So sorry I haven't updated in a while. Our days have been very busy and full since we arrived to the islands and I am beat at the end of the night. Also, i have been sitting here for way too long trying to get some pics to load. it is taking forever (like 2 hours) all i could get was this one. most of Krabi looks like this. I will try to get more to upload tonight, i don't want to waste the day on the computer.

So this will be a long update...

Mom and Karen made it to Krabi just fine, although they did get a lot of stares as they tromped through the airport with 8 bags. They told people they had 3 daughters with them so others would not think the luggage was just theirs... figured they'd add another daughter for good measure.

Our first hotel in Krabi had stunning grounds but the staff was very rude and it was quite a ways away from town. On Weds (our first full day in Krabi we just hung around the pool all day and relaxed and drank way too much wine. (as you can imagine, our day at the airport on tuesday was quite exhausting)

Thursday, Lisa and I took a taxi to Krabi Town (which we quickly renamed Krapy Town as it was filthy and honestly not worth seeing). From there we hired a boat to take us to Railay Beach. It is known for its rock climbing. Taking the boat was interesting because we could not leave until the driver found enough passengers to make it a full boat (8) We found 2 others, from the UK, and then waited and waited. It seemed no one else was ever going to come so we all paid double fair (200baht or about $7) so we could get on our way. We rode in a long tail boat and the ride was incredible and beautiful. The boat drops you off a bit off shore so you jump in the water and trek up the beach.

Railay was so amazing. It is covered with caves and mouth dropping cliffs and rock formations. We found the beach and just enjoyed the scenery for a while. Lisa read on the sand and I swam around. On the beach there were quite a few vendors selling sarongs, jewelry and food/drinks. They comb the beach walking up to sunbathing tourists. Lisa and I enjoyed our best lunch so far. Fresh corn that was fire grilled right in front of us and then lathered in salt and butter and also some super fresh pineapple. We finished it off with a Thai beer and Lisa got a foot massage right on the beach for about $4.

After a few hours we decided to keep exploring the island. We found ourselves strolling through a beach resort and decided we both felt sandy and sticky from the salt water so we snuck into the hotels pool to rinse off. A guard quickly approached us and asked what room we were in. I had already noted a room number so i said 1102. We jotted it down and left. A few short minutes later he came back,

"1102?? are you sure??"
"um, yes i think so, it is our friends room, we are not staying here, our friends are."
I start back peddling as i imagine the two of us being thrown in a Thai prison for trespassing (we've all seen Broke Down Palace)
He leaves again to "check something" and Lisa and I bolt the heck outta there.

We took a long boat to the island of Ao Nang and strolled around for a while. We both decided it was a super cute beach town and it was here that i found the most delicious treat. A thai pancake. It is similar to a crepe and is covered in a variety of things just like crepes. Fruit, chocolate, nutella etc. I have had 3 since i discovered them. Yummy!

We took a cab back to our hotel only to find Aunt Karen saying grab your things and get a cab. Apparently my mom and her decided they didn't like our hotel and it was too far away and they had found a better one right on the beach in Ao Nang. Thank goodness.

Our new hotel is right on the water and also right on a busy and crowded street. It is perfect. There are lots of shops and restaurants around. The rooms are also cute and the staff as been very friendly.

Yesterday we booked a tour that took us on a large ship out to 3 different islands. We first stopped at Chicken Island for snorkeling. I did see alot of fish and tons of jellyfish. We then ate lunch on the ship and headed to the Phi Phi island. The second island was Phi Phi Lai. It was a cute swimming cove with crystal clear water. There are no accommodations to stay overnight here. Lastly we arrived at Phi Phi Don, which was a much busier island and is were most tourists stay if they are going to the Phi Phi islands. Full of vendors and beach front restaurants.

We were the only 4 Americans on the ship. The rest were all Swedish. About 40 of them. We were told there are not many Americans staying on Ao Nang, which i would believe it true as so far i have not met any. Most Americans stay on Phuket.

Back at the hotel we freshened up, ate dinner at an Italian place, yummy, then off to bed.

Oh, did i say how freaking sunburned i am. I swear i wore sunscreen but obviously not enough. My legs and feet are so bad that they are swollen. So swollen my little feet look like fat sausages. I can barely point or flex my feet. Thankfully my face and shoulders are looking a bit tanner than before. (understand that my definition on "tan" is not the same as most people. Damn this Irish complexion)

We leave back to Bangkok tomorrow (Sun) and them home on Tuesday.