Ao Nang

By: Emily

After Ko Tao, it was on the beach area of Ao Nang, which is located near Krabi and is on the Andaman (west) Coast of Thailand. The journey took quite awhile – about 8 hours – but it was definitely worth the effort (though it was an easy voyage with the boat-bus-shuttle tickets that Matt mentioned in the last post). Dare I say that the Andaman Coast is the most beautiful coast? The waters are the brilliant and varied blues that are desired by beach-goers, the sands are silky and white, and the landscape is punctuated with limestone karst formations. A tropical paradise if I ever saw one. And with just those minimal hours of travel, different cultures are definitely evident, mostly that of Islam, probably due to its closer proximity to Malaysia. There were noticeably more veiled women in Ao Nang, signs certifying food stalls as halal, and the call to prayer coming from a nearby mosque.

That Ao Nang is a tropical paradise has not been lost on tourists or the tourism industry. The streets of the small town are lined with restaurants, travel agencies, tailor shops, food stalls, massage spas, etc. Anything that could make your beach vacation more pleasant is available, save perhaps having to walk by said installments each and every day. However, Matt and I both found the town, while touristy, to be very pleasant and manageable. In any case, more so than some of the other touristy places we have visited in Thailand. Beyond the Thai-Muslim culture that is present in the area, Ao Nang has also adopted the global beach culture identifiable by the high prevalence of reggae/beach bars, seafood (lots of it grilled and available at food stalls and restaurants), trinket and beach wear shops, and plenty of tourists dress in casual and/or skimpy attire that would not be acceptable in most other locations.

Food stall selling one of my favorites - fruit shakes (fruit and ice blended).

Row of tourist shops.

The first night we spent in Ao Nang was rather uneventful as we were very tired from traveling. We did happen upon an Egyptian restaurant that we chose to eat at due to the cuisine's current unavailability to us in Bhutan. The food was delicious by any standard of Middle Eastern food, but for us it was especially tasty.

We officially started our beach adventures the next day. It was a pretty rough stay – the hardest part of the day was usually deciding what beach to go to. Transport between beaches is provided by long-tail boats, so named for the long metal rod that attaches the propellor to the motor.

On our first day we opted for Phra Nang beach which our guidebook described as "quite possibly one of the world's most beautiful beaches, with a crescent of pale, golden sand, framed by karst cliffs carved with caves." And yes, it was quite lovely.

Phra Nang beach and sea caves.

Under the karst overhang.

Long-tail boats line the beach, serving as both transport and mobile food stalls.

Sea and karst formations.

After a hard day at the beach we decided to check out a restaurant called Carnivore that advertised a selection of over 60 beers. Given that all that is available to us in Bhutan are lagers and one weiss beer, we were excited for the opportunity to expand our palette. While having our drink, we chatted with an English couple who were on a three-week holiday in Ao Nang. Turns out they were chefs at a pub in Nottingham and highly recommended the place (as does Trip Advisor – it's the number one rated restaurant in the area). The place was actually too busy to get us in that night so we made a reservation for the last night that we would be in town.

Our second day was spent on Poda Island, as it was highly recommended by the aforementioned British couple. The island takes longer to get to than the beach of Phra Nang and has a much wilder feel. It is not hard to imagine it at the setting for a castaway scenario. There were still quite a few people there but the length of the beach allows for lots of spreading out.

That night we ate at a beachside restaurant called The Last Fisherman that featured grilled kebabs of various types, delicious cocktails, a dessert bar (!), and a lovely sunset view. It was located at the end of a somewhat touristy lane that was decorated with beautiful colored lanterns.

Lantern near our table at The Last Fisherman.

Colored lanterns light the way.

We finished up the night at a reggae bar that had one of the best live acts that we've seem in a long time. Most live music here seems to consist of bad covers and karaoke-type singing.

The band performs.

This gecko wants in on the action.

Behind the stage – Buddha and Bob.

Our last day in Ao Nang was spent back at the first beach we visited, Phra Nang, partially due to our late start. Plus, it was just a beautiful beach. On this visit, after getting in some requisite lounging, we explored the area a bit more. As mentioned previously, the beach is home to several caves. One of these, called Tham Phra Nang (Princess Cave) is an important shrine for local fisherman who place carved wooden phalluses in the cave in hopes of receiving bountiful catches.

  

Near the cave was a small path that led to other area beaches and caves and led us past some magnificent rock formations.

At the end of this particular path, we found ourselves at an area called Railay East, which is well-loved by rock climbers but, given that is largely inhabited by mangroves, does not make for good swimming. We followed the walkway along the water past some very upscale resorts to a more downscale area with the usual tourist shops and bars, some construction areas strewn with trash, and some stinky muddy areas. Overall, Matt described the more downscale area as having the look of a hangover, always getting over a giant party.

As you might imagine, we were anxious to get out of this area and to another beach. Through a series of turns trying to navigate ourselves to said beach, we happened upon another cave that we hadn't intended to visit called Tham Phra nang Nai, or Diamond Cave. A wooden boardwalk takes you through several limestone caverns.

Our last night in Ao Nang was spent at Carnivore, the restaurant I mentioned before. It was splurge for us but was definitely worth it given the quality of the food and service. Matt and I both ordered steak (which is very uncharacteristic, especially for me) that came with delicious salad and a potato side. Overall, it was a very fun way to spend our last night in town.

The next day we took off very early for Ko Tarutao Marine National Park in a van that was STUFFED full of people and luggage. In the town of Pak Bara, we transferred to a crowded speed boat that dropped off only a few people at Ko Tarutao and then continued to the over-developed island of Ko Lipe.

So far we we've enjoyed our time on this much quieter and wilder island where pigs and monkeys roam free.

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