Day #7 (26/6/2020)
Distance travelled: 157.8 km
Morning in Krabi
Overnight, I only once did briefly turn on the engine for the A/C to cool us down; the temperature was so mild. We woke up early and sat to read a little bit before heading off to Krabi centre for coffee. The roads had dried up nicely, allowing me to go a lot faster than last night. In no time, we pulled up at Maharat Bakery. The affable ladies there served us tasty dishes both savoury and sweet, as well as good coffee.
From Krabi to Trang Province
With Dimi behind the wheel in the early afternoon, we set off towards the coast in Trang province. There we would hopefully find a nice spot to comfily camp on the beach. Upon reaching the coast, Dimi drove further along it, checking out the various camping-spot candidate beaches. As we steadily cruised along the road, we kept marvelling at the picturesque seaside; casuarina trees were sparsely rooted in front of the sandy beaches that stretched out towards the sea… lovely!
Camping at Hat Yao Beach
With the sun peeping at us from behind the thin clouds, we pulled into a car park before Hat Yao Beach. We discovered a few local restaurants, a small hotel, and more importantly, plenty of open level ground to settle on. We drove the car a bit further into the bushes where it would stay overnight and went for a stroll along the sand. At the end of the beach, not too far away, a large limestone rock that protruded out to the sea immediately caught our attention and so we made our way over. There we found a group of teenagers messing about and taking pictures of their friend holding a guitar – it would make for a picturesque album cover that’s for sure!
After pausing for a few pictures ourselves, including, to the delight of his friends, the guitarist, we walked the opposite way, passing by many buckets and spades. Across the sea, we noticed land close-by, so after checking MapsMe, we learnt it was Koh Libong Island, some 5 km away from our position. We both agreed a kayaking trip would be fun, given a kayak could be rented somewhere around there. As the sun was starting to set, we came across a western-style wedding shooting of a Thai bride and groom on the beach. As smart as they both looked, it would have been nicer to have seen them dressed in traditional Thai attire.
Back at the car park, and before tea, we went in search of a beer and settled in the restaurant of the small hotel present. With an ice-cold Chang in our hands, we sat back in our deck-chairs to watch the car park empty out while the sky grew darker. Shortly after, warm fairy lights came on and made the place feel nice and cosy. The mozzies, of course, came then out to forage. Very kindly, the staff brought over some free mosquito repellent to lather ourselves with. On my way back from the toilet, I made a joyous discovery: several tandem kayaks were propped up along the hotel’s fence. Dimi would be the one to enquire and hopefully negotiate a good price. In Phuket, I saw a sign for ฿100 per person, per hour… per screw off! While paying our bill, we agreed on a fair cost with the owner for renting a kayak from midday to sunset on the following day… well done Dimi! This called for a decent sleep in order to be energised for tomorrow’s outing. So we gulped our 7/11 tea down and hit the sack.
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