Krabi : Kayaking at Ao Thalane

R & i have kayaked several times before during our time in secondary school through our CCA. So we are no strangers to Kayaking as we had to go through courses before. 

I'd seen photos of people kayaking in Ao Thalane & the scenery seemed pretty beautiful so i wanted to check it out. 

Theres the half day (just kayaking package) & the full day tour, which includes a Mangrove walk. We opted for the half day tour, just to kayak. We weren't interested in the Mangrove walk & a sweet couple we met through the tour group told us that they didn't really enjoy the mangrove walk & that it wasn't really worth it. 

Krabi : Good Food

Krabi was a really satisfying trip w R. Food & activities we did were petty much exceeded our expectations. 

Speaking about food.. We actually had several good meals. Our best one was the handmade You Tiaos & chicken porridge! It was located right opposite out hotel so we would cross the road every morning just to indulge in the freshly roled & fried You Tiaos. An extra dollar for a small cup of Condense milk to deep the You Tiao in was absolutely yummeh. 

Then for dinner, we would often go back to the same pizza place to dine at. The pizzas there were baked in wood oven & they tasted not bad at all. Thin crust & slightly charred. So good!

 

 

Krabi: Emerald Pool + Tab Kak National Park

I stayed at an area that was pretty near Ao Nang Beach. We rented a bike & rode to Emerald pool which was 92km away. This was def the worst decision ever made on this trip. I honestly felt that Emerald Pool is way too overrated. Yes the clear blue turquoise waters look so pristine & beautiful. But there are so many people it just seems more like a swimming pool kinda vibe.

There's a small fee to pay to enter the Emrald Pool.

It was not worth the 90mins ride & having to rush to Tab Kak National Park after. Between the 2, i would definitely recommend hiking at Tak Kak National Park. Although i do need to add that the hike takes about 90mins but it's a gruelling 90mins uphill hike all the way!! Major leg day!

 

 See what i mean by so many people at Emerald Pool? Check out the background.

 Yep.. More people......

 So we figured, why not go underwater so elminate all the people cause definitely nobody underwater right? Got our couple shot lollll.

 I really wanted a solo shot of myself. But srsly, every angle confirm have people in the background photobombing me -_- So erm, i edited em out & the edited photo is below. Lolll. I used an app on my phone to "erase" those ppl in the background.

 Tab Kak-Hang Nak Hill Nature Trail

**Best to start the hike in the morning & no later than 2pm!

 Do not bother checking out the waterfall. It is nothing great or worth taking an extra hour for. The locals there showed us a photo of the waterfall & it's so soo bad. Id rather hike up to the peak & take photos its so much more worth it!

Clear skies right before it started pouring like crazy.

 It rained so bad we were super cold.

I absolutely loved the hike down cause as it was raining non stop! So R & i ran down the hill & it took us 1hr to get down. Super mad adrenaline rush super shiok feeling (:

Drenched from head to toe but man we were sooo happy.

Krabi : Deep Water Solo + Poda Island

Deep Water Solo was hands down the best activity we did in Krabi!!

Initially it was reported that DWS was banned in Krabi by the government. So when we tried going from one Tourist agencies to another, they all said the same thing 

" No DWS, Government ban."

R & i were so dejected but R was more hyped about DWS so he refused to give up the search. During our Railay Beach climb @ Diamond cave, we met a young climber who told us he had just done DWS like the day before through a company called Tonsai Base Camp.

R goggled Tonsai, found their website & emailed them for 2 slots. We asked for a slot for the next day & we were told there were no more slots as they capped it at 9 & it was already full. Thank God a slot opened up at the very last minute like late at night ard 11pm. We immediately took the offer & it was the best decisions on this trip everrrr!

Website: Tonsai Basecamp

Price: 1500Baht/person

Ferry Transport through Tonsai : 300baht (Not inclusive in package price)

So basically, we were told by the person who emailed us towait below the steps at the ferry terminal of Ao Nang beach. The guy emphasized to not be late as our DWS starts at 815am. R & i reached earlier & were kinda lost because the instructions given by the guy was not al all clear! Also there were 2 sides to wait for the boat & we didn't know which boat to look out for considering tt there were SO MANY! 

They did not have a guy holding out signboards stating they are from Tonasi Bsaecamp so we had no clue who to look out for. In the end we js bought our own ferry ticket which cost us 150baht each & it was way cheaper than what Tonsai charged us for the ferry transport back.

So on the way back to Tonsai Basecamp, i'd suggest you purchase your own ferry tickets through the ferry terminal itself than through Tonsai. Only use Tonsai's ferry transport on the way back as it is much easier & saves so much time to go back to Ao Nang beach ferry terminal from Poda Island (Poda beach is the last stop for DWS package).

Our first DWS climb was this rock w a ladder attached to it. 

How DWS works is that the long tail boat will anchor at a distance from the start of the climb. The 2nd guide will kayak each climber one by one to the ladder & you'll have to pull yourself up onto the rocks.

Mind you, the rocks are super sharp. Everyone had cuts on their legs. Anyway, there is a huge container of chalk for you to chalk your hands & rock shoes before you start your climb. 

In between the holes of the rocks there are some bags of chalk left for you to chalk up again if you need to. 

Our 2nd DWS climb was a Tyre attached to the rock walls & man this was way harder than the ladder. This one required so much arm strength to pull yourself up. 

The only way down from the rock walls is to jump. The guide will warn you not to climb too high as it is dangerous. 

Each rock wall has a couple of routes already mapped out. So you can choose which route you'd go be it a 6a or 7c route. 

Climbing with R was so sooo fulfilling. It has been on my list for the longest time to climb w him & i am beyond elated that we finally did it! (:

After our DWS climb, we were brought to Poda Island to have out ready packed lunch. The lunch was not bad! Homecooked food. Although i couldnt finish & so i fed my lunch to the fishes lolll.

Poda island is SUPER DUPER beautiful! There is a secret cave where you will have to pull yourself up with the help of a rope. 

 

Can you spot me doing a headstand? Now look to the left of the photo, that bulging rock right infront of me.. That's the way up to the secret cave. Gotta pull yourself up! There's a rope to help you get up. Go through the cave like i did in the photo below.

& Wala!! You will come to an opening of an overview of Poda beach & it is damn gorgeous!!! Good for taking photos. R & i wanted to fly our drone there but it was so windy that day so we didn't want to risk it lol.

 There was a school of fishes swimming to close to the shore. Snorkelling gear os also provided by Tonsai. So you can snorkel too. It's a pretty good deal- Climb & Snorkel.

 More climbing at Poda beach. There are routes mapped out for you at the beach too. See the chalked parts on the wall? Those are the routes to follow on where to hold. This was more of a boulder climbing tho. 

 Super sweet watermelon provided by the guide on our way back!