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Published: February 22nd 2014
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After an early morning run on the beach we got picked up by a tour agent that brought us to a long tail boat for a full day 4 island snorkeling trip ($15). Long tail boats are large slender wooden boats designed for shallow water and are used as a common mode of transportation here.
Our first stop was Chicken Island, about 45 minutes off shore, aptly named for a large prominent rock formation with a resemblance to a chicken head. Chicken Island and Top Island are connected by a sandbar in low tide. We snorkeled in between the two islands observing many small reef fish in the beautifully clear and warm turquoise water. We also stopped at Koh Poda and Koh Kai, having lunch on a beautiful white stretch of beach surrounded by limestone caves. We scrambled up a frayed rope into a nearby cave getting beautiful views from high above.
Our guide told us that many of the islands here are where they harvest birds' nests for the delicacy of bird nest soup. The nest is made from the saliva of the Swiftlet bird and is one of the most expensive foods you can buy at $1200/lb.
Not surprising it is used by the Chinese for sexual virility. These caves are closely guarded and we were told if you trespass during harvest you will be killed.
We also saw a huge swarm of thousands of what we thought were birds spiraling above the island. Once we got closer we saw they were bats, and not the little kind we have at home but ones with a 2-3 foot wingspan.
Our last stop for the day was Railay Beach, one of the top ten rock climbing destinations in the world With over 700 marked routes. We landed on Phra Nang Beach, considered one of the best beaches in Asia. From here you can watch rock climbers scrambling up limestone cliffs dangling over the ocean. There were several caves in these cliffs, one of which was a shrine consisting of hundreds of phalluses ranging in size and color, a favorite photo op for many of the tourist party girls. The cave is believed to be haunted by an Indian princess who drowned here hundreds of years ago. Local Buddhist and Muslim fisherman bring phalluses as an offering to bring a good catch for the season.
We
returned after a long day on the water, sunburnt and exhausted and headed straight for monkey rock with bananas in hand. Before I could even begin to peel a banana I had a monkey scrambling up my leg and grabbing one out of my hand, then perching on my shoulder to settle in for his meal using my head as a table. After Dennis saw that I didn’t get bit in the face or had my eyes gouged out he grabbed a banana too, with another sweet and gentle simian cousin getting cozy on his shoulder.
We finished up the night feasting at the street vendors' carts on Pad Thai, spring rolls, corn, huge shrimp and 2 pina coladas ($6 total). Drinks are usually a couple of dollars each, so instead we bought a cheap bottle of rum the other day and have been mixing our own drinks using the smoothies you can buy on the street for less than .75 , what Dennis likes to call one of our many cheap vacation hacks.
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