The Emblem of Krabi

Introduction

Krabi  is  a  southern  province on Thailand's Andaman seaboard with  perhaps  the  country's  oldest  history  of  continued  settlement. After  dating  stone  tools,  ancient  coloured  pictures, beads, pottery and  skeletal  remains found in the province's many cliffs and caves, it  is  thought that  Krabi  has  been  home  to homo sapiens since the period  25,000 - 35,000  B.C.  In  recorded times it was called the 'Ban Thai  Samor', and was one of twelve towns that used, before people were  widely  literate,  the  monkey  for  their  standard.  At that time, c. 1200 A.D.,  Krabi  was  tributary  to  the Kingdom of Ligor, a city on the Kra   Peninsula's   east   coast   better   known   today  as  Nakhon  Si Thammarat.      At  the  star t of  the  Rattanakosin  period,  about  200  years  ago,  when  the  capital  was finally settled  at  Bangkok, an elephant kraal was established in Krabi by order of Chao Phraya Nakorn (Noi),  the  governor  of  Nakhon  Si Thammarat, which was by then a part of the Thai Kingdom. He sent  his  vizier,  the  Phra  Palad,  to  oversee  this  task,  which  was  to  ensure a regular supply of elephants  for  the  larger  town.  So  followers  many  emigrated in the steps of the Phra Palad that soon  Krabi  had  a  large  community  in  three different boroughs : Pakasai, Khlong Pon, and Pak Lao.  In  1872,  King  Chulalongkorn  graciously elevated these to town status, called Krabi, a word that   preserves   in   its   meaning  the  monkey  symbolism  of  the  old  standard.  The  town's  first governor  was  Luang  Thep  Sena,  though  it  continued  a  while  as a dependency of Nakhon Si Thammarat.  This  was changed in 1875, when Krabi was raised to  a  fourth-level  town  in  the  old  system  of  Thai  government. Administrators  then  reported  directly to the central government in  Bangkok,  and  Krabi's  history  as  a  unique entity separated from  the  other  provinces,  had begun. During the present reign, the  corps  of  civil  servants,  the  merchants, and the population generally    of    Krabi    and   nearby   provinces   have   together organized  construction of a royal residence at Laem Hang Nak Cape  for  presentation  to  His  Majesty  the  King. This lies thirty kilometers to the west of Krabi Town on the Andaman coast.

Boundaries

North South East West Connects with Phang-nga and Sura Thani Provinces. Connects with Trang Provinces and the Andaman Se Connects with Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat Provinces. Connects with Phang-nga Provinces and the Andaman Sea. From Krabi city to nearby provinces      -   Phang Nga 86 kms.      -   Phuket 176 kms.      -   Trang 131 kms.      -   Phattalung 193 kms.      -   Surat Thani 211 kms.      -   Nakhon Si Thammarat 233 kms.      -   Satun 276 kms. From Krabi city to its districts      -   Ao Luk 43 kms.      -   Plai Phraya 66 kms.      -   Khao Panom 39 kms.      -   Khlong Thom 42 kms.      -   Ko Lanta 103 45 kms.      -   Lam Thap 67 kms.      -   Nua Khlong 17 kms.

How to get there

By Car From Bangkok  take  Route  4,  passing  Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khirikhan, Chumphon, Ranong, and  Phangnga  Provinces  before  reaching  Krabi a total distance of 946 kilometers. An alternate route  is  to take Route 4 to Chumphon and then turn onto Route 41. This leads through Lang Suan and  Chaiya  Districts  of  Chumphon  to  Wieng  Sa  District  of Surat Thani from there follow Route 4035,  passing  Ao Luk District of Krabi, back onto Route 4, and down to Krabi Town. This shortcut is just 814 kilometers, and is followed by the bus services. From Phuket Take Route 402 to Route 4 and pass Tambon Kok Kloy of Takua Thung District in Phang-nga  Thap  Pud  District,  Phang-nga  and enter Ao Luk District of Krabi the total distance is 185 kilometers. Regarding bus transport from Phuket, contact, Tel.(076)211480. By Bus      Buses  leave  Bangkok  for  Krabi  daily  in  the evening. The journey takes about 12 hours. The fare   for   24   seats   air-conditioned   bus   is   655 baht ,  and   446  and  421  baht  for  40  seat  air-conditioned   bus   and   234  baht  for  non  air-conditioned  bus.  Contact  Bangkok  Southern  Bus Terminal  (Borommaratchonnani  Road)  at  Tel.(02) 435-1199, 435-5061 (air-conditioned bus) and (02) 4345557 (non air-conditioned bus). By Train      From  Bangkok  Railway  Station  take the train to one of the following stations : Trang, Phun Pin in  Surat  Thani  Province,  or  Thung  Song  in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. From any of these places  a  bus  may  be  taken  onward  to  Krabi.  Regarding  train  schedules  and  costs, contact Bangkok Railway Station , Tel.(02)223-7010, 223-7020. By Air      Thai  Airways  International  operates  flights  from  Bangkok to Krabi 3 times a week (Tuesday, Fridays and Sunday). Flight ticket can be reserved at tel.(02) 280-0060, 628-2000.