Thailand: Limestone outcrop at Ao Nang, Krabi Coast

Ao Nang, a beautiful bay and beach, is just west of the Phra Nang Peninsula, but separated from Ao Ton Sai by a rocky headland. Perhaps because it is easily accessible by road from Krabi, it’s extremely popular and likely to be busy during peak season. Most of the overseas tourists here are European, many of them from the Scandinavian countries.

Krabi Province is made up of more than 5,000 sq km of jungle-covered hills and sharp, jagged karst outcrops, as well as more than 100km of luxuriant, pristine coastline and around 200 islands in the neighbouring Andaman Sea.

About 40 per cent of the provincial population is Muslim, the remainder being predominantly Buddhist. This is a clear indication that Krabi sits astride the invisible dividing line between Buddhist Thailand and the four southern provinces—Satun, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani—which are predominantly Muslim. Far from causing any sort of problem, this adds immensely to the cultural width and diversity of the province, blending mosques with temples, Malay cooking traditions with Thai cuisine, and giving the province a pleasantly relaxed multi-cultural feel.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia