Krabi Travel Guide

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Ronald McDonald Goes Native in Thailand

Where: Krabi, Thailand
April 22, 2010 at 4:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

In our travels, we've seen fast food chains spreading faster than Avian Flu, and of course McDonald's leads the pack with locations as diverse as the Israeli desert, an ancient Roman site, and even the Museum of Communism in Prague. Earlier this month, we discovered that one golden arches sits among pagodas and mountains in a scenic area of southern China, and now continue on the exotic Asian streak with a McDonald's in Thailand.

Shauna Watson, the nomadic soul behind the site GypsyChickTravels.com reports of a McDonald's in Krabi, Thailand. On Shauna's bucket list as she travels around the world are curious things, like "eat a sheep eyeball" and "drink vodka in a yurt (before said eyeball)," so a little McDonald's shock in Thailand shouldn't be too bad, right?

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· Have a Happy Meal in a Pagoda [Jaunted]
· Is There Really a McDonald's in Iraq? [Jaunted]
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in the World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmm' [Jaunted]

[Photo: Shauna Watson]

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Rock Climbing Ton Sai

Where: Ton Sai Beach, Krabi, Thailand
December 9, 2008 at 1:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

Thailand... Are we nuts?! Nah: The airport trouble is over, and while politicians keep bickering in Bangkok, the rest of the country is ripe for exploration. Claire Duffett just spent two weeks in southwest Thailand sailing the Andaman Sea from Krabi to Phuket.

Just a 20-minute boat ride from Krabi town is Railay, a peninsula surrounded by limestone cliffs with three distinctly different beaches. East Railay is perforated by mangroves, making swimming impossible and accommodations cheaper. Since it’s the site of the port, however, foot traffic and boat noise is heavy. Further along, gated, swanky resorts emerge, alongside honeymooners riding around in golf carts. A few too many tourists find this wide stretch of beach inviting, though the sand is powdery and white, the water turquoise and the accommodations luxe.

Where you really want to go is Ton Sai. Long-tail boats take travelers across the small bay for 50 Baht, or $1.50, and the minor difficulty in accessing this beach makes it that much better with fewer people, cheaper accommodations and clearer beaches. The sand is darker and the rooms a touch rougher, but the rock climbing here is unparalleled. Small pockets dot the vertical volcanic rocks, ready for hands and feet to wedge their ways in. Even novices can clamber up to perches offering impressive views of the bay.

Rock climbing is, however, the only strenuous activity available on Ton Sai. Other popular diversions include indulging in cheap massages, exploring the winding dirt roads, gazing at monkeys and eating. There’s even a delicious Indian restaurant that serves palak paneer to kill for. The place is called, quite simply, Ton Sai Indian. A plethora of signs lead to the restaurant, hidden down a long, bungalow-strewn dirt road. Of course there’s always the option to, ahem, indulge in appetite-inducing herbal hors d'oeuvres--but I saw "Brokedown Palace" at a far too impressionable age to get involved in any of that.

Related Stories:
· Andaman Sea Field Trip [Jaunted]

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