Maharaj Road -- pictured above -- is the road in Krabi Town. The only department store, Vogue, is located along this road. So is the wet market further ahead.
Strangely enough, almost everywhere you can see hair-dressing saloons or pharmacy stores. I wondered if Krabi people often fell sick, resulting in a proliferation of medical halls. Could there be another reason?
As roadside food vendors are very common, there is only a single air-conditioned food outlet. And that is Kentucky Fried Chicken located in Vogue department store. There is also a Swensen ice-cream parlour, located opposite KFC in Vogue.
Maybe because of the air-conditioning and the brand image, KFC seemed to be doing a roaring business, even though the menu prices are on the high side for the average thai, ranging from 50 baht for a smallish 2-pc chicken meal to 200 baht for a set meal comprising 7-8 pcs, coke, french fry, and 3-pc drumlets.
To give you an idea of living costs in Krabi: average rental for a room is 2,000-2,500 baht per month, and 4,000-5,000 baht for an unfurnished townhouse. Average wage for a local grad appeared to be around 7,000-8,000 baht per month (~S$340). However, a local grad we met told us she earned only 5,000 baht as a sales staff in Telewiz.
Given the low average wages in Krabi, we were quite surprised to see that KFC was doing well despite the high menu prices.
Can you spy the structure atop the peak in the distant mountain? That is a Buddhist shrine and temple, reached by climbing up a 1,200-step stone stair cut into the mountain side. It is said that the climb is hazardous, for the stair has no railing and is slippery. No wonder I didn't see the shrine listed as a tourist attraction in any of the tour brochures I collected in Krabi Town. A pity we didn't have time to visit the shrine, for the scenery of the surrounding landscapes would have been breathtaking !
Ethan and I decided to check out the scenic spots in Krabi in November 2005. This was our second trip, as we had spent only a day there in Oct 05 before travelling to Phuket for our flight home. Tiger Airways had commenced scheduled budget flights to Krabi in Oct 05, and we thought it might be time to explore setting up a guest-house for budget travellers in the small southern Thai resort, which is as yet uncluttered and unspoilt by too many tourist or commercial developments.
Like most places of commerce and trade, Krabi town is located at the mouth of the Tha Pom River. It was therefore natural that we first explore Thara Park along the river front, and a short walk from the town center. The sun rises from the sea at the park, presenting striking scenes for a photo-shoot.
Two small hotels are located at the park. They are the Krabi City Seaview Hotel and the Krabi River Hotel.
In 1983 we bought our first car, a 6-month old Honda Civic for S$23,500. We shipped the car to our in-laws living in Chandee, Thailand in 1993 after the vehicle permit (ie COE) had expired. Now, 22 years later, the car has more than proved its mettle and we continued to use the Honda Civic when we were in Krabi!
Maybe the Singapore authorities should consider extending the 10-year tenure of the COE system to 20 years? It is such a waste to scrap 10-year cars under the Singapore COE system.
