For the past week, I’ve been traveling solo in the Krabi region of Thailand. I realize that for people who have never lived out of a backpack before (including my parents), the thought of traveling alone sounds unsafe, intimidating, and lonely. However, anyone who has ever traveled this way knows that well over 50% of other backpackers are traveling by themselves, and I’d bet that almost 100% of them wouldn’t have it any other way. You can set your own schedule, do whatever you want, and will undoubtedly meet more people than if you were traveling with others. Additionally, the traveling infrastructure in most places (especially in Thailand) makes it so easy to get from Point A to Point B, and there are always tons of others going in the same direction. Over the past nine days, I’ve been alone for about 48 hours, and that’s only because I’ve sought the solitude. Though I personally prefer a mix of solo/joint travel, I’ve had an incredible week being on my ‘own’!
It started last Sunday when I caught a 6am taxi/7am ferry along with hundreds of others, including three girls (all traveling solo) who were staying at Greenpeace Bungalows in Koh Phangan with me. We were all headed to Krabi town, but no one really had a plan, as Krabi town mostly serves as a jumping off point to the many beaches and islands in the area. I really hit it off with these girls, but for some reason, when they decided to stay in Krabi town for the night, I decided to head directly to the beach town of Ao Nang. When I got on the bus to Ao Nang, I immediately wondered if I had made a mistake. Should I have stayed with the girls and traveled with them for a bit? It was too late at that point, and though I exchanged numbers with one of the girls before separating, we never did meet up again. No worries though; it all worked out for the best!
A huge pile of backpacks on the ferry
Ao Nang is a cute little beach town with a nice promenade and a lot of bars/restaurants, but the crowd was a random assortment of families, couples, older people, and backpackers. I found a fun and social place to stay on the strip, but crashed hard my first night because I was so exhausted from catching the early ferry. I decided to stay for a second night, so I hit the beach the next day, and walked around town checking out the shops and scenery. Stopping at the mini-mart for a Snickers Bar, I met Jean-Francois (Jeff) from Quebec, and just like that, I had dinner/drinking plans for the night. Eight hours later, we were still out on the streets of Ao Nang; I love it when stuff like that happens!
Ao Nang beach
By coincidence, Jeff and I both had plans the next day to head to Railay Beach, a chilled-out, reggae-infused, rock climbing destination with stunning beaches and a fun nightlife. I met Steph (England) and Gary (Australia) on the boat, and after catching up with Steph later that night for drinks, I met up with Jeff again, who had since befriended Georg (no ‘e’, not a typo, from Germany) and Julian (Austria). We headed back to the bar at the place they were staying, and lucky me, I ended up spending a good portion of the next four days with these rock climbing studs!
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Phranang Beach
Georg
Jeff and I at the lookout point
We also went soloing for the day, which is basically rock climbing without ropes or other equipment. You scale walls until you jump/fall into the water. It's fun!
Ladies, get yourselves to Railay Beach. Georg, Jeff, Julian on our day trip.
Giving soloing a try. This is about as high as I got....
The boys did a little better..
Out in Railay East
Four ridiculously fun and exhausting days later, it was time for me to move on to the island of Koh Lanta. It’s pretty crazy how quickly bonds are formed here, and I was really sad to say goodbye to these guys. I was definitely ready to catch up on my sleep though, and luckily, Koh Lanta has been the perfect place to do just about nothing. Koh Lanta is a pretty island, but is lacking the crowds and striking scenery offered in Railay and Ao Nang. I’m staying on Long Beach (Phrae Ae), and have explored both Ban Saladan (the cute area by the pier) and Klong Dao (the next beach over), but for the most part, all I’ve been doing here is lying on the beach, catching up on my sleep, sorting through pictures, and watching movies/TV shows on my computer.
Koh Lanta- Long Beach
This little kid's parents own the place where I'm staying. Has anyone ever seen the YouTube video of the chain smoking Indonesian kid? This chubster totally reminds me of him.
I fly to Bangkok tomorrow, and on Wednesday, it’s off to Hong Kong to meet up with Melissa, Katie, Cindy, and Jen!!! I cannot wait to see these girls; we are going to have a blast! The International Rugby 7s' competition is going on this weekend, and we have tickets for the event’s opening night after-party on Friday. I hope you are ready for us Hong Kong! Until next time….Sawatdee kah!
