Visit Kolok, Hat Yai, Krabi in Southern Thailand for a fun-filled vacation 2/2023 (Stop 1)

4 Feb – 6 Feb 2023 It’s time to visit Thailand properly, our famous neighbor to the north. I mean, go the whole length of the country. So, I snuck into Thailand from the south. From Malaysia, I walked across the border to the Thai border town of Kolok. It was almost indistinguishable from a Malay town in Malaysia – predominately Muslim, Malay is widely spoken and ringgit is almost preferred.

The next day I took the train northward, guarded by soldiers in bulletproof vests and carrying AK-47s. I should feel safe. I then arrived at the second town, Hat Yai, a small town made lively by visitors from around the region.

The next day, I took a shared minivan to Krabi, where Thailand’s appeal started to show. Ao Nang Beach was the first serving – the streets were lined with small shops to drain visitors’ pockets. The sea was calm and soothing, and the water reflected the azure sky beautifully. There were few tourists around. The beach looked private and exclusive. Most on the beach were white. It made perfect sense that they had traveled thousands of miles just to sit for hours on a beach chair, doing nothing but reading and tanning, with a beer or a coconut to chill.

Click here to see all the stops on this trip