Krabi is a town for Thai people. There are no go-go bars or beaches, no hassles and no McDonald’s: only Thai authenticity. In a country that relies so heavily on the tourist dollar, Krabi town has escaped the trap and feels a happier place for it.

Many travellers who come to Thailand crave cultural authenticity, but the allure of the beaches and islands proves too strong and they rarely see it. Any ‘culture’ seen here will have been constructed solely for the benefit of the tourist.

To find Thai culture you have to look away from the beaches (Thais despise the sun and most can’t swim) and look toward provincial towns and the countryside. Perched on the edge of a river; Krabi town is located in the tourist saturated province that takes its name and is surrounded by distinctive limestone karsts and pure tropical rainforest.

Krabi town is not only home to the cheapest guesthouses in the area but also many tour agencies, making it the perfect base from which to explore the province. The town is 20 minutes away from the popular beach resort of Ao Nang, a relatively short boat ride away from Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi and any of the other 132 offshore islands, and an even shorter boat ride away from the ‘up and coming’ beaches of Railay and Tonsai, which are both inaccessible by road. Compared to the main tourist-traps of Thailand, in Krabi you still remain a novelty to the genuinely interested and helpful locals.

There are few scams to be wary of and unexpected friendliness can be found everywhere: visit certain shops or stalls for long enough and you might just get a Thai price, or go out to a Thai club at night (if you can bare the aneurysm inducing Thai techno music) and you’ll be inundated with people offering you a drink.

‘Lively town, lovely people’, shouts the town’s tourist slogan. Luckily tourists have little to do with the ‘lively’ nature of Krabi, as it is the locals who shop in the indoor morning market, eat at the superb stalls on the roadside, or drink whisky and dance the night away in local clubs that gives Krabi its liveliness. This town is for Thais and that’s why I love it.