A Day in Ao Nang, Thailand

After travelling through central and northern Thailand for a month, it was time for me to hit the peninsula. I did so with some excitement, but also a bit of sadness, knowing this would be my stepping stone onward to Malaysia and countries further south. I was loving Thailand and didn’t feel ready to leave yet. Still, knowing I was heading to the breathtaking coastal areas did a lot to ease that sadness, and I began my crazy journey south.

It took a songthaew, train, plane, bus, and tuk-tuk, but I finally made it from Chiang Mai to Krabi amidst some crazy torrential downpours, my first in Thailand so far. Krabi was a lovely town, but I was looking forward to seeing Ao Nang, and checking out the beach, the monkeys and the boardwalk. My day in Ao Nang also happened to be where I experienced one of my most embarrassing travel moments.

Getting to Ao Nang from Krabi was simple. A 50 Baht songthaew (get on the white one) from the heart of Krabi brought me straight to the centre of town. It was a pleasant 25 minute ride with several interesting limestone karsts along the way. I hopped out and began exploring.

Heading down to the water, lines of longtail boats dotted the shoreline. It was a bit early yet for the tours, so dozens of boats bobbed up and down as the waves hit the shore. Each boat had its own personality, decorated with colourful paint, flowers and streamers. The beach was mostly empty at 9:00 and I had the place pretty much to myself. I enjoyed the peacefulness, wandering along collecting shells and splashing my feet in the Andaman Sea. It was great to be on the coast.

Heading northwest along the beach, where the beach ends in a huge rock face, a bright orange “sunset” sign towers over the sea. You can’t miss it. Following the trail that leads behind it and around the cliff, you will find a couple small caves and a little beach, providing the tide cooperates. The area is perfect for a little privacy, as not many people ventured that far in my hours sitting there, enjoying the view. It’s also a gorgeous spot to take some sunset photos. If the tide is in, you can swim from the little cove to the cave beside it. There’s not much to see there, but it’s always fun to explore and some nice cave-framed photos are yours to be had if you do.

After enjoying the view, watching the boats and the birds, and chatting with the occasional explorer, I headed off to find lunch. I ate at a restaurant with a view of the ocean, and while I enjoyed my lime juice, and the air conditioning was a welcome relief, you could likely do better for both food and price by venturing off the main drag. It wasn’t the best papaya salad I’d had, but it did the trick, and after several waters, I was sufficiently hydrated to continue adventuring.

I strolled along the boardwalk, window shopping and people watching. It was so different here from the other parts of country I had been to. In truth, it felt like I had entered a different country. Not bad different, just different. There was a relaxed beachy feel to the town, and there was certainly more skin than I’d become accustomed to in Thailand.

After exploring the shops, I strolled south east along the main road towards the cliffs that broke up the other side of the beach. To my surprise, I found dozens of monkeys hanging out in the shade of the cliff, gorging on the bananas and watermelon fed to them by onlookers. The monkeys were clearly not shy, and had no fear of the curious onlookers. As usual, they were a delight to photograph and I snapped away as they played and ate. They seemed less aggressive to me than the monkeys I encountered in Lopburi, where there were constant scuffles between the primates and I had to stay keenly aware of what was going on so I didn’t end up in the middle of a skirmish.

A ladder up the cliff lead up to The Monkey Trail. Curious, I climbed it and started the uphill climb. I can’t say the path was difficult, but I had no water and it was, of course, ridiculously hot, so I made it tougher than it needed to be. Go prepared, as I didn’t see anywhere to buy water once you reach Pai Plong Beach on the other side. You will have to sign in and out as you enter the beach resort, but there was no charge to enter.

The monkey population thins, then disappears as you continue across the trail. There are some beautiful views of the ocean and the cliffs along the way. I was fortunate to spot two stunning Dusky Leaf monkeys high in the trees midway. It was my first and only sighting of these shy monkeys, and I was pretty excited. I only got one photo of them, and it’s not the best, as I had no telephoto lens and they were staying high in the canopy. They are beautiful animals, though, and it made my day to watch them climbing about. The walk also provided sightings of some other creatures– lizards and enormous insects. Keep your eyes open and you’re bound to find something interesting in the lush forest.

As I reached the end of the path, I was rewarded with a beautiful view of Pai Plong Beach. I had no idea what I was walking to, so it was a great surprise to see the gorgeous beach with the huge karst backdrops. I found a small patch of shade and sat, taking in the stunning scenery, watching the sand crabs pop up and build little mounds of perfectly round sand balls in a pyramid of sorts. This beach was quiet, nearly empty– quite a change from the packed shoreline of Ao Nang I’d left on the other side.

After relaxing and splashing in the sea, I climbed the crazy staircase that lead back to the Ao Nang beach. As I reached the other side of the cliff, a large group of tourists were excitedly feeding equally excited monkeys from a massive pile of bananas sitting on the sand. Squatting on the overhead walkway, I happily snapped away, getting close to the distracted monkeys with less fear than I’d had before. Looking down, I saw several people with their cameras trained in my direction. Thinking they were also capturing the feeding frenzy, I didn’t think much of it– until I looked down and realized the crotch had ripped out of my pants. Not a small tear, the entire crotch was gone! How did I not notice? How did I not feel a breeze? Mortified, I scurried along the bridge and got as much distance as I could between myself and those bemused photographers. Why didn’t someone tell me? I shudder to think where those unbecoming photos might be today. It did teach me to always carry a sarong or scarf with me for future wardrobe malfunctions.

Do you have any embarrassing travel moments? Were you unlucky enough to have them caught on film? Please share. It might help ease the embarrassment!