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Ao Nang Beach
Long tail taxis to Railay PeninsulaBack in Krabi
I returned to Krabi after being in this area last week when I visited the Phi Phi Islands. I had gone back to Bangkok as I had been invited by the manager for a pub staff party which turned out to be an all night disco - I went home at 6.15 am and the staff kept playing cards till 11.30 am - it was a big night out with all the drinks and food supplied and we had a lot of fun.
I am visiting Ao Nang Beach which is about thirty minutes from Krabi Town on the airport shuttle bus and staying at the Alis Hotel which is 300 metres from the beach. I booked the hotel on Wotif.com for 1500 baht per night which is very reasonable for this area. The hotel is very good with happy and helpful staff, big rooms with a balcony and a large overhead shower. The bed is rock hard which seems to be popular in Asia and I did sleep OK but I still prefer a softer bed. The internet in the lobby of the hotel is free and fast which is handy for checking emails and
Ton Sai Beach
On the way to Railay West travel blogging.
After settling into my room at the hotel I set off to book some tours for the next two days and orient myself to the area. The best thing about Ao Nang besides the beauty of the area which is surrounded by huge limestone kharsts (cliffs) is that it is a very short beach and you can walk everywhere without needing a taxi. The neighbouring beaches on the Railay Peninsular are only accesible by long tail boat for a very reasonable cost (80 - 100 baht).
Some reports say that this area is ruined by over development but I have found that the beach is untouched at Ao Nang with the resorts and shops on the other side of the road seeming to compliment the area.
After walking the length of the beach I thought I would try a long tail boat taxi and visit Railay West about 10 minutes away. If you catch the long tail boats here be prepared to get wet as you need to climb on board from the beach. I will be wearing my bathers next time and will be purchasing a wet bag at Ao Nang to keep my
Near Railay West
A short taxi trip with a great view camera, wallet etc dry.
The boat trip to Railay West is very pleasant and you pass the distinctive limestone kharsts and view the small islands in the distance - it really is one of the most beautiful parts of Thailand. The boat stopped at Ton Sai Beach first which was very muddy at low tide and then delivered us to Railay West. I had forgotten my map and had intended to visit the viewpoint there - this wasn't going to happen as it was getting dark and as it turned out I was a long way from the viewpoint. Railay West is a nice sandy beach and would be a good spot to stay - there were lots of locals playing volleyball at a park 50 metres behind the shopping/restaurant strip and also soccer on the beach. The Railay peninsular is not very wide and I walked about half way across to the popular rock/cliff climbing areas and watched some very adventurous climbers try their luck on a steep cliff.
I had satisfied my curiosity about the Railay Beach area for now and decided to head back to Ao Nang for my evening meal. The only problem with
Railay West
Getting off the long tail boat taxi - you will get wet !!! the long tail boats is that you have to wait till they have enough tourists to make their trip worthwhile - after about 15 minutes we were off on the journey back and another chance to admire the scenery from the ocean.
In the evening I thought I would check out the local entertainment venues. Ao Nang has two main bar areas, Centrepoint near Burger King and the RCA lane near Macdonalds. Both are mainly bars where someone will want to join you and chat with you if you buy them drinks and more - not really of much interest to me although I did stay out till late in the night walking and looking around.
Has anyone seen the Viewpoint?
The next morning my phone rang at 9.00 am - 'sorry sir your sunset tour of the four islands is cancelled due to poor weather". This turned out to be very correct but a disapointment as I am only here for two full days. Well I was not going to sit around all day so it was off to explore more of the Railay Peninsula. I purchased my 15 litre Wet Bag on the way to
Centrepoint Pole Dancer - Ao Nang Beach
I think I scared a few customers away he he the long boats for 500 baht after some intense bartering - I try to pay a fair price without prolonging the negotiations, it's just a bit of fun with the shopkeepers.
After about a 15 minute wait for more tourists we were off to Phra Nang Bay, this time to visit the Princess Cave, a small cave filled with phallic symbols, left by couples hoping to get pregnant. This was an unusual site and there were heaps of tourists viewing the cave but I managed to get some pics and then took the new paved trail past some more very impressive limestone kharsts for the 15 minute walk to Railey East Beach. At least on this part of the peninsula there are some maps posted at various spots, unlike at Railay West my first point of entry on the previous day.
I found the Viewpoint 1 which requires climbing up a sheer cliff by rope with a resulting excellent view and a chance to also check out a lagoon best seen at high tide. I climbed about 20 metres by rope and took one look at the next part of the climb and decided that there was no
way I would make it up to the top alone so it was back down and time for a nice easy stroll along Railay East Beach.
The only music I have heard booming from the bars in Railay is reggae, especially Bob Marley, no cute Thai pop around there. The locals are different, even more relaxed. Southern Thailand has many Muslim Thais which is noticeable by their head dress so it is good to experience another part of the Thai culture. Railay East is a real mixture of backpackers, rock climbing hippies and first class resort tourists. At high tide there is not much beach to walk along and there are new resorts being built so I would say that Railay West was a nicer beach and spot to stay although everything is so close that it probably doesn't really matter - the only thing is that you are isolated from Ao Nang's night life and shopping which may not be such a bad thing.
When I reached the end of Railay East Beach a huge squal hit the area and parts of roofs were lifted and power lines down in a matter of minutes - it was
Phra Nang beach
There were many tourist on the beach heading for the Phra Nang or Princess Cave as it is called really scarey and I had thoughts of being stranded here for the night. Luckily the rain and bad weather subsided and I continued my walk across the peninsular to the Phranang Nai Cave. The guys at the entrance told me that I would have to wait till the power was reconnected but I had my LED torch so they let me go inside alone. This cave is very impressive and has many stalactites and stalagnites and I managed to take some good pics in the darkness of the cave.
I walked passed the electrical repair guys on the way back to Railay West Beach - I had wanted to go to a Viewpoint on Railay and after more research I have found there is a Viewpoint 2 at the end of Phra Nang Bay. It will have to be seen next time I come here on another trip to Thailand as it was getting late and I had a full day tour booked for my last day at Ao Nang Beach. After a short wait I was on a long tail boat back to Ao Nang for more walks along the beach, a huge seafood pizza for my evening
meal and a few beers at one of the bars in Centrepoint - a very entertaining place to go for a drink, just avoiding all the attention from the ladies of the night hehe and others as well is a lot of fun.
Your tour is cancelled Sir - No Way
I was waiting in the lobby of the hotel the next morning when a guy came racing up the stairs looking for me - "Mr Leon, sorry you are only person on tour today, tour is cancelled, you go another day" - er think again buddy, I am going to Koh Samui tomorrow and I want my tour today. How about a private tour? "You pay another 1100 baht and I will check with boss on phone now". A phone call later and I was off for a full day of touring with my own driver in a 4 wheel drive and lunch included for about $A70 - can't complain about that. My guide was also happy as he was looking at another day with little or no pay in the low season.
First stop was an hours drive out of Ao Nang past Krabi Town
Phra Nang Cave
Fertility Symbols attract many tourists to this beautiful beach - would be great for swimming as well to the waterfall hot springs. The water was 40 C and it was worth the drive - the best spa bath I have ever had and very relaxing. Another 30 minute drive and we had a walk through the last 10% of Krabi's rainforest. The rest has been turned into plantations for rubber and palm oils, a real shame that people have to survive at the detriment of the rainforest. There are virtually no animals left in the rainforest except for some rare birds and I wasn't going to see any of them today.
After an 800 metre walk we reached the Emerald Pool which is filled with water running downhill over limestone and copper and is supposed to be very theraputical. I didn't find it to be anything special as I have been in these type of ponds before and they seemed much clearer and heavier with the limestone and element deposits. Anyway it was nice enough for a cooling down swim and then I had a lunch of prawns and cashew nuts with steamed rice and fruit for desert - a very tasty meal.
My driver and guide Karmon - nickname "Tar" is a real nice
Phra Nang Cave
OK you can say it !!! guy and speaks good english. He gave me his number so I can have a private tour to the huge waterfall in Krabi next time I visit here. Karmon is a very careful driver and I could understand everything he was telling me, not always the case with the guides here. He was very polite, took pics for me and was an excellent guide.
After lunch we drove another hour to the Tiger Cave Temple which meant a climb of around 1300 steps to the temple on top of a mountain. I am not exagerating when I say that this is the toughest physical task in humid conditions that I have ever tried. The only good thing was that there were plenty of locals and other tourists struggling to reach the temple up the sometimes very steep steps. I had my trusty water bottle and chatted with some others on the way up and was feeling very proud of myself when after 40 minutes I made it to the temple. I then sat down next to a Scottish guy who told me it was his fourth climb to the temple this week. He looked about 55 and I was
astonished when he told me he was one month away from 70. His lives in Thailand and his secret to longevity and fitness has been to stop drinking beer every day - that's a bit sad, I guess I will not look like him at 70.
The view at the top when you reach the temple is worth the climb and you can see all the way to the sea past Krabi Town, the airport and the mountains on the other side of the temple. I am not sure if I will be making the climb again as it is a bit too difficult but it is an amazing place - there is a huge Buddha image and I climbed to the highest point of the Temple.
Going down was a lot easier and takes about 15 minutes, about 1.5 hours all up with a rest for viewing at the top. There is a lot of redevolpment going on at the temple with a new impressive looking pagoda going up and one of the builders took a pic of an exhausted version of me when I reached the bottom of the mountain. There were monkeys everywhere being fed
Railay Peninsula
It's a 10 to 15 minute walk across from west to east beaches by the tourists and climbing all over the place. I had a look inside the Tiger Cave which is also very impressive and then it was another 30 minute drive back to Ao Nang for a shower and rest after a great day out.
Tonight I was going to have a few quiet beers as I was going to Koh Samui in the morning, another island paradise some say has been spoilt by over development - but I will decide that for myself during my four day visit. As it turned out I met some more friendly locals and went to the I-Bark Disco which is mainly for Thais and closed at 4am. It was a great night out singing and dancing with little sleep before the short flight to Koh Samui at midday.
I have found Krabi a great place to visit and I am sure I will be back again before too long to visit that elusive viewpoint on Railay, the waterfall and other sights I have missed this time.
Click on the pics if you want a larger view and select next to see all the pictures.
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