Krabi Rocks (Literally)

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I'm not sure you can quite tell from my writings, but we were done with Bangkok. There's only so much of the hustle and bustle of that place a man can take.

Our next sojourn around South East Asia would be to Krabi, Thailand. Krabi is not so much a destination as it is a jumping off point. From the Krabi airport, you can reach many different coastal areas. We chose to visit West Railay, part of a small peninsula in the Andaman Sea. According to our guidebooks, West Railay provided for a great beach and large selection of activities. We made the right choice.

The first thing we noticed about this area of the country is that it is simply one of the most beautiful and striking places on the planet. Although it's probably geographical similar to other areas we will see, since this was our first coastal stop, it is a remarkable sight. The area is dotted by hundreds of rocky outcroppings; some popping up out of the water, other off the land itself.

We spend out first day here just taking in the sun (remember - it's rainy season) and scenery at West Railay beach. The sand has a chalky soft feeling, and the water is turquoise blue and bathwater tepid. It was the prefect segue between Bangkok and the beaches.

On day two, the sea water was glass, and we rented Kayaks to get a better view of all of our surroundings. For about three hours, we paddled all the way around the Railay peninsula and back. On the way, we stopped at isolated, uninhabited beaches, taking photos of the limestone cliffs and occasional marine life (including one beach ball sized jellyfish). We stopped over at perhaps what I regard as the most beautiful beach in the world. It's a long stretch with zero hotels, flanked by two of these large cliffs. The right side of the beach flows into a cave opening in one of the limestone cliffs dripping with stalactites. Simply awesome.

One of the remarkable things about Railay (which I found out after arrival) is that is one of THE premier rock climbing spots in the world. At my friends' prodding (and assurance of safety), I joined them in climbing East Railay on day three here (despite a healthy fear of heights). Though I can understand why it's one of the best spots in the world, rock climbing is really not my thing. My philosophy: work with gravity, not against it. Why scoff at the laws of nature? They're called laws for a reason.

We're leaving West Railay for Phi Phi next. If you've seen the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo Dicaprio, you'd be familiar with this very island. We're looking forward for a bit of a change after four great days at West Railay.

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Photos

Taxi!
This is a long boat, the taxi of coastal Thailand.