Koh Tarutao was a nice place to get away from it all for a few days. It is one of those slow-paced getaways where you see the same people every day, and prices were very reasonable. On Christmas Day, we decided we were ready to move onward to mainland Thailand, so we booked tickets on the daily speedboat from Tarutao to the port of Pak Bara.

When the speed boat arrived (in the US it would be a large waterskiing boat), we were dismayed to see the entire boat was already crammed with passengers and baggage. Even the bow of the boat was piled high with backpacks with people atop, leaning back on the windshield. Where were we supposed to sit? We threw our bags in and piled on top. It was cramped and uncomfortable, and the sun was beating down relentlessly.

The engine revved up and we sped away from Tarutao; those of us in the front were whipped in the face by loose sand on the bow. The open water was choppy, and we were knocked around like pinballs for a good 15 minutes. Then all of a sudden, the boat slowed to a crawl near a small lagoon, and a Thai coast guard boat cruised towards our vessel. Our skipper quickly instructed everyone to tell the coast guard that we had picked up some people whose boat had broken down. Of course, this was just a bogus story. The speedboat operators liked to squeeze as many paying customers onto the boat as possible for maximum profit. The coast guard boat pulled up alongside ours and demanded that some of our passengers be transferred to their boat to bring our number of passengers down to capacity. Several people heaved themselves from one boat to the other, and when the coast guard was satisfied they followed us into port.

We arrived at Pak Bara and met a nice Swedish couple who were close in age to Mike and me. Josephine and Michael were also going to Ao Nang, so we split the cost of a songtheaw (pickup truck with benches) to Trang. Along the way, Mike and I noticed dozens and dozens of what looked like bathmats hanging to dry in peoples' yards on clotheslines. He and I couldn't figure out what they were, and thought perhaps they were leather hides or some type of textile. Finally we asked our friends, and they explained it was natural rubber being processed. There are thousands of rubber trees in southern Thailand; they are scored diagonally along their trunks and fitted with taps. The rubber slowly drains from the trees where is collected and rolled through a calendar. The resulting cakes or mats are cured in the sun and sold in the market. We arrived in Trang and transferred to an air-con bus to Krabi, where we booked a hotel in Ao Nang. We shared a final songtheaw ride with the Swedes the short distance from Krabi to Ao Nang, and then went our separate ways.

Ao Nang is a bustling tourist town filled with dive shops, hotels, pubs, restaurants, and overpriced souvenir shops. Oh, and about a bazillion Swedish people. The long sandy beach merely serves as a starting point for island-hopping boat trips. Most of Ao Nang's tourists are Swedish, the remainder being Dutch, German or other western Europeans. Our hotel room cost double our budgeted amount, but being that I was sick with a sinus infection and it was Mike's birthday, we somehow justified the expense. When we checked into the Pranang Bay Resort, the Thai hotel clerk was ecstatic that we were American - she had never had any Americans guests before, and wanted to hear all about where we were from. We took out some postcards of Minneapolis we had brought along with us showing the lakes, city and snow.

We hired a longtail boat driver for what we thought was a day of island-hopping and snorkeling (even though I was sick, I couldn't resist some snorkeling!). However, our driver picked up three more people in order to make more money. There went our nice, private boat trip together. Oh, and the driver only took us to one nearby island where we were supposed to stay for four hours; all the tourists from Ao Nang were already there sunning themselves and drinking beer at a makeshift bar. It was neither private nor quiet, but we made the most of it by finding a shady spot on the beach and relaxing for a while. We also did some snorkeling which was surprisingly good, given the large number of boats passing through the area. It was very shallow and the coral was a bit damaged, but we saw many playful fish - including two fish who kissed each other on the lips. (Do fish have lips?) After our trip to the beach we took a taxi into Krabi town for some shopping, where the souvenirs were much better priced. We wandered through town and ended up in a New Year's carnival with rides, games and carnival food. By then it was getting dark, so we grabbed a songtheaw back to our hotel.

When we checked out of our hotel in Ao Nang we had several things to accomplish in a short period of time: pick up our plane tickets, mail a package back to the US, and get to the Krabi airport for our flight. Luckily the hotel manager put herself at our disposal. She is a sharp, witty, organized woman who takes control when things get chaotic. Her Thai name is very long and complicated, so she goes by "Mo" for short. She explained that she was up all night with a sick hotel guest, so she was exhausted. She described her job duties as being all things to all people - hotel manager, customer service, nurse, doctor, bellboy, phone operator, travel agent, driver, concierge, post office, personal shopper, cleaning lady, and plumber. In other words, she does everything!

First, Mo had the plane ticket couriered over immediately so we wouldn't have to wait an hour and a half for it. Next, she personally escorted us in the hotel minibus to the DHL shipping office in Krabi (closed), and then the post office (about to close). Mo gripped my wrist tightly each time we crossed the busy streets, as if I were her own daughter; it was very sweet. She rushed us to the front of the Post Office line, and the postal workers snapped to her commands. Within minutes we had a big cardboard box and all the necessary paperwork to mail our souvenirs and excess junk back to the States. Finally we raced to the airport where Mo checked us in. She even got us switched to a flight an hour earlier than our original flight. We were so impressed with her invaluable service that we gave her Mike's business card for www.UnrealTravels.com, along with a generous tip. She reluctantly accepted the tip, and explained that she was simply doing her duty. She was an amazing person.

As we waited to board our plane at the tiny Krabi airport (only 3 gates), out of the blue came a horrendous downpour. It rained so hard that the gate attendants stared out at the tarmac in disbelief. The rain was so heavy that our flight was delayed an hour. It was very odd, because we had not seen any rain since we left Borneo at the beginning of our trip. Finally the downpour relented enough so everyone could walk outside and board the plane. Everyone was pretty wet and soggy, but we were just glad to get on with the flight. --Susanne