I had the good fortune recently of being out of Bangkok when the latest coup occurred. I think it's always preferable to be away whenever there's any kind of political situation going on. Just for my own peace of mind.
Through a coincidence of fate, I'd planned a little weekend getaway for May 22, so I was tucked away at a lovely spot in Krabi. Once you get out of the major metropolitan areas of Thailand, the entire feeling of the country changes drastically. It's something that, as a resident of Bangkok, I forget sometimes.
When I first travelled to Thailand, it wasn't the teeming, busy streets of the capital that enthralled me, it was the quieter charms of the southern beaches and the mountains in the north.
Getting out of the city is a luxury that I am fortunate enough to be able to afford from time to time. I know that not everybody can say the same thing, which is too bad.
Anyway, this was my second trip to Krabi, and I love going there. It's especially nice at this time of year, when it's the low season. There were still lots of tourists around, to be sure, but the streets and restaurants were relatively quiet, and it was pleasant to walk around without banging into food stalls and souvenir vendors every three steps.
Krabi has some of the most beautiful landscape around. The high cliffs of the islands, the white beaches and the turquoise waters are marvelous. And of course, this being Thailand, the food was delicious. I'm sure that the population of crab, oysters and grouper in the area was decimated once we'd done our best to eat all of them.
It was all very relaxing, and I had a hard time getting up the enthusiasm to return home. But, all good things must end, so here I am back in Bangkok. I'm going to try to make sure I get back there as soon as I can. Till then, I'll just have to look back fondly at the photos I took and look forward to the next time.
Maybe by then I'll even be able to stay out past 10.
Sean Vale
Editor
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