pathetic.
We left for KLIA at 4.45 am since we have to catch the plane at 8.20 am. It was a self check-in for all of us, first time for me although it was a bit "leceh". Everything seems to be electronic and self-service nowadays. This will help to reduce the dependency on manpower - will be useful if the ground staff suddenly decided to go on strike!!!
It was a long wait since the flight was delayed due to cleaning matter, so it was not a good start to the trip but since I am flying with MAS, I decided to forgive them. The Boeing 737-800 MH810 plane was not full, leaving abah the option to move across our seats to occupy the empty ones. Our dedicated seats were 9D, E & F for this flight.
 |
| Eric & Erica in action. Entertainers at waiting area |
We were served Western breakfast, omelette, a sausage, wedges and cookies on the plane. Has been a while since I had breakfast on the plane and well, I do not have any complaints on the taste of the food etc. But one thing which had caught my eyes was the cleanliness of the tray and the seat cover. It is a no no when it comes to cleanliness and I have to tell MAS about it. It must be a quick cleaning done or no cleaning done at all!
We reached Krabi International Airport at approximately 8.30 am local time and was so "gang ho" that we walked out of the immigration counter without our luggage. We had a great laugh and had to show our boarding pass to the officers to enter the secured area again to claim the baggage. Was greeted by a local named Rajan, not an Indian but a Buddhist Thai. We were then grouped together with a Chinese family, Lee. So, there were 9 of us in the group and it was sure a havoc.
Once we were all grouped in the van, we were greeted once again and the guide had briefed us on the itinerary for the day. First, we were all heading to a place called Wat Tham Sua a.k.a Tiger Cave. It reminds me so much of our Batu Caves except that the number of steps that you have to climb before reaching the top is about 5 times more - 1237. So, I started climbing to test my fitness level but unfortunately I gave up at the 230th step. Was not in proper gear to climb the steps and we did not have the whole time to do so. Probably I will try to time myself during my next trip but I know that it will not be a jiffy :)
I then decided to take pictures at the big temple at the main entrance with the big gong and the two tamed tigers instead.
 |
| So, where is the "pengetuk gong"? |
 |
| Malayan Tiger vs Thai Tiger |
Next on the itinerary was Krabi city visit for lunch and jalan-jalan on our own. Looking at the watch, it was only 10.50 am and we were already asked to have lunch. Oh no! There is no way the food could go through my throat and down to the tummy. But as soon as we were introduced to the "nasi ayam" at the Halal food outlet, a very early lunch is negotiable after all.
 |
| Target found |
 |
| Our nasi ayam |
 |
| The Lees are having a hard time deciding on what to have |
 |
| Ibu examining the subject before placing her order |
 |
| Another food inspector |
 |
| And this is the subject well examined |
Alhamdulillah, the food review made by both the food inspectors were fantastic. Both ibu and abah liked the food so much, ibu commented that it tasted like nasi beriyani and abah had ordered for an extra chicken to complete his meal. Good job chef!
We took a walk around the small city to look for any souvenirs etc. and I did take the opportunity to buy some fridge magnets and pistachio for abah to munch later. Quite nice magnets but unfortunately I have forgotten to picture them and had given them all away :)
 |
| The faces of Krabi City |
Next stop was the Tapom Nemo Fish farm which was not really an interesting place to visit. They should have looked for another spot to visit instead as there was not many things to look at except for a few species of fish swimming here and there.
 |
| Abah meeting a new friend |
 |
| Look at that sound asleep man behind ibu. The hot weather will sure make anyone tired and sleepy |
 |
| Abah is admiring the Honda motorbike. I like it too |
The weather was so hot and we were all happy that we will all be checking in into the hotels soon. The Lees were sent first as their hotel was on the way to Ao Nang. Next, we were dropped at Ao Nang Buri Resort, located just across the beach. I could imagine the good time I am going to have soon as I throw myself in bed.
 |
| This calm sea is just a stone throw away. Bliss!!
So, after checking in, we were ushered to our rooms, which were just next to each other. Room 214, that is where I will be staying in for 3 days and 2 nights. I jumped with joy upon seeing the room and the surroundings, bliss, bliss and blissssssssssssss..........................
|
 |
| My bed |
There was nothing left to do for the day except visiting the pasar malam later that day. So, I decided to unpack my stuff and make myself a cuppa, sitting at the balcony reading the National Geographic magazine I have bought earlier. No interesting figures across my balcony except for a few Malaysian children who were screaming around.
We left for the pasar malam trip in Krabi City after 7.00 pm in the same van. Abah, ibu and myself had decided to have our dinner before walking around the market. Abdullah Halal Food across the road caught our attention and yes, what more do you do when your stomach growls loudly?
Food was fantastic and price was reasonable. Would not say that the food price are cheap, it is about the same as our price back home.
The pasar malam is nothing different from ours. Obviously not much food to buy since most of the stalls are non-halal.
We left the pasar malam at 9.00 pm and were looking forward to go back to the hotel and rest. Upon reaching the hotel, I decided to look around and see where things are located at within the vicinity.
