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Krabi activities - Top articleVisitor’s Tales Story by : Roberto Spezzani Sea Kayak Krabi
Several times I have attended such gatherings organized by friends, where I have had the chance to picture amazing places from all over the world through their photos and tales. During these gatherings, I have also realized how hard it is for someone to perfectly describe the personal feelings experienced in those paradisiacal places. It will soon be my turn, upon my return to my country, to describe an impellent kayaking adventure amongst mangroves and canyons in an area of Krabi called Ao Thalane. The alarm clock is set at 10am, not because I am lazy, simply because waking up earlier would be useless. In fact, it is essential to get the right information regarding high and low tides quite common in Krabi seas in order to enjoy any sea and mangrove trip to the best. Today, the tides are favourable after lunch, so we have plenty of time to reach our departure point. It is a 20 minutes drive from Ao Nang to Ao Thalane, where we are met by Sea Kayak Krabi team with a smile. They are ready to show us their little kingdom, right by the river mouth, an area that comprises a small and cozy resort, the Akanak, a coffee shop, a restaurant and Sea Kayak Krabikayaking operation. Peace prevails in this place; we deposit our bulky bags in the storage room and get ready to board the kayaks: we are given a lifejacket and a dry bag where we store our cameras. Every kayak can sit 2 people; we grap a paddle each, sit in the confortable vessel and leave for the adventure, with our guide Khun Ae at the head of the caravan. Having crossed the tongue of sea that separates the mainland from the maze of mangrove islands, we enter a brackish marsh. We immediately perceive that the rest of the world is so near yet so far from this magic place. We cross a few other tourists who paddle their way through narrow canals, avoiding low branches and negotiating sudden changes of direction that follow one another and lead to small openings in a vegetation surrounded by massive limestone mountains. All around us the water is calm, soothing. This is no place to for an MP3 player! The sounds of the jungle engulfs your thoughts: the splashing of the paddle in the water, the attenuated sound of our voices, all this is so far from the day-to-day noises of the city. I stop in silence, the kayak floating in these ‘lakes within the sea’, and I listen to nature. I make out several birds of the colourful plumage that flee once they spot us; and then, right over a few huge mangroves, a motionless monitor lizard, sunbathing. A few monkeys appear in between mangrove trees and shout at us; they seem to be saying, “Go away from here, it’s our home”. We chose to leave them alone; they have everything they need to feed and breed in this amazing environment, and in a way I envy them. Our paddling adventure continues without interruptions until, trying to avoid a huge branch that emerges from the water, we loose balance; the kayak overturns and Thomas and I end up in the water. It is all so funny, other kayakers can’t stop laughing as we struggle in the shallow water to grab paddles and dry-bags that are slowly drifting away. A fresh swim can only do us good! We finally leave the mangroves and head towards Ao Thalane canyon, engaging in a race with other kayakers but with very little competitiveness. Nature is keeping us simple and content. Once in the canyon, in the proximities of a huge limestone rock that drops straight into the water from its height, our guide Khun Ae points out to a group of several caves. On one of the rock walls, we see a rural pictorial which dates nearly 3,000 years, a popular feature of these places. All around us is a bucolic landscape, caves ranging from very small to gigantic, with their stalactites and stalagmites obstructing the way and the sight, and their inundated gorges only practicable in high tide. In these caves, the sea-gypsy populations buried, and still bury, their deads; it is not unusual to explore a cave and come across skulls and bones. Giant bats inhabit these caves; dont be afraid if you see them hanging above, sleeping. Leave them alone and respect the peace that prevails in these sacred places. We exit the canyon and, after a short break on a secluded beach, it is time to get back to base in order to avoid low tides that might keep us stranded for a few hours at least. Participating in this Sea Kayak Krabi 3 hours adventure has been a great experience. It will definitely be hard, upon my return to Europe, to describe some of the emotions I experienced, the feelings of being submerged in a world where nature has been pristine since its creation. Pictures will not be enough. I guess my friends will have to travel to Thailand and follow my footsteps in Thalane Bay if they really want to find out. Discover the magic of nature with Sea Kayak Krabi variety of adventure programs. Contact them on 075 630270, www.seakayak-krabi.com
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Krabi activities - Sea Kayak Krabi
When an Italian tourist embarks in an adventure holiday and returns to his native country, it is a nearly a compulsory tradition to organize an evening gathering with friends and family and to entertain them with pictures and stories of the adventure. 