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Railey
The VIP (??) bus. Kieran sleeping off the after effects of the night-trainWell after the 4th over-night train journey in Thailand I had decided that they weren't too bad at all. We were getting used to the smell of urine as you walk down the train, the cramped but compact beds and the overly camp host's on board.
Excited to get back to the beaches we arrived in Surant Thani with big grins on our faces. I was looking forward most of all to my Dad's face as we turned into the Railey Peninsula on the long tail boat as we had done back in November when everyone's jaws fell to the bottom of the boat in awe of the amazing views. First of all we had to get to the long tail boat which was 4 hours away from the train station!
We had booked the train, boat and VIPin one to avoid the early morning hassle of having to organise our own transport for the sake of a couple of quid.....or so we thought.....when we got off the train there were ladies shouting at us telling us where to wait, that it wouldn' be long and the bus would be here shortly. After a short wait a very old
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The view from our long-tail boat looking bus arrived and we all crammed on (however reassured that this was purely a bus to the centre of town and we would change there). So with backpacks on our laps and an overcrowded bus we set off to the centre of Surant Thani and literally chucked out on the side of the road where a larger bus waited. However, this was not the luxury bus that we thought we had booked infact it was the local bus from Surant Thani to Krabi with stops on the way!!!!!!!
We managed to find 3 seats on the back row and settled in for the 4 hour bus journey Like you've probably read quite a few times in our blogs we again got dropped off a couple of miles away from where we wanted to be in order to be sold places to stay and modes of transport out of where we had been dropped off for extortionate prices etc etc. This time we knew what to expect and no sooner were we off the bus were we in a tuk tuk on the way to the port for the long tail boat to Railey Beach. If you look back
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The view from our long-tail boat at the previous blog from when were first in Thailand there will already be the info on Railey Beach but to summarise it is one of the most beautiful places that we have ever been to. There isn 't another feeling like the one when the long tail boat pulls round the headland into the bay and you see the huge rock formations jutting out of the sea and the clearest blue sea imaginable. Definitely one of the best views I have ever seen in my life and from my Dad's face and constant snapping on my Dad's camera one of the best for him too which made me happy.
We had been a little undecided when we knew we were meeting up with my Dad in January where to visit with him. It was between the East Islands of Ko-Phan Nang and the Southern Coast of Railey & Phi Phi. Looking back at what we enjoyed and got up to back in November, although the East is Beautiful as well, we decided on the South. Dad had done a lot of travelling around Thailand and Laos over the past 3 weeks and in his last 10 days was
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Malcolm enjoying the views looking forward to relaxing on the beach and doing not very much and Railey Beach and Ko Phi Phi seemed a perfect places to do that.
So after pulling into Railey on the long tail and jumping out onto the beach we carried our rucksacks to sit outside where we had stayed last time at Ya Ya's with a drink whilst Kieran (as he does very well) went off to see if there was anywhere a) a little bit nicer and b) cheaper. When we were here before we stayed in YaYa's treehouse but we did find the staff to be a little unfriendly and also the place a little over priced-but like it says in the Lonely Planet - the boat does drop all backpackers here so no wonder. We decided to try out a couple of places we had researched on the internet so whilst my Dad and I had a drink Kieran went off to check out the competition! 10 minutes later his work was done and we were staying up the top of a hill in 2 bamboo huts next door to each other-PERFECT!
After draggin our bags up the 50 or something like
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The headland before pulling into tha mainland that steps we had unpacked, grabbed the swimming stuff and took a walk over to the West Beach. The weather was a little off and spotted with rain but this didn't dishearten us as we sat on the beach and read our books and listened to our ipods. Later that evening we ate out at the Last Bar, that we had ate at previously when we were here and enjoyed it, and Dad made a very bold statement by saying it was the best curry he had had so another thumbs up there. After a couple of drinks we headed for a much needed full nights sleep in preperation for our very lazy day on the beach the next day!!!!
We had breakfast the next day bright and early and made our way round to Pranang Beach, where you guessed it we did pretty much nothing but sunbath.....read......swim......eat......etc etc. That afternoon Kieran had decided that he wanted to join in with a local Volleyball match that took place about an hour before sunset when it began to cool off. So Kieran made his way round to the West Beach where it took place whilst me and Dad caught a
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Malcolm enjoying the sand between his toes little more sun and followed him round. When we arrived we thought we must of been mistaken as the Volley Ball Court was swarming with Lady Boys, until we saw Kieran smack bang in the middle playing!!!!!!! Dad and I found this highly amusing as they were the campest ladyboys but Kieran simply wanting to play Volley Ball returned the next 3 evenings in a row!!!
Our second night on Railey we thought we would head out for a couple of drinks after having an indian at Rapala where we were staying which was really nice and also the boys could catch up on a little bit of Football. We headed out later as the football was on and we went to the last bar for a couple of drinks. After that we decided to go in search of a mysterious bar that we had heard playing loud music the previous two nights whilst in bed. We couldn't for the life of us work out where this all night rave music was coming from so we decided to walk up the path near the rocks behind our huts that we had rock-climbed on last time we were here. It
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Prah Nang beach was a bar called the Rock Bar (how appropiate) and only a short walk from ours. It was here that we were intriduced to the Crazy Tempest lady!!!!
When we arrvied at the Rock Bar there were only a handful of people having a drink and 2 really nice Thai Lads behind the bar that we got chatting to. As we were chatting away this lady who was in her 50's wearing a baggy T-Shirt, boarding shorts, pulled up white socks and bright white trainers came jogging into the bar and told us all there is a Tempest coming and we needed to get off the Island. She then headed straight for the dance floor. Bearing in mind there was nobody in the bar nevermind on the dancefloor, the Tempest Lady was raving her way to a heart attack whilst telling the DJ to turn it up. We all looked at each other not knowing whether it was a joke or not or she was on some hard-core drugs.
It had definitely made the night more interesting so we asked if she'd like to join us. We found out that her name was Marie Laurie and she was
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Princess caves a high-flying lawyer from Paris who was coming to the end of her Thailand trip and we did wonder whether that was the end of her holiday or trip of another kind! As it turns out she doesn't drink or take drugs she was just one of those happy-go-lucky people. We sat and chatted for an hour and told her of our plans for Australia. Turns out that Marie Laure had some friends in Australia that had farms and horse ranches in New Sout Wales who might be able to offer us some work. So we exchanged emails and we promised to send her a picture she had taken with Kieran abd she promised to send us her friends email addresses. After quenching her thirst Marie Laure decided to then hunt out the DJ again up on the top of the rock and put on some kind of French trance and then danced in the middle of the grass with moves that I cannot put into words. We can safely say that the Tempest nerver came and we didn't have to leave the Island!!!!!!!!!
On our last day in Railey me and Dad decided to take the trip up
to the view point in the morning whilst Kieran caught up on his ZZZZZZZZ's as he had already been up there with Dean and Dan. The view point was quite difficult to get to as it was literally up the side of a rock with the aid of a piece of rope but we made it and it was a great view over the Peninsula. Afterwards we took a much needed dip in the sea and relaxed on the beach-AGAIN!!!!!!!!
On our last night in Railey, as we had to be up early the next morning to catch a Ferry to Phi Phi, it was a relatively quiet affair. In the guest house bar we got chatting to nice lad called John from Solihull who Kieran had met in the internet cafe the day before. We all went out for dinner at the last bar and to the Karaoke bar for a couple of drinks. John was at the end of his trip but before he heading home he was paying the Full Moon Party a visit. So as we were going there ina a week or so we exchanged numbers and promised to meet up for some madness
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A beautiful photo that Kate had put onto canvas for her Dad on Ko Pha Ngan.
K&K
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