This morning, we awoke to see fish breaching the surface of the water in the canal. These were some fair-sized fish as we could clearly see them from our sixth-floor balcony.

Fish breaching the surface of the water.

Their behaviour was not made clear to us until we went down to the hotel’s cafe for breakfast; there was something much larger on the hunt in the canal… a Komodo Dragon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon) or other type of Monitor Lizard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_lizard). This one was approximately 8 feet long.

Komodo Dragon on the hunt.

Komodo Dragon swims in canal in front of cafe.

Looking towards the Canal View Restaurant from our hotel.

At noon (or so), the driver from the mini-bus service came to collect us at the hotel; we had pre-paid for an airport shuttle. We were the very last passengers to be picked up so, to the back of the bus we went. Per usual, I feel asleep during the ride but Eron was awake and endured the bus-ride from Hell; Formula 1 Hell, if her description is even remotely accurate. Apparently the driver was an absolute maniac; driving at race-car speeds and swerving between car and trucks so fast that the whole mini-bus felt as if it was lifting up off it’s wheels – I can’t verify any of this as I was fast asleep.

Packed mini-bus for the ride to the airport.

The check-in at the AirAsia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Asia) counter was a breeze. Booked through their iPad App, airfare for the two of us (including luggage and taxes) totalled only $157 USD. It was 1 hour 20 minutes in the air versus a 14 hour bus ride; a complete no-brainer! The only hitch came at the security check, and it was only a minor one at that. The guard couldn’t believe we had a carry-on filled almost completely with spices when he saw it go through the X-Ray machine. So, we had to open it up for a visual inspection. Once the guard saw the packaging and the pungent aroma erupted from the bag, he started laughing and joked about all the curry we were going to make when we got home.

This was a domestic flight and so, apparently didn’t rate a gate with a skyway. We had to board a shuttle and be driven to our plane… one cool paint-job though…

AirAsia Flt FD 3219

So, it was time to bid farewell to the Big ‘Kok; it was nowhere near as bad as we had heard and feared it would be… although they were telling the truth about it’s traffic woes – the traffic SUCKS! We did hear talk of the protests but never even saw any sign of them. Ironically, the only place we saw any protesters was way back in Chiang Mai where we crossed paths with a group of “Red-shirts” on their way to a rally at a stadium.

A short-hop flight later and we’re in Krabi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krabi,_Thailand). We planned to stay here for two nights; the first of which will be at the Orange Tree House (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297927-d2032255-Reviews-Orange_Tree_House-Krabi_Town_Krabi_Province.html). A quick tuk-tuk ride took us there… to find the parking lot in front of the hotel filled with people setting up for their Sunday Evening Walking Market.

Setting up the Sunday Evening Walking Market in Krabi.

After a quick cool-down in our room, we headed out to explore the market.

Market fills parking lot in front of hotel.

Grilled whole fish.

Stage for live entertainment.

BBQ’ed Halal meats.

Wandering about markets always seems to bring on an appetite, at least with us. So, we went looking for a place for dinner. We decided on, of all places, an ex-pat’s Italian diner – Viva Restaurant (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g297927-d1983558-Reviews-Viva_Restaurant-Krabi_Town_Krabi_Province.html). The food was good, the staff friendly, and nobody seemed to mind my after-dinner cigar.