Krabi, Thailand, Small-Town USA
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Krabi, Thailand
Krabi, Thailand, Small-Town USA
I had to get away from Ao Ton Sai beach. I was getting cabin fever. Although it is on a peninsula, it is only accessible by boat. I had already gone snorkeling and climbing and wanted to go somewhere with more than just tourists and people catering to tourists.
Krabi has been a good answer to that. I've been here for a few days. It is like small-town USA (except of course that it's very Thai). It has a main street and lots of little shops and a Woolworth-like department store. Most everyone here is from here (I think) and there are only a handful of tourists who spend about a day here on their way to a beach. People are friendly and the traffic is not bad. There is a traffic interesection where statues of Neanderthal men hold the stoplights.
Krabi is cheap, cheap, cheap: 150 Baht for a room (US$4) at Lipstic Guesthouse (simple but not as tawdry as it sounds). Finally I feel like my money's been frozen and I don't have that leaking feeling I had at Ao Ton Sai. I was paying 700 Baht there at Kasbah Bungalows (US$20). I did find nice but simple bungalows at Green Valley Resort for 450 Baht (US$13) before I left, and when I go back I'll probably stay there.
I'm sure I've seen more typical Thai life here than at Ao Ton Sai. I see the kids in school and people going to work. I checked out the local nightlife two days ago and did a whirlwind tour of the local clubs. Mixer Pub was a motorcycle taxi away. When I walked in there was a live band singing Thai ballad rock. Only three tables had Thai teenagers sitting at them, a mix of boys and girls; the place looked empty. For a few seconds I had the spotlight turned on me as I sat at a table. The lead singer said "Welcome" to the lone old white guy at the table. I might get the same reception showing up at the teenage hangout in small-town America. The girls mouth all the words to the songs.
The band plays in perfect time to the video of the song playing behind them; the local guy is mouth is moving exactly the same as the Thai star behind him. How is this possible? The band is not lip-synching; they are actually playing. When I change seats all is revealed to me: the video is also being projected on the back wall of the club. In addition, the video is being projected by a karaoke player and the words in Thai turn purple as he sings them. Presumably the rhythm section is paying close attention as well.
After enough Thai rock ballads (about twenty-five minutes), it's another motorcycle taxi to a new place called Slim. One hall has another band playing rock ballads. But this time the place is full of teenagers and the band is hopping. The drummer looks like he's about fifteen. The other hall has a runway and a DJ playing dance music. I sit down at a stool by a cocktail table. Four slim twenty-year-old (?) women walk in and climb up on the runway. They are dressed Coyote Ugly style and begin dancing fervently. I conclude this is the main attraction at this club. Nobody else dances; they choose to sit at their cocktail tables and watch.
So it's further on down the street to the Krazy Pub. This also has a live band and more Thai rock ballads. I'm not interested. I hear dance music nearby from a building that looks like a warehouse. I find people (teenagers again) dancing enthusiastically in a small club with a DJ. When the place closes at one the DJ chats me up for a few minutes. There have been no foreigners in any of these places (except me of course). This is Krabi, Small-Town USA.
Krabi, Thailand, Small-Town USA
