There are some things that run really well in Thailand, and
one of them is transporting tourists. The ferries and the transfer buses are
well organised and efficient. One ferry
a day runs from Phi Phi to Ao Nang, with a stop at Railay Beach. This means you get to see the spectacular beaches
and vast limestone cliffs that make the area famous. On Tonsai Pier, as you’re leaving Phi Phi, they
ask where you are staying in Ao Nang. You tell them. They give you a little
pink sticker. You arrive in Ao Nang. The pink sticker bus is waiting for you.
It takes all the tourists with their little pink stickers to all their
respective hotels.
Given how disorganised other things can be – ordering food,
environmental health, a lack of adequate sanitation systems - it’s surprising
how well these ferries and buses run. It really takes the stress of moving from
place to place, especially when you have stupidly heavy luggage.
That’s another thing – the bell boys, the men operating
boats, are all freakishly strong. They heft your suitcase onto their shoulders
and carry it like it’s Dick Whittington’s knapsack.
On the ferry, we meet an Australian and his French
girlfriend. They use Ao Nang as a base to day trip and sight see. They both
seem a bit booze and sun-drunk to me. We agreed to meet up that evening and
swap numbers. We call them, and there’s no answer. They never call us back. We
go out for a meal and some drinks without them. On our way home, close to
midnight, they walk straight past us. It’s unclear as if they didn’t see us, or
if they did and chose to ignore us.
By the time we’ve realised it’s them, they
are long gone, swallowed up by the hundreds of people crowding along the
street.
It’s the Beach Festival, which means that the beach is lined
with food stalls, there’s neon lights and thumping music. You could be in
Blackpool, and that’s largely how Ao Nang feels.
There’s one long road, running alongside the beach. Here,
there are lots and lots of little shops, again like Phi Phi, all selling the
same things:
·
Bikinis and shorts
·
Caps
·
Fake designer bags, flip flops and t-shirts
·
Baggy trousers with ridiculous patterns on them
·
Tiny, weeny little beach shorts
·
Tote bags
·
Wooden willies
·
‘Chang’ and ‘Singha’ vests.
There’s a Burger King, the slowest ever fast food service
since the ill-fated McDonalds in Chesham closed. There’s a Starbucks way up the
rotten end of the high street, where the beach front and little shops give way
to ugly high rise hostels and food shacks. The noise of developing buildings is
everywhere.
Business owners chase you down the street, asking if you are
hungry, if you want to buy a suit, if you want a massage. On our second night
when we wander into Titty Bar Alley (not its official name!) they physically
try and pull you in the bars, walking along side you, arms around your waist,
pulling you along. They take a ‘no’ quite well, and just move on to the next person.
I hadn’t expected Ao Nang to be so tatty or quite so built
up, but I had expected it to be a little more cosmopolitan and modern.
Everything here kind of looks like it was thrown up in a rush and without much
thought. The electrical wires hang down in vast vines all bundled together and
you can hear the thrum of the static as you walk past the low hanging ones.
Traffic is slow moving and light, even compared to my home town, but for
the most part, but there’s no real rules of the road other than to beep when
you’re over taking. Most tourists hire scooters to zip about on, but if you’re
only walking about town there’s not much need for one.
Our hotel is off the main strip. It’s basic, but clean and
comfortable, with hot water in the shower and friendly, helpful reception
staff. A load of washing can be done for about £2 and it’s delivered back to
you the same day. We’ve had washing done twice, and they never seem to issue
you a receipt, so there’s always a bit of confusion when you go to collect.
Like everything else here, it seems to be a weird mix of super- efficiency
combined with confusion and miscommunication. However, all the washing comes
back with nothing missing on both occasions, so we will continue to use local
laundry services.
Food here is very much geared for European tourists. We’ve
eaten ‘Thai’ food a few times, mostly Pad Thai and green curries, but they are
not that much different from the ones eaten at home. We chanced a pizza last
night, which was a mistake – imagine a Matzo cracker with some mini Babybel on
it, and you’re close to that it tasted like. For those of you who are going, ‘what
is a matzo cracker??’ they are kind of like a semi-burned Jacobs cracker, but
much larger and thinner.
Most restaurants serve a mix of European food (burgers,
pizzas, chips) and a few of the regular Thai dishes – noodles, fried rice,
curries, stir-fried veg.
Ao Nang largely escaped the 2004 tsunami that devastated
neighbouring Phuket, Koh Lak and the Pho Phi islands, but there are evacuation
points over the whole area. This must have been on my mind last night, as I
dreamed about being on a little boat in a big storm. The water was high, and
whales jumped next to the boat. Turtles and sea horses swim by. Park benches
and shops are under dark blue water. ‘This
is a real adventure!’ I think, as I cling to the side of the boat.
On Wednesday, we’ll move on to Koh Lanta for Christmas. I’m
ready to leave Ao Nang.
