Feb 19 - Catch the 9:00 ride down to the beach, where we go from there straight on to a songthaew to the Krabi bus station. It costs 180 Baht for three people, but this time takes almost double the time as a few days ago because of the circuitous routing through downtown Krabi.
Get a minivan to Surat Thani for 300 Baht/person and sit around until about 11:00. These minivans, while convenient in scheduling, are really cramped during the trip itself. They are not designed for backpackers, especially when half of the passengers are that breed. Like the last one we took, the luggage is crammed into every possible spot, such that the back two rows are completely cut off from movement. The three unhappy German girls in the back seat have to get out at the end of the trip by climbing out the rear hatch.
Walk it to our hotel in Surat Thani. There is a night market about five blocks away, so we go down there to eat some Pad Thai for cheap. This is the first place I’ve seen horseshoe crab for sale. The waterfront is OK for a stroll, we are in mangrove country again but still up far enough that the Ta Pi river has a strong flow toward the ocean.
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At night, go down again and get an hour tour on a long-tail boat to look at the Tapi Bridge and then up an estuary channel into the mangrove swamps where there is good firefly viewing.
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