Krabi town

I am in Krabi town. It is just as nice as ever. I love this place. It is so laid back and there are lots of friendly, backpacker cafe places to eat and relax.

I decided to come here on Monday. I'd grown tired of the dirty Bangkok air and started to imagine clean green mountains and turquoise seas. In other words, Krabi. Also, the political situation was getting worse. Both the airports were closed due to the anti-government and there were bombing and shootings everyday.

I am not a big fan of politics - no matter what, your party is always wrong and my party is always right. It seems unnatural to me. There ought to a compromise. A bit of give-and-take or something. Taking up a political cause is a bit like trying to argue with your girlfriend – it’s a thankless waste of time.

Anyway, I took the overnight bus from Bangkok’s new Southern bus terminal. It’s a huge place – more like an international airport than a bus station. There are over four floors of shopping, restaurants, food courts, banks etc. Outside, there are over 100 bus bays.

I wanted to travel VIP but all the tickets were sold out. I bought a first class ticket for 635 baht. First class means reclining seats and blankets but you can’t lie down fully like on VIP coaches. You also get free drinks, snacks and a free meal at a restaurant stop halfway.

I watched the obligatory Thai comedy/ghost film (which was actually quite funny) and then slept for a few hours. When I woke up, it was just getting light. I drew back the curtain and peered out as we sped past rubber plantations, mountains and palm trees. I love the landscape of Southern Thailand. It is so lush.

At about 6 o’clock, we arrived at Krabi bus station. It was very different from arriving at most of the other places I’d been to in Thailand. There were no waiting touts trying to drag me into their overpriced taxis. Instead, there were white songtaws driven by quiet faced, dark-skinned men who charge everyone the same price regardless of whether you were a local Thai or a farang tourist.

I paid 20 baht for the ride into town and tried to get a room at Good Dream Café but they were full. So I went to Grand Tower - which at six stories high is probably the tallest building in Krabi – and got a room there. It cost 250 baht a night. Noot, the cleaner was there.

“Hello Noot, how are you?” I asked. She shook her head sadly.

“Not good, Pi Ben,” she replied mournfully. “Noot have headache.”

“Why you have headache? Have you taken medicine for it yet?”

“Noot have headache because gin laow.” (Drink alcohol).

“Noot gin laow tum mai? I thought you were Muslim.”

She nodded.

“Noot Islam but Noot gin laow because Noot have headache. King not well. King mai sabai.”

“Well, you getting drunk won’t help the King get better!” I said.

“I know,” sniffed Noot. “But it make Noot feel better….”