Traveling from Tonsai to Chiang Mai: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Brandon and I knew that getting from Tonsai to Chiang Mai would have its complications, but it turned out to be even more exhausting than we anticipated. Thankfully we had each other to help raise our spirits throughout the journey. 

Because low tide was at 7 am, we left Tonsai before 9 am. This allowed us to walk the shortest path to Railay along the beach while tide was still low without getting completely wet. We took off our heavy bags and rested on Railay West Beach before continuing on. 

Resting with all our baggage on Railay Beach

After picking up our favorite strawberry smoothie one last time from the walking street in Railay, we walked over to Railay East where we could catch a longboat to Krabi. The fare to Krabi is 150 baht per person, but you have to wait for at least eight people before the longboat will leave. If you do not want to wait, you have to pay for all eight fares. There was only one Spanish gentleman waiting to go to Krabi when we arrived, so he was very happy to see us. 

Brandon and I were content to wait for as long as needed because our flight did not leave from the Krabi Airport until 8 pm. We had purposely made sure we had all day to get there. Thankfully, it was also a cloudy day making waiting outside much more bearable than in the blazing sun. 

Less than an hour later the longboat headman told us we should go to Ao Nammao instead of Krabi. Going to Ao Nammao would be on the way to Krabi and would only cost us 100 baht per person. Then we could get a taxi to Krabi for 50 baht more. So, it would still be a fare of 150 baht in the end. The perk would be that we could leave now instead of waiting and hoping eight people would turn up for Krabi. The Spanish man who had been waiting for awhile was ready to go. We weren't sure, but decided to go. In hindsight, I think the headman only wanted us to go, because there were six people waiting to go to Ao Nammao. We and the Spanish man would tip the tables to over eight people. At the last minute, we were joined by another couple. The wife was very angry saying that the fare they were asking was more than she was promised and that she was being charged more because she was not Thai. She held up the boat for awhile with her angry outburst even in the end she was forced to pay. 

When we arrived in Ao Nammao, the angry woman began to look less crazy. What we had been told was a 50 baht taxi was a 60 baht truck bed with benches and a canopy over it. It was the Spanish man's turn to get angry. After refusing pay 60 baht for the first truck and it leaving, the three of us waiting for the next one. The next truck accepted 50 baht, so we took it ready to get to Krabi. 

But, as it turned out, we were not going directly to Krabi. No, that would be too simple. The truck/taxi/bus went all the way through Ao Nang first slowly trolling for passengers and picking them up on the way. On a positive note, we got to see what Ao Nang looked like. On a negative note, going to Ao Nang was not the most direct way to Krabi. After Ao Nang the truck did go to Krabi and moved at a much faster clip. It was still a very noisy and exhaust filled ride though. Over an hour after leaving Ao Nammao, we landed in Krabi, said goodbye to our Spanish friend, and looked for a place to rest for awhile before finding lunch. 

Lessons learned: 
1) Everyone wants their cut of your money
2) Brandon says we should have stayed in Krabi and waited as long as needed for the correct longboat, as there was good food nearby, good weather, and a familiar environment. Longboat rides are more comfortable and shorter than that truck ride as well. 
3) I say we should have just taken the longboat from Tonsai to Ao Nang and then caught a taxi/bus to Krabi. We could have left later, because we would not have had to walk across the tide. However, it would have cost 200 baht per person instead of 150 baht per person. And, we would have had to figure out the taxi/bus system in Ao Nang, and who knows how that would have gone. So, Brandon is probably right. 

In Krabi, we headed toward the river and found some nice benches where we could sit and set down our bags. The weather was nice and there was a wonderful breeze. We could also bitterly view the pier we were have supposed to reached if we had waiting for the longboat to Krabi. 

Resting in Krabi where the longboat should have brought us

Eventually, we were hungry for lunch. Brandon sat with the bags and I scoped out a nearby main street for lunch options. I checked out the menu of a restaurant that had caught my eye on the way to the river, called May and Mark's. The first page I flipped to in the menu had tacos. Sold! I went to get Brandon and we lugged all our belongings to the restaurant and found a table inside in the air conditioning. It was blissful. And, the food was spectacular. Our tacos were huge, flavorful, and filling. And, as I had been craving chocolate and there was none to be found in Tonsai, we splurged on a chocolate muffin with chocolate ice cream as well. Divine. Our spirits were raised. 

We also learned the origins of the restaurant which was pretty interesting. It was started by a Thai couple who served just Thai food at first. Then they rented out some rooms to foreigners who ended up teaching them about other types of cooking. A New Zealander taught them how to make bread, and a Californian taught them how to make tacos (we're especially thankfully to that person). Pretty cool. Not what we expected to find in Krabi. 

May and Mark's: Definitely worth a visit

Pork and chicken tacos!

We lingered in the restaurant for awhile and then headed out. We had seen a nice looking car taxi at the end of the street, so we walked over there. If it was there we would go to the airport. If it wasn't we would sit by the river longer. It was there, but after speaking to the driver he pointed to an open air taxi behind it to get into. I got in, but we should have waited and insisted on the more comfortable closed car taxi. My fault. And, very tricky of the taxi driver to front his business with a nicer looking car. 

We arrived at the small Krabi airport windblown and frustrated. And, we still had to wait 5 hours for our flight. We always forget how inhospitable airports are. It was a long wait in a boring airport. On a positive note, it was air conditioned. 

Lessons learned: 
1) Know what taxi you're negotiating for and be insistent
2) Being in an airport 5 hours early is never interesting. We should have just gone to the river for another hour.  

We were exhausted, but our journey still was not done. As our flight time approached we went thru checked bag security, then got our tickets and dropped our checked bag, then went thru carry on bag security, then reached a waiting area for our gate. You could not go to the actual gate until your flight was called. It was a strange system. And while we were waiting there, the power went out for a about a minute. That of course was a huge confidence booster. 

Eventually our flight was called and our gate opened. We were corralled down some stairs where we waited for a shuttle. We were all crammed onto a shuttle (which had some black leather couches in the bag, like a party bus???...weird.) and then brought to our plane, which we boarded on the tarmac. 

Air Asia shuttle bus to the plane

Crowding onto the plane

It was an amusing experience. So much transportation today! We were happy to finally be on our plane. Less than two hours later we arrived in Chiang Mai. We got out on the tarmack and then were then crammed onto another shuttle to the airport. Our bag was blessedly easy to find and the taxi system was easy to figure out and cheaper than expected. 

We got into a taxi and gave our address. It seemed easy, but our trials were not over. When we got to the correct street, the taxi driver told us we could walk from there. But, we didn't know where to walk. We did not see any house numbers. And what we thought was the house number in our address was the street number. We had a phone number for our host, but the taxi driver refused to call it and left. 

We were stranded at a street corner and trying not to panic. We tried to communicate with one woman, but she did not have a phone. Thankfully we ran into a couple who had a phone and spoke English. We tried the phone number, but it did not work. Panic! The couple had internet access on the phone, so we were able to use the Airbnb website to find the information we needed. I had left out the last number of the phone number when I had copied and pasted it. Seriously? Yes. I felt pretty bad about that mistake. With the last number, the phone number worked and we got a hold of our host. She waved to us from her house and we felt extreme relief. We profusely thanked the kind couple who had helped us. They were also travelers to Chiang Mai and understood the difficulty of finding your accommodation and panic of being lost in a new city. What a blessing to have come across them. 

Lessons learned: 
1) Double check the address and phone number provided
2) Humanity can be despairing at times, but it can also be an incredibly beautiful, as in the case of our helpful couple

We were warmly greeted by our host. After a tour of our room and bathroom and some basic information, we settled in. Our room seems so deluxe, spacious, clean, and lovely after our Tonsai experience. Our host even put fresh flowers in our room and bathroom. It is amazing what a burden is lifted when you are staying in a comfortable place. 

We were so exhausted by the challenges of traveling between Tonsai and Chiang Mai that we laid low our first day in Chiang Mai. We pretty much only left the house for lunch and dinner. Today though we have had the energy to explore the city more, and we hope to continue our explorations in the next few days!