Krabi Take 2

Koh Poda (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)

We had a late breakfast of fried rice noodles on Koh Poda and boarded our longtails for Krabi around 10:15. An hour later (and a bit wetter), we were on shore and headed into Krabi town for some shopping and Internet access before lunch. (Exciting description of checking e-mail omitted.)

Krabi

As the usual lunch spot by the pier was closed due to slow business, we returned to RuenMai-Thai, the restaurant at which we had previously had dinner, for our second of five meals there. Around 1:30 we were served a wing bean and cashew salad; a dish of crab meat, onions, hot peppers and scallions; a hot red curry with beef and green peppercorns (served in large bunches on a thin stem); and little “sandfish,” about 4 inches long, deep fried whole with turmeric and garlic, and very crunchable.

After lunch we stopped by Varich Krabi Batik, a workshop and gallery and retail store for some shopping. I picked up two shirts, to be shown off on Aloha Fridays (or perhaps in karaoke bars!). We checked in to the Krabi Maritime once again and returned to town for more shopping and Internet activity. Then I caught a “Motorbike Taxi” back to RuenMai-Thai for dinner. Excellent plates included crunchy pork short ribs with a sweet-hot dipping sauce; a salad of mixed seafood bits in lime-chili dressing; a delicious yellow curry with chicken (I think) and pumpkin (I think); stir-fried ferns, or a vegetable with fern-like leaves; and a viciously hot Southern-style beef dish best consumed with beer.

After dinner, several of us returned to the Maritime’s karaoke bar where they seemed quite happy to see us. This time, I was accompanied on several songs by a fellow traveler. Between our two visits, I believe we may have exhausted most of the songs we know (except for Elvis and The Beatles…). Hard to believe but tomorrow morning we head out again, for Khuraburi, our base for departure to Koh Surin National Park.