GruffyddA Journal Entry
Another ferry, another stretch of turquoise sea, and somehow, full 5G signal in the middle of nowhere. I still can’t get a text through at home half the time, but there I was, watching videos in the middle of the Andaman Sea. Only in Thailand.
By now, we’d found our rhythm: pack, move, ferry, new bed, new faces. Krabi was meant to be a quick two-night stop, but that plan went out the window almost immediately. Within hours of arriving, it became clear we weren’t leaving that soon.
Where We Stayed
We checked into Nomads Ao Nang Beach, a hostel that could only be described as organised chaos. Music, laughter, and someone always halfway through a drinking game. We’d just dropped our bags when there was a knock on the door, someone holding a bottle of rum, handing out shots and signing us up for the night’s pub crawl. Five minutes in, and we were already in.
The crowd was international, Australians, Germans, Brits, Canadians, a few locals who worked there. Incredibly, we even bumped into a group of girls we’d met earlier on one of our island boat trips. It felt like Thailand had a way of looping people back into your orbit.
Nomads wasn’t just a place to stay; it was an experience. It was loud, messy, and probably not where you’d go for sleep, but it was the kind of place that made every night feel like a story.
Days in Krabi
During the days, we actually managed to see some of Krabi’s natural side. The hostel organised a kayaking trip through mangroves, long, winding channels of still water surrounded by jungle. It was peaceful until, of course, me and my mate managed to wedge our kayak sideways between two trunks, completely stuck. It took two other boats and a lot of laughter to pry us free. Classic.
One of the best days was the trip to Railay Beach, one of Thailand’s most photographed spots. You can only reach it by boat, and it feels like a secret paradise surrounded by towering cliffs rising straight from the sea. It’s the kind of view that makes you forget about everything else, except maybe how sweaty you are.
Then there was the hidden gem we found thanks to a tip from our roommates, a local river spot tucked deep in the forest. No tourists, no signs, just locals swimming and swinging from rope swings into the water. When we arrived, we were met with huge smiles and a chorus of laughter. Some of the locals started calling us “Harry Potter” for reasons still unknown. It turned into one of those hilarious, wholesome travel moments where language doesn’t matter, just shared laughter and curiosity.
Getting there was easy, our roommates had scooters. Getting back, not so much. We’d taken a taxi and found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere with no signal, no Grab drivers, and only a small 7-Eleven for shade. After a 30-minute walk in the heat and a litre of water each, we finally waved down a passing taxi. Not our smoothest plan, but it made for a great story later that night.
Nights Out
The nights in Krabi were something else. Every evening, the hostel seemed to reinvent itself, quiz nights, beer funnels, music rounds, games between questions. One night, I somehow ended up beating the hostel’s beer funnel champion, then took the mic and turned the quiz into a singalong. At some point, one of the staff asked if I wanted to stay and work there for a bit. I actually thought about it, but the British Grand Prix was calling, so reality won this round. Still one of those great “what if” moments.
Later, we discovered the Ao Nang Night Market, which had an atmosphere unlike anywhere else. The smell of sizzling noodles and grilled skewers filled the air. Each stall was lit up with fairy lights, and the sound of live music drifted across the crowd. There were plastic chairs everywhere, people fanning themselves between bites, and food so cheap and good you’d end up ordering two meals just because you could. A reminder again that in Thailand, eating isn’t just food, it’s a social ritual, always accompanied by fans whirring, smiles, and that endless hunt for the best pad thai.
Of course, the hostel’s pub crawl was a nightly ritual. On one of the last nights, it somehow ended with twenty of us jumping fully clothed into the hostel pool at 3 a.m., starting an impromptu volleyball match with a giant inflatable ball. One by one, everyone got pulled in, some willingly, others not so much. It was one of those moments best left as a memory rather than written down.
Final Thoughts
We were meant to stay two nights. We stayed four. And if flights, plans, and life didn’t exist, I think we could’ve stayed much longer. Krabi was the perfect mix, tropical paradise with enough madness to keep you laughing, and enough warmth (from both the weather and the people) to make you feel at home.
Every second in Krabi was a story, the kind of place where even getting stuck in a kayak becomes funny, where strangers become friends in minutes, and where you realise that sometimes the best nights are the ones that don’t make it into photos.
When we finally left, sunburnt and exhausted, it felt like leaving a chapter behind, one of those rare stops that somehow captures everything you want travel to be: wild, human, and unforgettable.
