Rocks, Sunsets, and Coups

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My Good Friends,

Most of you will be happy to know that I am safe, and that I am not being affected by the Thai military ousting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup and imposing martial law in Thailand. Apparently this is usually a peaceful process and has happened 18 times since World War II. As you can imagine, democracy is far from mastered in this country. When the Thais don’t like the political structure, they have a coup, oust the PM, and put a new one in place. This happens time after time. The military presence seems to only be in the major cities such as Bangkok and Chang Mai and life here in Phuket continues as normal. There are no tanks, troops, or violence.

With that said, after some tough muay thai training, I recently traveled to Ko Phi Phi Island and Railay for 5 days of rock climbing and snorkeling. Ko Phi Phi offers world renowned diving and is a beautiful tropical island sitting in a clear blue bay below large cliffs. During the 2004 tsunami, the island suffered incredible destruction and it was pleasing to see that although reconstruction was still in process, much of the island had been restored. It was difficult for me to imagine that people just like me were here enjoying this remarkable island, when chaos unveiled itself, destroying homes, businesses, boats, and human life. In a matter of minutes, this serene tropical paradise was transferred to a hellacious nightmare.

While in Ko Phi Phi, I took two snorkeling trips that were magnificent. I was able to view fish of brilliant coloration, fluttering aquatic vegetation, and mysterious rock and coral formations. After my dives, I found myself in awe of how intricate and finely detailed even marine life is.

After a short stay on Ko Phi Phi, I traveled to the peninsula of Railay, which is part of the Krabi province in southern Thailand. Railay is absolutely stunning, and is also world renowned, but for its rock climbing. The narrow peninsula, is surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs with massive overhangs and stalactite formations that drip pleasantly onto the beaches and climbers hundreds of feet below. The rocks are not only on the island, but in the ocean as well. There they appear as if these large blocks fell out of the sky and stuck lengthwise into the ocean bottom, and as if they could topple over at any minute.

I rock climbed and explored caves at Railay for three days and had many adventurous routes, which were sometimes a combination of climbing, spelunking, and rappelling. The views from atop climbs were jaw dropping and the caves were magnificent. I also hired a Thai guide who challenged me to lead some difficult climbs and sharpen my skills.

After each day of climbing, I would usually hobble, scrapped and battered, to the white sand beaches and watch incredible sunsets. These sunsets were the most beautiful views that I have ever witnessed, and my pictures only capture a slight amount of their glory.

Now it’s back to Chalong for some more painful doses of muay thai!

I hope this journal has found you all well and I thank-you for all the emails, comments, and encouragement! God’s Peace.

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