Making New Friends In Krabi
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| Our Daily Companion Coffee |
We spent four nights at Chill Out Village in the small sea gypsy town of Ban Lampho surrounded by nature, wildlife and rescue animals. It was the most soul filling, rewarding time meeting the 3 dogs and 13 cats that called the village home during our stay, the number of residents fluctuates depending on who gets adopted or if someone new joins the family. Located about 20 minutes from Krabi’s Ao Nang Beach it felt like we were miles away from everything in the best way possible.
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| Olly-Ang |
Driving along small village roads we initially wondered how our time in the back of beyond would be, with questioning looks from our driver we arrived to a welcoming committee of barking dogs alerting staff someone was at the gate. After a warm, friendly welcome we were shown around our home for the next few nights and instantly knew we were going to very happy there.
So what did we do for 4 nights? The first night we ventured into Ao Nang so the boys could watch a football match at an Irish pub, while in town we took the opportunity to wander through the night market, browse local stalls and grab a few supplies from the 7 eleven, we had learnt we must always have a supply of instant noodles, snacks and most importantly coffee. The rest of our days were spent in the village, relaxing in the garden, chilling in the eclectic common areas, playing card games and getting to know the animals.
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| One Of The Cool Chill Out Spots And Coffee's Home |
Our first friend at the village was a chatty black and white cat named Coffee, his home was in the old yellow truck in front of our room, if you so much as looked at him he would meow and fall over your feet til you gave him the attention he so desperately craved. Hugo spent a lot of time with Coffee and it almost felt like he became our cat while we were there, we loved our Coffee!
In no time at all we had favourite cats, snuggly little felines who we felt we knew their personalties and had made a connection with. They were Coffee, our original boy and daily companion, found malnourished with a skin condition he was now a happy, affectionate, people loving cat who loved to have a chat. Chok Dee, what a special little kitty Chok Dee was, she was tiny with the biggest most beautiful eyes, rescued from stray dogs as a kitten she was the only animal in the village who got along with everyone.
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| Chok Dee aka The Little Kitty With The Big Eyes |
Pepper, the cat that made you want to scream "Its so Fluffy!" she had the softest fur and was such a smoocher, she was the first cat at Chill Out Village after being found dumped behind a resort. And Seven, the big white gentle giant, found outside a 7 Eleven with a severe scabies infection, apparently he usually does his own thing but we saw a lot of this guy, he often came over and hung out with us, even jumping up on our bed for cuddles.
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| Seven |
Some of the best time was hanging out in the Pavillon, a space with hula hoops, skateboards, cool artwork and plenty of places to sit, it became the spot for reading, writing, playing a game of exploding kittens (a new family fav) or just chilling with the animals. We had thought of hiring a scooter but after a day at the village we were content to stay exactly where we were, I mean what more could you want? Animals everywhere you turn, fresh air and two restaurants within walking distance offering Thai and western cuisine, for all other supplies a Grab delivery fulfilled our needs.
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| Hugo's Skate Boarding Hugely Improved |
Exploring the area included more animals, out of the gate and onto an almost deserted tree lined road we didn't walk far before coming across locals but not the ones we were expecting, taking their time to cross the road were a herd of Water Buffalo. After waiting patiently for the community traffic jam to clear we didn’t have to wander far to find where they had gone, some of the herd were cooling off in a mud hole while others grazed on the grass, every now and again looking up to check us out.
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| Curious Water Buffalo |
In the empty unfenced field behind us was a family of goats, my day was made. For some reason I can't explain I whole heartedly adore goats, they are silly, hyper, small, mischievous and just so freakin' cute, they were surprisingly relaxed and allowed us to get up close even with young in their group. The entire area was immersed in nature, birds, butterflies, cats, dogs, roosters, small lizards, goats, cows, buffaloes and even monitor lizards were everywhere just living in harmony with the people, it was a place that felt so content and good.
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| Goat Spotting! |
The three village dogs Olly, Olly-Ang and Cha-Dam had a lot of personalty, though they looked similar once you got to know them you could easily tell them apart. Olly joined the village as a one month old pup, severely malnourished and lucky to survive, he was what we called the nice dog or the good one, he loved people and was calm, often wandering around or laying in a shady spot, Olly was Hugos number one doggy pal.
Olly-Ang was mischief, distinguishable by his quirky ears of one up and one down, he was a pro fence jumper and regularly took himself for walks. His brother Cha-Dam was the noisey one, if you heard someone barking it was normally him, he was a nervous boy but warmed up once he got to know us. The brothers had been found together in poor condition as puppies before joining the village and definitely kept the staff on their toes.
A highlight for Hugo was taking the dogs for an evening walk, the smile on his face as he was given Olly's lead was pure joy, though I'm not sure who was walking who I know it will be a memory Hugo never forgets.
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| New Besties, Hugo And Olly |
Anyone who knows us knows how much we all love animals, if theres a potential furry friend around you won’t find us mingling with people but on the ground patting and chatting to our newest bestie. Each of the animals at Chill Out Village were there because they needed help, some needed medicine, some life saving operations, some need ongoing care, they all have a heartbreaking back story. Within the common areas were posters for each animal with their name, age, personality, how they came to be in the village and their current health. During our time there we read about each animal, explained everything to Hugo and how a lot of the animals are incredibly lucky to be alive, they had the most gorgeous, trusting personalities even after everything they had been through.
It was an absolute privilege to spend time with animals lucky enough to be given a second chance. Seeing how content and cared for the cats and dogs were at the village was everything we wanted and more from our time near Krabi.
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| Chilling Out With Pepper |
We learnt that not only does the village provide medical care and ongoing treatment for the rescues on site they work within the greater Krabi community as Krabi Animal Welfare, they run mobile clinics where through the help of volunteers and donations they vaccinate and sterilise as many animals as possible. They provide food for animals in the area and do their best to educate locals on animal care and ill treated of animals. True animal heroes in our eyes.
Our time at the village impacted us all more than we were prepared for, it showed us the good in people and how a few kind individuals truly can make a difference. Hugo loves animals to the point he wants to be a zoologist, we hope experiences like staying with rescue animals and seeing the impact of the help and care they receive will encourage him to always treat animals with the love and respect they deserve.
Saying goodbye was hard, it was only four nights but we already felt attached, a teary farewell from Hugo tugged at the heart strings and cemented the fact spending time with animals is an essential part of life for us no matter where we are in the world.
To check out the cutest videos of our new furry family make sure to watch our YouTube video!
Unsponsored side note - Krabi Animal Welfare and the care and treatment of the animals at Chill Out Village survives on volunteers and donations, I've had a look and you can donate through their website so I'll attach that below if you feel like being a part of something amazing
https://krabianimalwelfare.org/
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