Much have been mentioned about the crystal clear waters and sandy beaches of Krabi, but few would be aware of the fact that, Krabi is actually just a quiet small town located far from all the action. I’ve always thought of it being a beach retreat with the prestige of a seaside town and throngs of tourists lazing around on fine beaches basking in the sun.

That however, may be true of Phi Phi island and a multitude of other islands to be visited in various island hoping packages, but certainly not Krabi. For this short trip, I stayed at Ao Nang beach, one of the many touristy beaches at Krabi. On my second last day, I hopped onto the bus and made the hour-long trip down to Krabi town which was located far away from all the tourists buzz.

Here are some pictures taken by the river at Krabi town centre, which I thought warranted whipping out my SLR. The sun was fading fast; not having a tripod, I had no choice but to handheld at ISO 1000 with ridiculous speeds of 1/20 – 1/50 second at f/3.5. I knew my depth of field would certainly suffer but all I was aiming for was the rich colours of the evening skies and the clear reflection off the water at this river bank. Very little boosting were done in post and most of the colours here were close to actual.

When the very last bit of light has finally faded away, I made my way to a nearby night market to catch a glimpse of the local scene and try some delicacies, before heading to dinner for Krabi’s famed fresh and affordable sea food.

The night market scene resembles very much like our very own “pasar malam” but was teeming with many pre-packed stuffs and quaint looking food items.

I took more shots with my Canon compact camera than my SLR, with all the above taken using SLR. It was much more convenient gunning with a small cam than a large body bobbing in the sea with splashes of salt water; certainly a no no for my precious rice bowl tool. Unless, if it were to be a working trip, I’d be more than glad to accommodate the inconvenience and extra care required.

All in all, the beaches at Krabi are amazing and superb. The almost magically unreal turquoise-coloured water and white sandy beaches of Maya Beach made famous by Leonardo Di Caprio’s “The Beach” movie and numerous other James Bond’s movie’s location shoots may proved too irresistible to some movie buffs longing for the “I’ve been there” claims to be as close to Hollywood as possible.

However, the Dec-Jan crowd proved too much to bear during this short trip. It’s a nice place to unwind and rejuvenate but would I return? Maybe, when the crowd dwindles to a record all time low. I’ll then be back for some selfish, precious and exclusive “me-only” time.