Hiking the Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill

<![CDATA[ALUSOARE - Thailand]]>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:53:55 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[Hiking the Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill]]>Tue, 12 May 2020 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/thailand/hiking-the-tab-kak-hang-nak-hill

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir

When you are the type of person that you get more energy from a heavy hike and you consume to reach the top, then it probably means that you are a bit of a hiking addict :) and so everywhere I go I look for a hiking opportunity. In this trip I ended up on the Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill or Dragon Crest as it is also know.

Admin

Getting there
It's a 23 min car ride from Ao Nang. A lot of people choose coming by scooter. If you do come by car, expect about 1500 baht (approx 45 Euro).
Entree Fee:
It's free of charge, but you have a ranger that has a table at the entrance where you can give your name/phone number & they would keep an eye you come back. There is also a donation box, so you can leave some tip behind
Starting time:
They "open" at 8:00 but you can be there a bit earlier. We arrived a 7:45 and you could start the hike. So go there early as the later it get's the warmer it becomes.

Facilities:
There are toilets at the beginning of the trail, make sure you use them, there are no other opportunities during the hike

Trail info:
There is a map at the beginning of the trail which can help you to guide yourself during the hike.
Distance: The trail is 3.7 km to the cliff (7.4 round trip)
Time: 3h 45 min - round trip including pictures & break at the top

Difficulty level: difficult

What to bring with you:

Proper hiking shoes - I used trekking Adidas shoes and they did a great job.
Sport wear - I had long pants to avoid scratches, but you should be fine in shorts
Water
Energy Bars/Banana - something that would give you energy
A bag to collect all your garbage - leave nature as you found it
Sun Cream - there are areas with sun so ensure you use protection

The Hike

Let's start with the beginning.

The first part of the trail - about 2 km looks like a continues HIIT workout with here and there some small breaks.

That being said, don't get discouraged as even if it will feel at times that it's like a never ending uphill, you will reach the top.

During your uphill you have 2 areas of stairs at the end of which there is a bench

And several of the uphills have some rope next to it to help you pulling yourself up

After the first 2km, you will still have uphills but they will be shorter and there will be longer periods of straight surface

Once you are super close to the top you will have different view points from where you can take nice pictures - giving you a feel of being an top of the world

The View

The access to the famous cliff - is closed with barbed wire and marked as dangerous.

It would be hard to say how stable that cliff is, and probably the best advice is not to cross the danger markings. I did go under the wire and on the cliff, but most of my friends preferred not to take the risk (which was for sure wiser).

There is another cliff that can get you a great view and actually the place from where the pictures of that cliff are taken.

Remember

Take all your garbage back with you. There are bins where you can recycle your garbage at the beginning of the trail.

]]><![CDATA[What to do in Krabi]]>Tue, 05 May 2020 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/thailand/what-to-do-in-krabi

I am the type of person that needs its space when it comes to the beach. I can't neither relax nor enjoy it when I have towels of unknown people next to me and so when I had to decide where to go to the beach in Thailand, I come across info mentioning that Krabi area is far less crowded than Phuket. And so we went.

From the airport we went directly to Ao Nang which is a typical beach location that also offers enough entertainment. Each day we stayed we had some activity planned, so will provide a highlevel recap here.

Day 1: Hot Springs & Emerald Pool

It's a 1.5h drive from Ao Nang. We left early in the morning so that we can avoid a lot of crowds.

Hot Springs

In order to enter the area you have to pay 100 baht per person (approx. 3 Euro). This gives you access to the natural hot springs to some man made pools, plus some arranged trails.

There are a set of rules that you should follow when you get there.

Unless you plan to go on the trails and take a massage this is not a long stop as it's only recommended to stay 15-20 min in the pools. Expect a lot of people, which can make you feel a bit uncomfortable.

Emerald Pool

You do have an entry fee as well of 200 baht (approx 6 Euro).
Please note that between May & December you can't visit the blue pool as it's closed during the pairing season of Gurney Pitta birds.

The Emerald Pool, offers some trails that bring you to the pool. This is a super nice walk in the nature

At the end you can take a bath in the gorgeous blue waters. Bring along water shoes as the entrance in this natural pool is super slippery.

I was a bit disappointed of these 2 sites as I did not find them anyhow special, thus not sure why they are so recommended.

Day 2: Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Hike + Railay Beach

Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill Hike

I love hiking and so as you maybe read in some other posts of mine, whenever I see a hiking opportunity I take it. This is a free of charge activity you can donate some money to the rangers at the end if you consider worth it

The hike of 7.4 km takes about about 3.5 - 4h - round trip including stops for pictures. The way up will bring you heart rate up as it's quite a push.

The views at the end at least for me, make the effort worth it. I'll have a separate post providing all the details.

Railay Beach

"Is a large peninsula between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand. It is accessible only by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. These cliffs attract rock climbers from all over the world, but the area is also popular due to its beautiful beaches and quiet relaxing atmosphere." (Source)

To get there grab a long boat from Ao Nang. The boats are for 8 people as soon as it fills it leaves. The last one comes back at 18:00 (this is a bit flexible though)

We had lunch at a restaurant right in front of the beach which was very good.

And it left us with 1h of beach time. So took advantage for a swim, walk on the beach and a photo session of the engagement ring of Alexandra & Hans :)

Day 3: Phi Phi Islands

We booked a private tour which was 10000 baht (approx 300 Euro) which included the van to the port, the speed boat, water and fresh fruits.

The stops you make during a private tour are basically the same as you would make on a regular tour is just that you are far more flexible on how much time you spend in each location, plus it's a different story to arrive with 30 different people in the same time than only with your friends.

In the tour you do get to see Maya Beach (the beach from "The Beach" with Leo DiCaprio) but from the distance. It is currently close till 2021 so that the coral reef can regenerate.

The end of the day is at Bamboo Beach, which is a gorgeous white sand beach for which you have to pay 400 baht (approx. 12 Euro), so the earlier you arrive the more time you can enjoy it. There is nothing on this beach (they do have some toilets)

Day 4: Souvenir Shopping + Ao Nang Beach

At the end of the stay some souvenir shopping was an absolute must. There are some good deals, but nothing is too cheap. In the end a swim in the sea and some beer will make you enjoy some perfect moments of relaxation.

]]><![CDATA[Bangkok in 2 days]]>Tue, 28 Apr 2020 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/thailand/bangkok-in-2-days

In most of the cases you're fist stop into Thailand will be its capital, Bangkok. If you are a fist timer, then it is (unfortunately) a must stop to see the main temples and as a day trip location to the floating markets. Below I'll provide an update on what we did, costs and how we felt about this large city.

Details about accommodation & getting there you can find in my separate post regarding the admins, so will not add to this post such details.

We had sort of 3 days in Bangkok, but to be fair we kind of only took advantage of 2 overall as we had the flights into Bangkok and to Krabi on some of the days. I will guide you through our steps, but you can mix and match according to your schedule

Day 1

We landed early AM, but the check in was only at 1PM. The hotel was offering 50% off at the breakfast price between 9:30 - 10:30 and so we took advantage of that. Afterwards we relaxed on the rooftop until the rest of the people arrived. Once we were all together we started our tourist activities.

Chatuchak Weekend Market

Take the BTS (the sky train) and stop at the last stop Mo Chit. This will leave you super close to the Market. The place is huge, and it's very hard to decide if you actually want to buy anything or just look.

We wondered around for a while, bought some small things (like Tiger Cream) and we headed to the Shopping Center behind the market to cool down a bit.

The upper floor is a food court, which I can only recommend. Important to note is that they do not serve alcohol between 2PM - 5PM. Now that this is settled.

Buy your MIXT Chatuchak Food Court card and add some money. This is actually free, so they return you anything left on it. You can pay for your food with this card.

Go around and see what you like, it's not easy to decide as a lot of the food looks very good (and tastes very good as well). Mind that spiciness. Keep in mind that not spicy in most of the places in Thailand still means spicy but bearable. If you do have the courage to say spicy, I recommend ordering also a portion of plain rice (you'll thank me later)

We tried several dishes, but I don't really remember all the names :)

Beer - as far as I could see they have 4 types of beer in Thailand: Leo, Tiger, Singha & Chang.

As you are already there - get a massage :). 30 min is 150 baht (approx. 4.5 Euro)& 60 min 250 baht (approx. 7.5 Euro)

From here as we were all super tired we went to the hotel where we had dinner & went early to sleep

Day 2

We booked a tour in the morning with pick up at 7:30 to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and the the Train Market. We paid for the tour all included (van, boat) 5200 baht (approx. 155 Euro)for 8 people.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

"Damnoen Saduak Floating Market consists of a maze of narrow khlongs (canals). Female traders, often wearing traditional mo hom apparel (blue farmers' shirts) with wide-brimmed straw hats (ngob) use sampans (small wooden boats) to sell their wares, often produce.These boats are often full of vegetables and colorful fruits that are photogenic, and these images are used for tourism promotion. The market is often the busiest in the morning from 07:00 to 09:00 and is active until noon." (Source)

"From 1866 to 1868, by order of King Rama IV, the 32-kilometre (20 mi) - long Damnoen Saduak Canal was constructed to connect the Mae Klong and Tha Chin Rivers. Many floating markets arose from the canal, and about 200 ancillary canals were dug by villagers. The main floating market was called Lad Plee market which adjoined a Buddhist temple and remained active until 1967, when the development of roads replaced the need for water transportation. This pattern was seen with other old floating markets which disappeared by the mid-20th century due to the development of modern land infrastructure (Source)

When you arrive at the market they will offer you other tours (on top of the floating market) at additional cost, of course. Please please please say not to them as they involve a lot of animal cruelty.

The market is not cheap market so you have a big range where you can negotiate. This is the place to improve your negotiation skills. I can only say that even when the ladies selling the goods swear it's too cheap what you offer, you'll find it cheaper in a different market.

It's fun to buy from here but always remember no matter how low you go with your price offer, you most likely will find that item cheaper somewhere else.

Maeklong Railway Market in Bangkok

You will most likely do this trip in the same time with the floating market. Make sure you coordinate with the train schedule. Unfortunately we only saw the train from the distance.

The experience is hard to describe. As it is interesting on one hand, but also let's you in a bit of shock, seeing all the meat & fish laying outside in the heat.

If you aim more vegetables & spices, then this looks like a place where they have a lot of options

Wat Saket

Back at the hotel, we booked a taxi to bring us to the temple. The traffic was crazy & took us almost 1h.

The best time for visiting this temple is at sunset. As you get an great view from the tower.

The information we could find online on the opening hour was confusing. The temple is open till 17:00, but the tower (from where you get the view) it's open till 19:00.

They are not as strict as in other places with the dress code. Guys can wear shorts and as a girl if you do have shorts you can just add a scarf on top.

The views were amazing, I really loved this place a lot to watch the sun setting over this busy city.

Siam

We saw Siam from the BTS and looks super modern and full of lights. So after the temple we took a boat and 2 stops later we arrived in the center of this area.

Everything is super crazy and busy here, but very nice the experience.

We stopped for food at a sort of a food shopping mall with several floors, only restaurants. It seems that they do not serve alcohol in any of the places (with me making a reference to alcohol so many times, you might think I am an alcoholic, but no, it's just that so many times you did not have the option to get that I thought it's better to prepare you).

We ate at a Japanese place - and my non spicy dish was so spicy I thought I will die - thank god for the rice :)

ArtBox Market

Right next to our hotel there was a sort of a Christmas Market. Ok I exaggerate it. It was a market that had a lot of lights and made it feel like a Christmas market when it come to the decoration.

You had a few shops & a food court with very good food.

Being so close we passed by this market several times during our stay in Bangkik.

Day 3

This was the day that we had our flight to Krabi at 5 PM so we planned to start early in the morning with our temple experience. We booked a private van that brought us from the hotel to the Grand Palace waited for us and then brought us to the airport for 2800 baht (approx. 83 Euro)

Grand Palace

Dress Code: Strict, please check the below before you go as they check at the entrance if you follow this requirement

Price: 500 baht (approx. 15 Euro) per person

"It was built in 1782 and for 150 years was the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government. " (Source)

"Within the palace complex are several impressive buildings including Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which contains the small but famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century. The robes on the Buddha are changed with the seasons by HM The King of Thailand - an important ritual in the Buddhist calendar. Thai Kings stopped living in the palace around the turn of the 20th century, but the palace complex is still used to mark all kinds of other ceremonial and auspicious happenings." (Source)
Note: you are not allowed to take pictures of the Emerald Buddha.

It's easy to spend a lot of time here and take millions of pictures as the buildings are really gorgeous.

Wat Pho

Dress Code: as for the Grand Palace
Price: 200 baht (approx 6 Euro) per person.

"Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan" (Source)

"The chapel and the reclining Buddha (Phra Buddhasaiyas) were built by Rama III in 1832. The image of the reclining Buddha represents the entry of Buddha into Nirvana and the end of all reincarnations. The posture of the image is referred to as sihasaiyas, the posture of a sleeping or reclining lion. The figure is 15 m high and 46 m long, and it is one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand." (Source)

If you have the new iphone PRO with its wide angle, you'll get to take a pretty good picture, but this Buddha is immense.

After you have visited the Buddha, you can still go a bit around and admire the incredible details of all the buildings (temples)

Day 3 (bonus)

We came back from Krabi, Friday late & we had our flight on Saturday evening. Thus this gave us some extra time in Bangkok.

Friday Night : we went to check out the Cowboy street

Saturday: We walked to one of the markets around and get a bit of a more local experience. I add below some pictures

+ passed by a SuperMarket

If you plan to buy things for home, that being sweets for the office etc, I recommend you to go to Big C. It's a huge supermarket that has loads and loads of things you can buy. We had to give ourselves only 20 min otherwise it's easy to forget the time and spend hours in there.

To Sum it UP

Bangkok is a huge city, with a lot of unpleasant smells, dirty streets which I would not recommend to stay longer than needed.

Side note:
wat = temple in Thai :)

]]><![CDATA[A week in Thailand - The Admin]]>Tue, 21 Apr 2020 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/thailand/a-week-in-thailand-the-admin

In the last (several) years, Thailand became an extremely touristy destination and we thought to take advantage of the crazy grey winter days of Belgium and head over to the sun. It was my first time off to the east side of the world and so everything was completely new.

Please note this post is not relevant during COVID-19 restriction period, but hopefully it will be of use once this goes back to normal.

Transport Bangkok & Krabi (Ao Nang)

Getting to BKK

Out of Belgium you have direct flights with Thai Airways into Bangkok which can be quite convenient. We opted to fly Ethiad via Abu Dhabi due to the better timings and landed early morning on a Saturday.

Most of the countries in Europe as well as US & CA do not require any VISA, thus things are super easy once you arrive there.

If you are from RO/BG in Europe and from other parts of the world that do require visa please make sure you check the requirements in advance.
â€‹In big lines you'll need a photo (4x6), about 350 Euro, printed tickets of return flight.
Once in Bangkok you need to stay at a different queue to receive the VISA on arrivals and then get to passport control. This can last long, so be patient

From BKK Airport to City

While waiting for the pre-ordered van I saw shuttle buses that would bring you to the city center. I don't have details of how much it would take or the costs of the ticket.

We organized our transport via the hotel.
Airport -> Hotel
- 1600 BHT (vanof 8)
- 1200 BHT (car of 5)
Hotel -> Aiport
- 1200 BHT (vanof 8)
- 800 BHT (car of 5)

The drive takes between 35 - 60 min depending on the traffic and also where your hotel is located.

Traveling Around Bangkok

We opted to travel via private car (with driver), taxi, boat, walk or take the BTS. With the heat we avoided buses (old and no aircon) and Tuk Tuk - felt a bit dangerous in the crazy Bangkok traffic.

If you are enough - a private car is very convenient as the driver will wait for you and it's rather cheap. Taxis are also very cheap (approx 4 euro for 10 km), so will save you some stress getting around.

For me the most convenient is the Metro (BTS) as it's fast and you will not have to wait in any traffic jams. I add some pictures of prices as it depends on the number of stops you travel.. Remember to keep the card as you'll need it when you go out.

The boat was an interesting experience as we took it from the Golden Temple to Siam and it is very fast.

If you decide to walk, bear in mind that this is a super polluted city and so you'll feel it after a while in the streets.

Flying Domestic

There are several airlines that fly internal. We picked Thai Airways as it was the only one that did not have any hidden charges. The ticket includes a 20kg check in luggage + Hand Luggage (7kg - but flexible).
To our surprise we flew on one of the big birds - I think it was a Airbus A330 (twin-jet) where you also get a snack for the 1h 30 min flight.

Krabi Airport to Ao Nang (and back)

This was madness. Arriving in the Airport the private vans/cars operators jump on you like vultures. Anyway, stay calm and let the negotiation begin. You might be able to get it cheaper, but as an idea we paid 800 baht (24 Euro) private car - 8 people to Ao Nang.

Transportation around Ao Nang

In Ao Nang you should walk, or take a tuk tuk if you get too lazy.
If you have any tours organized you can either join the regular tours or go on a private tour. Below an idea of what we paid.

_ Longboat to Railey Beach - 200 baht return (approx 6 Euro) per person. A boat has spaces for 8 people, they leave as soon as they are full. They run daily, last one returning at 18:00.
- Emerald Pool & Hot Springs - 2500 baht (approx. 75 Euro) - private car for 8 people
- Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill - 1500 baht (approx. 45 Euro) - private car for 8 people
- Phi Phi Islands - Van + Boat 10000 baht (approx 300 Euro) - private car + private speed boat for 8 people

(you still have some entry fees for some, will document in the more specific post)

Accommodation

That's a tough one :) - I traveled in a group of friends with different requirements and expectations regarding accommodation. Below were the selected options - and a high-level review.

Bangkok

We stayed at Galleria Sukhumvit 10 Bangkok by Compass Hospitality.
Hotel Stars: 4
â€‹Price: 35 Euro per person per night
Breakfast: they have a live cooking station - which is nice, fruits, pancakes, croissants and several lunch/dinner type of dishes (in what we would consider in Europe). Coffee is very bad.
Rooftop bar - it's nice and relaxing. the food at the restaurant is good
Location: 5 min walk from Nana Metro Stop; 15 min walk from the Cowboy street.
Rooms: triple rooms are very tight and the 3rd bed is not the same as the other 2.
Bathrooms: not as clean as i would like to have a hotel bathroom

Krabi

We stayed at Kokotel Krabi Ao Nang
Hotel Stars: 3
Price: 35 - 40 Euro per night
Breakfast: Basic, some fruits, eggs, cereals, some lunch/dinner type of dishes (in what we would consider in Europe). Coffee was very bad.
Rooftop: It had a swimming pool - did not check it out.
Location: 5 - 10 min walk from the beach
Rooms: Big enough and clean. The aircon was not well placed so you could not really sleep with it on.
Bathrooms: not the most modern ones, but ok.

Other Items to Consider

Food & Drinks - Price Expectations

If eating & drinking out expect high prices:
Beer (small) 80 - 100 baht (2.5 - 3 Euro)
Cocktails: 200 - 300 baht (6- 9 Euro) - the amount of alcohol inside is very little
Wine: 1200 - 1500 baht per bottle (36 - 45 Euro)
Thai Food: 180 - 240 baht (6-8 Euro)
Fish/Sea food dishes: 500 baht (15 Euro)

a lot of places will add a 10% service tax, 7% VAT and if you pay by card 3 % on top of above listed.

At least in Bangkok - Alcohol is not severed in most of the places (including bards) between 14:00 -17:00 to avoid kids buying alcohol.
In supermarkets - you can't buy alcohol between 00:00 - 11:00.

Safety

All locations felt safe despite the crowds.
When it comes to health safety, this is another story.
- Bangkok is super polluted and you will see a lot of the locals wearing masks.
- Food safety - meat & fish is held outside in the heat - so I was reluctant to eat street food
- Water & Ice - as per medical recommendations - consume only bottled water and ask your drinks without ice.

Cash vs Cards

Bring CASH - Euro/USD not that relevant. There are exchange offices everywhere. Apparently the best one is Super Rich which you can find in the metro stations (BTS).
Taking out money - you need to pay 220 baht fixed on any transactions. Even if you have cards like for eg. Revolut.

What to Wear

In general in Bangkok - i wore shorts and a t-shirt, having a scarf with me at all times, in case we would enter a temple.
In Ao Nang - beach wear :)

For the temples:
Women:
- Bottom - long (non tight) pants, after knees skirts. If shorts - you should be able to cover with a scarf.
- Upper - you can't use a scarf to cover your shoulders, make sure you have a dress with shot sleeves or a t-shirt.
Men:
- Bottom - you can't cover with a scarf, you need to have long pants. You can but for 100 baht a pair if you don't have any long pants with you.
Upper: T-shirt

What to bring with you

Adapter - you might not need it. Thailand has plugs type A (like in US), type B (US + pin), type C (Europe)
Mosquito Repellent - make sure you have the tropical mosquito spray with you.
Sun Cream - there is a lot of sun, so put your cream on.
Remember: Cream first - wait 30 min - mosquito second :)
Rain Gear - not sure if this applies year round, but if you travel Krabi area early December, you will most probably need it.

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