Crossing Malaysia/Thailand border by land and finally reaching Krabi

Journey towards Thailand started with a lowest unsuccessful note. Our plan was to take a flight Colombo- Kuala Lumpur and cross Thailand border by land. First of all, we were late to catch the flight as got stuck in road works in Colombo. Air Asia staff was kind enough and reopened the check-in to let us in. Landed in Malaysia 11pm (+2hours  ahead of Sri Lanka time) and spend a night at the airport, which has lots of cafes and free wifi if you sit next to starbucks. Forgot to mention that you get a free visa on arrival if you’re EU citizen.

Airport to Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur is around 57km and cost 3$ with public bus, which runs every 45min. first thing you notice getting off the bus is people offering you taxis and ‘cheap’ bus tickets to Thailand. Don’t be fooled! Walk to the bus terminals (5min away), you will pay much less buying directly from them. There is a direct bus from Puduraya to Hat Yai, Thailand. Cheapest we could find in the station was 52RM (15$) and takes around six hours.

So there we are, on a bus to Thailand. As soon as we reach the border crossing, we have to get visa on arrival, which is issued for 15days only. Unfortunately, we are not getting one, as Giedre didnn’t have a spare passport picture nor we both have an outbound ticket. Make sure you have the following before arriving at the border:

Passport picture.

Outbound ticket from Thailand

10000THB ($300) holiday money in cash

1000THB/$30 cash to pay for the visa

I know it’s our fault we didn’t do the research before arriving but as long as I was aware, there was a major change in law recently, shortening visa periods. But never mind, still guilty. After being left by bus and spending three hours at the border control office, we were finally let through the border. I guess migration staff got bored of our company and decided not to bother, so they let us through. Hello Thailand! Worth mentioning, we were asked to go back 12km to Malaysia to get passport pic and book outbound tickets. Being a smartass backpackers we both ‘crossed’ or should I say sneaked through the border into Thailand side and sorted out the above matters. And because our bus left us at the border, there were no more buses that night and we had to take a mini bus to Hat Yai (57THB= $1.80). From there another bus to Krabi. Three hour journey cost 267THB ($8). Bus stops in a middle of nowhere, around 12km from Krabi town. As always we decided to walk, reaching the town 5am, which is a perfect time for morning market visits. Later sorting out the hostel and further plans. Hostels vary from 200THB to 800 a night. We stayed at Btrio for 250/night with hot water, clean sheets and towels included. In my opinion, not much to see in Krabi and I wouldn’t spend more then 2days here. But try to see the morning market (starting at 5am) and night market, which is more for tourists and twice as expensive. In the morning you can get fresh fruits, such as pineapple for 10THB, half watermelon for 15THB or 1kg of bananas for 15THB. I also discovered a great local place to eat, it’s a minute away from the morning market and serves all kind of Thai food for 40/50THB and believe me, portion is big enough to share between two.

Two days in Krabi was more then enough. Next stop- Phi Phi. Many different opinions about it. Some say it’s the best place to be, others the opposite. So lets decide ourselves. Boat to Phi Phi cost 290THB, some places sell it for 400, so walk around for the best price.

Great local place to eat in Krabi

 PHI PHI

White sands, palm trees and crystal clear waters can be seen from far away. We’ve got couchsurfing arranged beforehand and can happily say it was a great experience. We stayed with a young couple, who work as diving instructors.

General impression about the island is that everyone is super relaxed. No transport allowed on the island apart from bicycles, which makes such a difference. Easy to get around the island by foot and as I say ‘all the roads lead to the beach’:) plenty of hostels and places to eat but our favorites were Paddy’s Bar for curries (80THB), corner spots for strawberry daiquiris (150THB for a bucket) and Just noodles for Thai soups and Pad Thais (50THB each). Long beach is worth visiting if you enjoy sunbathing. We also took half day trip around the islands for 350THB, which included lunch, drinks and snorkeling equipment. Boat stops at Maya beach, where ‘The Beach’ was filmed starring Leonardo Di Caprio and also Monkey island. Otherwise, just relax and enjoy the nightlife, which is full of fire shows and body paintings.

underwater

In progress

amazing fire shows on a beach

After long debates, decided to skip Phuket and shoot straight to Ko Panghan, which was highly recommended for full moon parties. Unfortunately, I was disappointed as soon as stepped out of a ferry. Lots of cars and wide roads not my favourite scenery. If you walk a little bit further from the main port, you’ll find budget backpackers hostels. We stayed at Echo Beach Backpackers Hostel, which was 100THB/night for dorm bed. All I can say about the place it’s incredible! Next to the beach, free cinema, big outside space, super friendly people. However, my old Nokia got stolen and it turns out it’s the 3^rd time a week this happens. But there are lockers, where you can store your valuables, just make sure to bring your own padlock.  There is a great place to eat next door, called The Pier. It serves amazing curries and stir fries for a reasonable price.

We’ve also met some lovely people, who joined us on further travels to Ko Tao.

Our hostel in Ko Panhang

view from hostel garden

 KO TAO

Arrived with a ferry in the noon, left boys at the bar to look after bags and set off to look for accommodation. And we found the best possible option- lovely cheap bungalow near the sea. They’ve opened just a few months ago, so renting place for low prices. It’s a double bungalow with shower, toilet and fan for 500THB/night. But we are backpackers, so negotiated it for 600 with an option to stuff it to full capacity, five people:) three in bed, two on a floor. And it turned out to be more comfortable then we expected, everyone is a winner! As cheapest dorm beds in high season were 300THB. Ko Tao as well as Phi Phi has incredibly beautiful beaches and lively nightlife. I would say it’s my 2^nd favorite place now. More food choice then Phi Phi, and more street food, which we love! Sun a bit stronger and nights a bit cooler. Overall, didn’t want to leave the island after spending 4days there. But we had to move towards Bangkok, as visa was coming towards the end. And I have crazy thoughts in my head that I’ll be back here soon not as a tourist:)

paradise!

we really are in paradise!

Reading at the sunset

I’ll learn to play with poi!

beautiful sunsets