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Published: September 1st 2008
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Railay West Beach
Great sunsets and swimming. Krabi
We left Koh Pha Ngan on Sunday 10th August and headed to Krabi. The journey was longer than we anticipated, probably due to the fact that we were frequently changing our mode of transport. We had a 1 hour minivan journey to the port of Thong Sala on Koh Pha Ngan, a 3 hour boat journey to the mainland, a 1 hour bus journey from the port to Surat Thani, a 3 hour bus journey to Krabi then a 10 minute taxi drive to a guesthouse!
We arrived in Krabi at around 7pm to find that our first choice guesthouse was fully booked despite it being the low season. However it didn't take long before we checked into a hotel close to the pier where we would be catching a long tail boat to Railay the next day.
The Boat Fiasco
In the morning we made our way to the pier and were approached by a Thai man claiming to be the 'boatman' ('Boatman No. 1). He then escorted us to the pier and told us to sit tight whilst he drummed up business, informing us he needed 8 people before he would drive the
Princess Cave Beach (1)
Our favourite beach on Railay. boat.
After about 10 minutes of waiting we were approached by a German girl who asked us if we were going to Railay and if we wanted to share a boat with her and a German family of 3. We gladly accepted the offer thinking that we would not have to wait as long now that there were 6 of us. Soon after, a second boatman, Boatman No. 2 came along. He had originally dealt with the Germans, but did not seem too happy when we told him we were now a 6. He said Mike and I had to go in another boat with Boatman No. 1, but we said we wanted to go as a 6 thinking it would be quicker, even accepting to pay slightly more money if we could not get 2 more to come in our boat to make 8.
After more waiting whilst Boatman 1 & 2 attempted to get more business, we walked further down the pier and found a third boatman, Boatman No. 3. Boatman No.3 agreed to take the 6 of us straight away at a slightly higher rate so we got aboard. No sooner had we done this
when Boatman No. 2 came along demanding that Mike and I get out. We refused and so he came onto the boat and took the keys out of the ignition telling us we were not going anywhere!
Boatman No. 3 apologized for the bad behaviour and went after Boatman No. 2. Next Boatman No. 2 was back with 4 more tourists and demanded that Mike and I leave the boat to leave 8 people on board. The kind German family stuck up for us - threatening to call the police and arguing the case that it was low season and unfair to make us wait any longer (we had been waiting nearly an hour by that point).
Finally the situation calmed, Boatman No. 3 said we could all go at the original price of 150 baht (about 2.5 pounds) and collected our money then he went to get fuel. By this point there were now 11 of us on board the boat which was becoming more unsteady by the minute. After more discussion, Boatman No. 2 came back to fill the fuel tank and drive the boat. He replenished the fuel tank whilst sucking on a cigarette which
Mike Climbing
The fearless man. was rather scary and I was relieved when he had completed the task and we were on the move.
The trip took about 1 hour to get to Railay East beach. The boat tipped quite a lot with now 13 of us including 2 boatmen. Mike counted the life jackets, there were not 13! He was also in prime position to see water spilling over the sides of the boat and onto the bags, his in particular! At one point Boatman No.2 turned the boat and it tilted so much that we thought it would capsize. We were all relieved when we could get off it and wade through the sea up to our knees to the beach. We said our 'goodbyes' to the Germans and thanked them for their solidarity.
Railay, Krabi
We arrived on the east beach which was not suitable for swimming due to the heavy boat traffic, mangroves and building work taking place along it. I followed Mike as he re-traced his steps from 3 years ago to Diamond Private Resort. We had to walk up 95 steps to get to it, but it was worth it. The resort had a lovely
Lisa Climbing
Not bad for a first attempt. pool which we had to ourselves for the 3 days we were there and being high up meant that there were great views over the ocean below.
For the first couple of days the weather was not too good - very cloudy and it rained a little. We spent these days either relaxing by the pool or walking along the east and west beaches - the west being the nice beach for swimming. We also found Hat Phra Nang or Princess Cave beach which was our favourite - it was less crowded and the sea was very warm and clear. Also the limestone cliffs surrounding the beach made it a beautiful setting and you could see 2 smaller islands in the distance.
Rock Climbing
On our last day we did a half day beginners rock climbing course. This proved much harder than we anticipated and was quite mentally challenging. It required you to put all your trust in the instructor belaying the rope on the ground and in your shoes. The climbing shoes we had to wear were similar to pumps and were purposely too small. It was surprising how well they gripped the rock even
Sunset at Railay
Sunset from Railay West. by just using your toes which was necessary on some parts of the rock face.
I managed to get up to 8m, but Mike completed a 25m climb - he was more fearless! We each did 4 climbs and both felt very tired by lunchtime. At one point Mike slipped and swung across the rock face for about 4m which was scary, but he said he was not worried! In the afternoon we chilled out on Princess Cave beach and then Railay West for the sunset.
Kata Beach, Phuket
After reading through the Lonely Planet, we discovered that Kata beach was the only place where you could do surfing in Thailand so we decided to spend a couple of days there. We spent a morning surfing in the warm, crystal clear water which required no wet suit unlike the last time we went surfing when it started snowing! However some protection was needed against the board as we soon discovered - I think we will be investing in a rash vest.
We were both very impressed with the beach, especially for surfing and jumping the waves. In the evening we got to watch another sunset
in the company of a friendly dog.
Nai Yang Beach, Phuket
We checked into a more upmarket resort for our last couple of days in Thailand. Goldiggers Resort was a 5 minute drive from the airport so was perfect for our morning fight. It had a nice pool and was a 10 minute walk from a quiet beach.
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