Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone and especially our Christmas time guests.

The Carver family - Jacquie, Mike, Zoe, Natasha and Holly took 6 days to see the best of Krabi, including a rock climbing expedition to Raillay, followed by a 5 day sea adventure.



Day 1 took them to Bamboo Island where the tents were set up by the shore, and the kitchen arranged by Anat, Chef Sun's trusty kitchen hand. The afternoon was for snorkeling and exploring the island while the evening's entertainment included a friendly hand of cards.




On day 2 the Carver's visited the Phi Phi Islands before returning to camp, then went on to Koh Yoaw Noi for a short bungalow stay on Days 3 and 4.






On day 5 they returned via the Hong Island area, stopping to snorkel, kayak in the lagoon and picnic at the National Park Beach, before retuning for a celebratory dinner in Krabi Night Markets.













On Christmas Eve we met the Djurbergs from Sweden who packed all the highlights into their four days in Krabi. First they went on a trip to Hong for some island hopping and met with Peter, the boss of the monitor lizards.








The next day, they had a most adventurous trekking day on a slightly less well known path than usual with their intrepid guide, Sun. They emerged somewhat off course but made it home to tell the tale! Unfortunately the kingfisher Natalie rescued from the hunter's trap didn't survive the night despite the best efforts of all.

They also enjoyed a great day of snorkeling at Bamboo followed by a trip around the villages and beauty spots of Krabi.



Also from Sweden, Anne - Sofia with her family and friends enjoyed snorkeling the waters of Hong and Bamboo Islands.



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High winds in Krabi

Although sometimes the winds from the East coast can make for choppy conditions, December is a month of dry, sunny weather and we've been having some great days out at the islands and around the villages.

We first met Johnny and Monika, our friends from Arvisdjaur in the far north of Sweden, four years ago and were delighted that they came back to visit us again. We took them exploring around the parts of Krabi they hadn't yet seen with the first stop at the spectacular falls at Huay Tho in Phanom Bencha National Park.

Then it was off to do a quick elephant trek at Tham Sra Gaew, before lunch at Ma's house. Ma and Nong Bi cooked up a feast then Noah visited with Grandma, while we went to see Pakgat's monkeys collecting coconuts.

We'd like to send a special greeting to all the people in Arvidsjaur. We both wear our "Arvidsjaur" T-shirts and love to meet people from your town. We hope to be able to visit soon too.






Our next special visitors were John and Melanie Ng from Singapore and their three lovely kids. First they outfished the professionals with Bang Art in his longtail boat. While the big game fishers returned empty handed, the Ng's, with a bit of local expertise, bagged five "Hard-tail" fish, each bigger than the last. Too much for even the whole family to eat at a dinner, some lucky staff at Ao Nang Villa got a big one to take home the next day too.



Then it was off to explore the Hong Island area just off the Ao Nang coast with a special picnic of Sun's home cooked Thai food.

The next day they went further afield to snorkel around Maya Bay on Phi Phi Ley, and the reef off Bamboo Island where the number and variety of fish and coral kept them submerged for most of the day.

We hope to see the Ng's back soon as it's now only a quick hop up from Singers direct to Krabi on the Tiger Air.

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November Visits

The new long tail has a capacity of 18 passengers so there's plenty of space for groups to spread out and enjoy your cruising around the islands.



Dieu and Ali from America lunched on Pak Bia Island on their trip around the Hong area.


We met Mauritz and Ashleigh from Holland eating banana pancakes in Ao Nang and took them out to explore the Four Islands near Ao Nang.




They enjoyed Sun's cooking on the beach, and we enjoyed the great meal they treated us to that night. Thanks again guys!






Nikki and Steve from Liverpool, England had such a ball at Hong, they came back for another day around the Four Islands.







Thanks again for the beautiful jumpsuits for Noah, and we look forward to seeing you again on your next trip.










Jen and Darcy from Canada packed a lot into a short time. They went exploring around Phi Phi and Bamboo Islands on their first day, then around the villages and countryside on their second.



After visiting the beautiful mangroves at Tha Pom where the sea water meets a crystal clear stream flowing down from the mountains, they rode elephants before lunch with the family at Ma's house. In the afternoon they met the family ,monkeys and saw them at work collecting coconuts, visited the reef fish aquarium and the local produce market.

We hope to see these intrepid travelers again soon too - after they have explored Africa!



Sue and her husband from England experienced the full force of the December easterlies. While the waves were too big to make it to Phi Phi the Four Islands was an acceptable alternative for a day on the beaches. Captain Sun's motto is always "Safety First"!




Murali and Siti from Singapore had a great day snorkeling our at Bamboo Island where the water really is this amazing colour. They saw heaps of fish and corals, and we look forward to seeing them and all you Singaporeans soon!




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Hi to the Hughes'

Around the same time as the arrival of baby Noah, Lisa Hughes and her family visited us in Krabi.

They spent the first part of their holiday at Bang Eh's home stay where they participated in all aspects of family life.

The lack of a common language didn't stop all the kids having a ball.












The following day it was time for an elephant trek

Then it was out to sea for relaxing and snorkeling around Ao Phranang. This photo is taken at Poda Island.

Thanks again to Lisa and her family for making do in our absence and for the beautiful toys for Noah.




To book your own family adventure holiday, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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Noah Benjamin

The reason this blog has not been updated for so long was born on 18/10 in Phuket.

Despite dire predictions of a too small baby, Noah weighed 3.18kg at birth and was 51cm. And only a month later was already 4.43kg and 52.5cm.

Here is a pictorial history of his life so far.....















Thanks to all those who have sent their good wishes and presents for Noah!
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More of the Mahers

Day 3: Bamboo Island and on to Phi Phi Don

Fortunately the weather was bright and clear - hot in fact - and remained so for the remainder of the Mahers' time at sea.

First stop was Bamboo island where after snorkeling on the reef and picnicking on the beach, the final destination for the day was Phi Phi Don where the family checked into some local bungalows for the night.

Day 4: Phi Phi Ley

After breakfast it was time to explore Phi Phi Ley by longtail boat. This second and smaller Phi Phi Island lies behind Phi Phi Don and is protected by Noppharathara National Park so no development has been allowed on this spectacular outcrop.

Famous for "The Beach" at Maya Bay where the movie with Leonardo di Caprio was filmed, there are many beautiful coves to explore and do such activities as snorkeling and kayaking. The waters around Phi Phi are particularly clear and there are a huge number and variety of fish and coral to see.

The Mahers all took full advantage before returning to Phi Phi Don for the afternoon to relax and explore before spending another night.

Days 5-7: Phi Phi to Koh Yao Noi

This morning the Mahers left Phi Phi for the journey over to Koh Yao Noi. This island lies just south of Phuket in Phangga Bay, and is a quiet and relaxing place to spend a few days. Tourism on this island is very low key and most of the islanders, who are 98% Muslim, still follow a traditional way of life, fishing, grazing water buffalo and cutting and processing rubber.

It is a great place to rent a motorbike or push bike and explore the relatively quiet roads which ring the island and connect four or so villages and the main market place.

The plan is to stay for the next few nights in traditional style bungalows right on the beach before boarding a ferry to Phuket and home to Oz.



To plan you own customised adventure itinerary, visit our website at www.andamancampandcruise.com