When your life feels like a holiday every other day, it gets a little tough to decide when it's time to actually have your own holiday during annual leave. I find preparing and packing for flights that I'm operating on so much easier than planning and preparing for my own holiday because
1) You have to settle flight tickets, accommodation and budget on your own.
2) Sometimes you gotta think for more than one person, not just yourself.
3) You gotta plan out the itinerary for the trip, and as someone who's always so used to impromptu planning on my layovers, this ain't easy.
So my family and I decided on Krabi, Thailand after much discussion. To be honest, I find that it's such an improvement for us because normally my parents wouldn't really be open to go to places which would be hard to find halal food. So going to Thailand was already a big step for them, and I'm glad to see them going out of their comfort zone, even if it's by just a little.
Thankfully, the area in Krabi that we were at were quite Muslim-friendly. Getting halal food was no problem in Ao Nang area, and there was also a mosque just a walking distance away. So, that was a relief for my parents.
However, the language barrier is so real. It gets a little frustrating to communicate with the Thais, especially in the hotel we were in, not everyone was able to speak English and it gets a little hard. I guess it was just the hotel we stayed, I would not recommend it at all, and it's such a shame that the service and standard was not up to par to the location that they were in. The location is a winner, I'm telling you, but that hotel just cannot make it la.
With my mummy cakes, on the way to the airport!
Luke being retarded as usual
DAY 1: It was almost evening when we arrived at our hotel, and our initial plan of going to the night market was cancelled as they were closed due to the recent bombing attacks in tourist attractions in Thailand so we asked the concierge what would be the next best thing to do that night.
A little disappointed by the change of plans, so we didn't have any expectations for the night show that we were about to watch. And much to our surprise, it was pretty damn good! For the price we paid which included a dinner buffet just before the show, I'd say it was so worth it.
The whole show was so beautifully choreographed and the dancers were skilful as hell, the lighting and stage direction made it all so much better and all the time I'm watching the show, I'm just thinking of the crazy amount of hours they must have spent to make this look so effortlessly great. I think they deserve more recognition??? Like seriously.
Day 2: Prior to the trip, we booked the 4-island tour with Viator and I'd say the whole thing was absolutely easy and fuss-free. All we had to do was email them our room numbers and hotel location when we've arrived, and they picked us up the next day at a specific time.
This was probably the most activity-filled day of the trip, we spent so much time under the sun (or rather, rain) but it was really worthwhile all in all. It was the first time in a long time my family and I spent time in not one, but 4 beaches and we had a blast. Krabi's beaches were so beautiful, it was beyond what I had expected.
My mum is the type who would usually sit at the shore and watch over our things, she wouldn't really get into the water, but this time, even my mum was having fun at the beach. And my dad, he's a good swimmer but all these years he hadn't been swimming, it was nice to see him having fun doing his thing again, he's a natural at it.
In one of the islands, we were given the opportunity to snorkel. Again, it's an activity we've never done as a family, my 2nd brother's first time and he asked me if it was scary- hahaha.
I think, truthfully, my objective for this trip was to see my family bond and going out of their comfort zones and I feel like this trip has created many firsts or rather, "first-time-in-a-long-time" for my family, and especially my parents.
Being all around the world is fun, being able to see so many places in the world is fun. But no matter how near or far I travelled, I'd still rather be anywhere, anywhere at all, as long as I'm with the company of my loved ones. This was what the Krabi trip was to me.
Day 3: Third day was a lot of lepaking and eating. Like I've mentioned, our area is incredibly strategic. It had everything. So the last day was more like R&R for us all. There was this really legit looking halal seafood restaurant nearby so we had our lunch over there. So good! And I cannot count how many times I've had coconut ice-cream throughout this trip. There's this little stall just opposite the hotel, they sell halal pad thai and coconut ice-cream and it's SO CHEAP AND GOOD. I love the Thai aunties working there, they're super cute.
In the evenings, for all three nights we were there, Luke and I would go out to explore the area. So many good stuff around there! Besides the little shops we got most our souvenirs and random cheap things from, there were also some hipster-looking cafes we would go to and have a drink and talk about life. There is also an abundance of massage parlours for a fraction of the price we'd get in Singapore. Luke and I went for a massage on the last evening, and gosh, we totally needed that. Luke was like "we should've gone for a massage every night baby" hahaha damn right. It was that good.
Day 4: After breakfast, all of us decided to go for a quick dip in the hotel pool before we went off. We just dominated the entire pool because nobody else was there. I think a short getaway was what everybody needed and that was what we got and more.
I'm so thankful that we had Luke with us for this trip as well. He's such a blessing, honestly. My bestest friend in the world. Everything is x10 more fun with Luke around, everyone laughs a little more when he's with us. And being able to be by his side for 4 days straight without having to leave for flights and not being able to see each other for many days felt great. I felt so recharged after the Krabi trip, like all the stress just went away.
Can't wait to plan another family trip! But hmmm, where to next? ;)
Love,
Ashhy
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