A Weekend in Ao Nang

Krabi... it's good to be back!

Krabi is one of my favorite provinces in the kingdom. Located far in the south of Thailand on the Andaman Sea, Krabi province is small, quiet, peaceful, and beautiful - just what I needed for a weekend away.

view from the pool

Last year for Christmas my former boss and good friend Geoffrey gave me a gift voucher for two nights at a resort in Ao Nang, a lovely town in Krabi. It had been given to him by a photographer friend of his, Dek, who also drive us to and from Mae Sot whenever we go. The voucher was going to expire in October, but it couldn't be used during a holiday weekend. Finally, Pinky and I decided that we couldn't let it go to waste! Two weeks ago we found a great deal on Thai Smile Airlines, and now... here we are in Krabi! It's not a long weekend or anything, just a nice weekend out of Bangkok in Thailand's far south.

enjoying the pool

There wasn't enough time for us to book an island trip this year. The last time we visited Krabi, we visited the Phi Phi Islands, which were great! This time, though, we spent some time at the beach, but mostly relaxed at the resort. I had a lot of reading and writing to do for the classes that I'm taking this semester, and since my work schedule is a lot busier this year, I have to do that on the weekend. I'm not complaining though! This is a perfect place to relax and study! After a weekend away, I feel refreshed and re-energized already.

Ao Nang Beach

The south of Thailand is beautiful, and I have only very rarely been to this part of the country. I wish I had more time to travel and explore outside of Bangkok. There's so many amazing places to see in this country! I'm hoping that after this school year ends I will be able to take a week to hop a train and head back to the south to see some new parts of Thailand. An advertisement for a tour to the Hong Islands really caught my eye... That's one of my new goals!

the beach

Krabi is famous for its dramatic karst cliffs and formations. I'm not sure what geological phenomena caused it, whether it was tectonic movement or erosion, but they sure look impressive! The beach is Ao Nang is really quiet, especially compared to somewhere like Pattaya or Phuket. It really is one of my favorite destinations.

karst cliffs

An interesting thing about the south of Thailand, is that it really is a completely different region of the country. Not only is the landscape different, but so is the culture. As we get closer to Malaysia, the culture of the southern provinces become more Malay. Southern Thai food is different; there are more curries and roti. The women working at my resort are mostly Muslim and wear headscarves as a part of the uniform. Whereas in the rest of Thailand you'll find Buddhist temples on every corner, here, they stand alongside mosques.

Masjid Ao Nang