Great times on the Andaman Coast in low season

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Day 320: Friday 15th May - A change of plans

Which of Thailand’s islands do you go to? There are so many to choose from. On the west coast there is: Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, Ko Tarutao, Ko Mook, Khao Lak, the Surin Islands and the Similan Islands. On the east coast there are just as many; Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao, Ko Samet, Ko Chang and Ko Kut. And, I haven’t even mentioned the 1500km of coastline that mainland Thailand enjoys! Where do you start, when there’s so much to choose from? I pick one coast - the west - and not being the type of person to lounge around on beaches for days on end without some kind of stimulus, I choose places which have plenty of activities to keep it exciting. So, the 3 locations I choose for my Thailand beach experience are Phang Nga (for the scenery of its bay and kayaking opportunities), Railay (for the setting of its beach and climbing) and Ko Phi Phi for ‘THE BEACH’ and the snorkelling. The first two are part of the mainland, Phi Phi is an island.

Normal service is resumed on the bargaining front for South-East Asia when I arrive in Thailand after an hour’s flight, leaving drizzly Penang behind. I want to get to Phang Nga which lies to the north of Phuket Island. All the transport is heading in the opposite direction to the south from the airport, which is in the north of the island. Initially I have difficulty telling the Thai’s where I want to go as my pronunciation is way off the mark. Phang Nga is pronounced Pang Nya, and only after repeating myself several times do they get where I want to go to. First they tell me that the only way to get there is by taxi - cost 400 Baht (£8). Sorry don’t believe you, so I tell the guy I can’t afford this. All of a sudden there is a shuttle bus which will drop by on the highway where I can wait for the bus for 100 Baht. Still not convinced, I walk out of the terminal, get some money changed and find the official airport bus which will drop me on the highway for 40 Baht - that’s more like it. I don’t have to wait long at the bus stop on the highway before the bus comes although I’m sure I end up being overcharged for the journey, some you win, some you lose.

It takes little over an hour to get to Phang Nga, during which I get treated to some of Thailand’s karaoke tunes on the TV in the bus. When I arrive in the bus terminal, I am pounced on by a travel agent, offering all sorts of tours. I’m more interested in finding somewhere to stay and finding Mike and Trudi, who I have agreed to meet here. The travel agent tells me that a couple matching their description arrived here 5 minutes ago. That was good timing, if it is them, hopefully I will bump into them soon enough. Two days ago we had said we would meet in one of two guesthouses, so I start off in the direction of the first one. Before I reach it, I meet Trudi and Mike on the street. They tell me that they have checked out two of the guesthouses and the accommodation is either poor or pricey. They also confirm what the travel agency said; that for some reason Phang Nga’s accommodation is very busy today. We try one other place which is also full and then sit down for a breather to weigh up the options. If we stop here we are going to have to pay over the odds for a room in a scruffy town that isn’t even on the beach. I have to admit to this cock-up, I didn’t realise that Phang Nga is 10km from the coast. It is still the cheapest place to do tours to Phang Nga bay but I can’t say I’m too excited at the prospect of staying in this town. After a month without seeing a beach, I was really looking forward to spending some time on one without delay. Mike comes up with the idea of returning to Krabi (where they’ve come from today) and then going on to Ao Nang which has a beach. He reckons you can do all the tours from there anyway. I’m sold, sounds better than staying here. So the three of us walk back to the bus station and catch a bus to Krabi and then a sawngthaew (a small pick-up truck with two benches) to Ao Nang. I feel guilty for dragging them up to Phang Nga and wasting their day, but they don’t seem too bothered about it.

One thing that impresses me on the various journeys today has been the quality of the scenery. On the plane I flew over the amazing Phang Nga bay - all the islands looked stunning - and on the bus journeys the dramatic limestone karst scenery around the Phang Nga and Krabi provinces is a beautiful sight. It makes a pleasant change from seeing palm tree plantations everywhere, as was the case in Malaysia.

We hit lucky with accommodation as soon as we arrive in Ao Nang. The first place we look at is a steal at 200 Baht a night (£4), with rooms closer in style to a budget hotel back home than the normal fare you get on the budget backpacker circuit in Southeast Asia. Apparently the rooms should cost 600 Baht normally but it is low season so we score a deal. The three of us have a wander around the town which is more geared for two week package holiday tourists than travellers, and has a comfortable, up-market feel. The town is a string of tourist shops and restaurants and is reminiscent of beach towns in Europe rather than a tropical paradise. The path along the sea front is lined with restaurants for the well-heeled and lanterns which give it a ‘romantic’ feel. However, everywhere is quiet, some places are deserted and I think I’m going to like this place. It is certainly in a different league to Phang Nga. It is too dark to see the beach but that can wait until tomorrow. We get a Thai curry on one of the street stalls and then a Thai pancake from another. One thing’s for certain the food is a definite improvement on Malaysia/Indonesia. Perhaps it is too early to judge but what do they say about first impressions again?

Speaking of first impressions, I like Thailand. So far it isn’t as touristy as I expected, the scenery is beautiful. The language is strange, it is a different alphabet which you can’t read and the Thai’s grasp of English isn’t quite as good as the Malay’s but still it is plenty good enough to get by. After eating Mike goes back to his room as he isn’t feeling too well, whereas me and Trudi hit the bar and the beers after looking into some tours. There are so many tours to choose from and my head is spinning. I can’t work out what I want to do, where I want to go, but I’m sure it will all come clear in the next day or so.

Day 321: Saturday 16th May - Stung by a jellyfish on Ao Nang Beach

I have a fuzzy head when I wake up and I didn’t have much to drink last night. After not drinking much in Malaysia I’ve obviously lost any ability to drink. After the customary Thai pancakes for breakfast, the three of us head down to Ao Nang beach. It’s a nice beach, flanked by cliffs on one side and the bay is beautiful as well. When we venture into the sea, myself and Trudi get stung by jellyfish within seconds of each other. Trudi thumbs through her Thailand guidebook and discovers that Thailand’s jellyfish aren’t dangerous. That may be the case, but for a couple of hours after we both suffer some discomfort.

I ask Mike and Trudi what their plans are for tomorrow. Mike’s still feeling unwell, and Trudi says that they have laundry to pick up tomorrow so they will be spending the day in Ao Nang. I like the beach, but not enough to want to spend another day on it so I look into a tour to Phang Nga bay for tomorrow. I have to pay more than I would have done at Phang Nga, but being low season I manage to bargain it down to only 350 Baht more, and it would cost me at least 250 Baht to do the journey independently to Phang Nga. For the sake of 100 Baht (£2) it isn’t worth it and so I book up for the tour.

It’s a football feast in the evening. First up Manchester United are playing Arsenal. They need only a draw to retain the Premiership, which they get. It is a dull game, there is no atmosphere in any of the three different bars I choose to watch the game in (due to a lack of people), and it’s all an anticlimax, especially when the TV cuts to the next game rather than show the trophy presentation...very disappointing! With no sign of Trudi and Mike who were supposed to be meeting me(Mike is still feeling unwell), I get Padthai (noodles, prawns, peanuts and bean sprouts) on a street stall and return to watch the second half of the Newcastle game. As the game is about to resume I spot my friend Paul in the crowd cutting a dejected figure after the poor first half performance and with the prospect of relegation looming. The second half is dire and Newcastle can’t improve the result and lose 1-0 to Fulham. As I’ve been watching the football on my own, and being a single male in a bar in Thailand, I’ve had a string of Thai girls all over me like a rash.....I just want to watch the football girls and that goes especially for the ladyboy that came over to talk!! And no I won’t buy you a drink, buy your own!!

Day 322: Sunday 17th May - Wow!.....Phang Nga Bay

I start my tour today with fairly low expectations. I don’t know why; but probably most of it has to do with the feeling that I’m about to rush headlong into a collision with the tourist masses today. This tour is sold everywhere in the Phang Nga Area, and attracts holidaymakers staying anywhere from Phuket around to Krabi. I can’t do anything else than make the most of it, tourists or no tourists. Our guide, Bill is a strange one, friendly, but in appearance he’s only a step or two off reaching ladyboy status. In fact when I get on the minibus, I can’t work out his gender. Bill is a man, but wears his hair like a woman, is wearing make-up including lipstick, has manicured fingernails and no facial hair. Very feminine that’s for sure!

Our first stop on the tour is to Suwankhuha Temple, also known as monkey cave because the temple is in a cave and there are many long-tailed macaques outside the temple. Inside the cave is a golden reclining Buddha and a monk dressed in orange robes is sitting in front of the golden figure. It’s an interesting detour, the macaques as always entertain. Next, we continue to Phang Nga jetty where we transfer to a longtail boat to sightsee around Phang Nga Bay. The scenery is unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere in the world. It may be a little cloudy today but it can’t detract from its beauty. Geologically, Phang Nga Bay is referred to as a drowned karstland. 120 mountainous islands rise some 200 metres or more out of the bay, complete with caves and waxlike stalactites creating a very photogenic scene.

Our boat is heading to Khao Ping Gan or James Bond Island as it is better known. It was made famous in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ as Scaramanga’s hideout. The island rock is worthy of a photo, and is a beautiful spot but what the photo’s don’t show are the tourist hordes and the locals selling trinkets on the many stalls which dilute the experience. I pose for the customary photo in front of the rock and manage to persuade an Australian lady, Deb, to do the same. She’s been in my ear for the last half hour telling me how she wants to do the Ursula Andress thing of coming out of the water in front of the rock. Ursula Andress was a typically beautiful Bond girl. Deb however is not a typically beautiful Bond girl! She must be in her fifties and is more than a few pounds overweight. I tell her that she is getting her Bond films mixed up, which she is as the scene she’s talking about is from the first Bond film. Thankfully this persuades her not to go ahead with the Ursula Andress scene re-enactment (Thank God!!), as that would have been hideous!! It may have scared all the tourists off though?!

Of the 11 of us on the tour, 7 have chosen to kayak. I’m amongst the four who haven’t and this proves to be a wise decision as we get a tour of the mangrove forest area that the rest are kayaking around in the longtail boat anyway. Added to this, the rest aren’t actually kayaking. They’re in a kayak but a local guide is doing all the paddling.....what a waste of time, glad I didn’t do that. After the rest are finished kayaking, we take a longtail boat to Koh Panyee, a floating Muslim fishing village. Lunch there is excellent, all Thai fare - Tom Yam soup, curried chicken, vegetables in oyster sauce. No complaints on the food front, much better than I expected for a tour. After eating we have a short while to wander through the village, the main part we see is a collection of stalls set up to sell various wares to tourists who stop for lunch. The main interest for me in the village are the gibbons which the local ladies dress in nappies and T-Shirts!! It is sad to see the gibbons out of their natural environment and clearly used as a tool to make money from tourists as a photo opportunity. Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to pass up the prospect of having a photo taken with the gibbons as they look so cute and adorable in their nappies. The two gibbons I get my picture taken with start fighting with one another.....brilliant!!! The tour has been much better than I expected, the boat trip has been very pleasant, the limestone scenery in Phang Nga Bay is stunning and the gibbons were an unexpected bonus. It ends on a damp squib though, on the way back to Ao Nang we stop off at a waterfall. Clearly, it has been put on the itinerary as a ‘filler’, since the waterfall is a waste of time. Overall though, a really good day.

I meet up with Mike and Trudi for dinner and we discuss going to Railay beach tomorrow. It’s an early night for me after successive nights on the beer, I can’t handle it like I used to! I’ve enjoyed Ao Nang, it’s a nice enough town, the accommodation has been great value for money and I’ve been able to do the Phang Nga Bay tour without stopping in Phang Nga. A change of plans that has worked out for the best.

Day 323: Monday 18th May - The jaw-dropping Railay Beach

It is a 15 minute ride in a longtail boat to Railay beach from Ao Nang. Ao Nang Beach was nice, Railay Beach is in a different league.....jaw-dropping. West Railay Beach is a picture postcard perfect beach which arches between limestone cliffs that enclose the beach. Behind the beach palm trees sway in the light breeze. Sadly, this stunning setting comes at a price, and West Railay Beach is more a honeymoon destination with resort bungalows monopolising this side of the peninsula. It is only a 5 minute walk though to East Railay Beach at the other side of the peninsula, where accommodation is more affordable. The beach isn’t anything to look at mind, a muddy mangrove forest when the tide is out. Nevertheless, I can cope with a 5 minute walk everyday of the week to get to West Railay. We look at a couple of guesthouses, but end up at the first, Ya Ya, which is decent enough for the price. It has all the amenities you would need as well, shop, restaurant, climbing shop. We manage to get a ‘deal’ of 1000 Baht (£20) for 3 nights. These ‘deals’ are easy to come by in low season....for once backpackers have the upper hand in the bargaining process.

Mike is still feeling unwell so after lunch he goes for a lie down. Me and Trudi have a look down East Railay Beach. It is a backpacker resort, but there are a few upmarket establishments catering for the two week holidaymakers as well. We find a climbing agency which will do a half-day’s climbing for 700 Baht and I enquire about a kayaking trip. We find a bar that has live music later so that is tonight’s entertainment sorted. The two of us walk across to West Railay Beach and spend the rest of the afternoon there. The sea is bath-tub water warm, but Trudi manages to get stung by a jellyfish again, so we avoid it after this.

On the way back from the live music, and being in one of my daft moods, I stop off at East Railay’s most luxurious resort to see if they’ll do me a deal. I ask them how much their rooms are and they tell me they are 7500 Baht (£150) a night. I offer them 300 Baht (£6) given that the place looks dead, and I’m in the mood to try my luck. The Thai guy doesn’t really get my sense of humour, but does offer me a discount to 4000 Baht (£80). Again, I offer him 300 Baht, but he’s not taking the bait, so I politely decline his offer and walk back to where Mike and Trudi are standing chuckling away to myself!

Day 324: Tuesday 19th May - The even more jaw-dropping Phranang Cave Beach

I stopped by the agency last night to ask if there was a kayaking trip to Hong Bay today and was informed that there weren’t the numbers, so there is no trip going. Mike is still not 100% so we postpone the climbing for another day as the three of us want to do it together. The alternative isn’t half bad either though....a day on the beach. Yesterday, one of the locals told me that a beach around the headland from Railay East called Phranang Beach, was the best beach. The three of us decide to have a look and see if the advice was right. Wow! West Railay Beach was stunning, if anything Phranang Beach is even better, both brilliant beach locations. We spend the day on the beach, it is scorching so we are constantly moving into the shade. A number of jellyfish are washed up on to the beach, but we’re told they are harmless. In the afternoon, Trudi gets a foot scrub and massage on the beach. She says it’s good so I decide to have one as well. I have never had a foot scrub before, and from the evidence on my masseur’s towel afterwards, you can tell. I didn’t realise I had that much dead skin on my feet....yuck!!! It feels like I’ve got a new pair of feet under me after she’s finished.

On the way to Phranang Beach this morning we saw the path to the viewpoint. It’s a steep climb so I go back and get my hiking boots before attempting the climb shortly before sunset. It doesn’t take long to get to the viewpoint, only 10 minutes or so, but it’s a scramble up the cliff-face to reach it. The view is worth the effort, you can see over both East and West Railay Beaches. The sunset is obscured by the cliffs, and I think it would be better to see the view earlier in the day, so I might have to do it again. As I am admiring the view, I am joined at the viewpoint by two guys who have scrambled up the rocks in their bare feet - crazy! I start to climb down to the lagoon, but in the fading light I trust my better judgement that this isn’t the best of ideas on my own and instead climb back down, reaching the bottom in semi-darkness.

Tonight there is a show on in one of the bars along the beach. We get dinner there before the show starts and I set my mouth on fire with a Thai Chicken Red Curry. At 10pm the entertainment starts with a fire show first, followed by an amateur Thai Boxing bout. There is a knockout against the run of the fight in the last of the four rounds, but the guy soon picks himself up. Thai Boxing or Muay Thai is Thailand’s national sport and tonight’s fight has given me a taster for seeing a fight at a major stadium. Kicking, punching, knees and elbows are all allowed, and after seeing my first fight, I am surprised how little punching is involved, but it is considered the weakest of all the blows. After the boxing, the final part of the night’s entertainment is a cobra show. A guy ‘plays’ with a black cobra on stage, provoking it into an attack. He finishes by kissing it on its ‘hood’.....I can’t believe my eyes....nuts! I’m sure the cobra has had its venom milked but I still wouldn’t be putting my face anywhere near it as I’m sure the bite is painful on its own. Next up he does the same with a huge Python, and then finishes up with the same routine with a King Cobra which is one of the largest poisonous snakes. Good show for free!

Day 325: Wednesday 20th May - Kayaking and snorkelling at Hong Island

I managed to book on to a Kayaking tour last night before dinner to Hong Island. I have to be on West Railay Beach for 8am. I’m the only one that is getting the longtail boat from Railay, we pick the rest up from Klong Muang which is near Ao Nang. It is an hour by longtail boat to Hong Island, and the scenery is similar to Phang Nga bay with interesting shaped islands, huge limestone cliffs rising steeply from the water along the way. We stop to see the lagoon which is in the middle of Hong Island before landing on Hong’s Beach to get ready to kayak around the island. Dark clouds are in the distance and within 20 minutes of being on the water in the kayak it starts pouring down. We head to the lagoon and hide under one of the cliff faces until it starts to ease off. We continue to kayak around the island, the rain stops but the sea is quite choppy. The kayaking is okay, but lasts only a little over an hour, which in the circumstances is plenty. Lunch awaits us when we get back to dry land and it isn’t long before the skies start to clear and the sun comes out. In the sun, Hong Island looks beautiful as well, another stunning location, but is there a bad beach around here?!

We leave Hong Island for Rai Island, another gorgeous island. The guide says that the snorkelling isn’t any good, so I just spend the half hour we have here admiring the scenery - Rai Island, Pakbia Island across from it, and a few other islands nearby. We’re back in the boat again for a short journey to Lading Island. We have another half hour here to snorkel. The snorkelling is okay, nothing spectacular. The reef is fairly colourless, but there are some interesting spikey sea urchins and crabs in the water, neither of which I’ve seen snorkelling before. We leave Lading Island to return to Ao Nang and then to Railay. It is one and a half hours before I get back, and when you add it with the other longtail boat journeys I’ve spent approaching 4 hours in a boat today. The scenery is beautiful but when you’ve got the roar of a longtail engine (basically a car engine on the back of a boat) in your ear it kind of detracts from the tranquillity of the setting. Added to this the snorkelling and kayaking have just been alright, so overall I haven’t enjoyed it as much as the Phang Nga tour. It’s funny but I said to Mike and Trudi last night when I booked it that whichever kayaking option I chose (renting a kayak and paddling to the islands near Railay Beach was the other option), that I would pick the wrong one. I don’t know if I did, but when I get back Trudi tells me that they had no rain here today, so perhaps I did, I’ll never know.

Mike is feeling worse if anything, and has spent the majority of the day in bed. He’s made the decision that tomorrow he’s going to go to Krabi to get medical help. He’s been unwell now for over a week, hopefully it’s nothing too serious. We have what could prove to be our final dinner together, but it is no cause for celebration and is a subdued evening with Mike under the weather. We may still meet up again elsewhere in Thailand, a lot depends on how long they’re stuck in Krabi waiting for Mike to recover from whatever he’s got. I hope we do, so that our last parting is a more jovial night than tonight. It has been good fun hanging out with them for the last week.

Day 326: Thursday 21st May - Climbing at Railay Beach

The weather has taken a turn for the worse. May is the start of the wet season on the west coast of Thailand, but apart from yesterday’s quick downpour the weather has been great this last week. It has been raining heavily immediately prior to me getting up this morning by the look of things. When I get to the climbing shop they tell me that because of the weather, this morning’s session is cancelled, and tell me to come back again at 2pm. When it brightens up I walk over to Ton Sai Beach. It’s a longer walk than I expected, it takes 30 minutes, but it is a pleasant walk through the woods. Ton Sai is the fourth of the beaches on the Railay peninsula, again isolated and only reachable by longtail, apart from on foot. Ton Sai isn’t as spectacular as Phranang or West Railay beaches, but is the least developed of the four beaches on the peninsula. It is surrounded by limestone cliffs on all sides and is perfect for climbing, and there’s a group of people climbing as I walk down the beach. I stop in Ton Sai for lunch and have a perfect view out to the Andaman Sea as I eat.

I don’t stop in Ton Sai long as I need to walk back to East Railay in time for my climbing. As I am leaving Ton Sai, there’s a rumble of thunder in the distance and some ominous black clouds are gathering in the distance. When it starts to rain on the way back, I have written off any chance of climbing today. I’m thinking of staying another day as I’d really like to do it as I walk the final part to the climbing shop. When I get there they say that it is on, much to my surprise. Then, when it starts raining more heavily just as we’re putting the gear on, it is postponed for three-quarters of an hour. When I go back, Noi our guide tells us it’s still on, despite the drizzle. I’m happy about this, on two counts. First, I’m looking forward to climbing for the first time in 15 years and second, I’ll be able to go to Phi Phi tomorrow after all.

We climb some introductory climbs at the far end of East Railay Beach. The first climb is only about 8 metres, and isn’t too hard as there are plenty of good footholds. The second climb must be 25 metres and is much tougher. I make it about half way up before I get stuck on an overhanging section where the handholds aren’t great. I expend too much energy holding on, trying to get a better grip and in the end I come off. I try again, but my arms have lost their strength for the time being so I ask to be lowered back to the ground. The third climb is not as high as the second, but it follows the same route up initially. I get stuck in the same place as on the previous climb, and despite my best efforts, I don’t fare any better. I used to really like climbing when I was in my late teens but I don’t remember being much good at it, and seemingly I’ve not improved in the intervening years. I’m also carrying more weight than 15 years ago, and haven’t exactly being doing much strength work down the gym the last few months!! After an hour and a half’s climbing we call it a day at East Railay and walk to Phranang Beach.

A couple of the lads in my group have asked if they can go to Phranang Cave. They’ve climbed up there already and they say you can climb through the cave to West Railay Beach and then abseil down. It sounds good, so I’m up for it. It’s not a technical climb, we ditch the climbing shoes in favour of the flip-flops (not the footwear of choice but it’s all I have with me) and start climbing up the rocks and ladders in the cave with the aid of a torch. Eventually, we come out above West Railay Beach, and then abseil 20-30 metres down. The views of Phranang, Ton Sai and West Railay Beaches are great even though it’s grey and wet. I’ve enjoyed the afternoon, the rain hasn’t really affected it as the cliffs provided shelter, and it has been good to get the climbing shoes on after an absence of many years. I’d like to give it a go again, I enjoy the challenge, but it’ll have to wait to another location as I’m going to Phi Phi tomorrow.

Day 327: Friday 22nd May - Experiencing Phi Phi’s nightlife

It’s another wet morning as I prepare to leave Railay for the Phi Phi Islands. Thankfully it dries up by the time I take the boat to Phi Phi, which takes about an hour and a half. Whilst I am waiting for the boat, I get talking to Katie, a girl from Wolverhampton. She’s travelling on her own also (which seems to be an oddity on Railay), and she mentions sharing a room on Phi Phi. Phi Phi isn’t renowned for its budget accommodation, so I’m happy to do that to reduce cost and she seems a friendly girl. We get off at Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two Phi Phi Islands, and the only one which you can stay on. The smaller island, Phi Phi Ley is a national park. The pair of us wander around for an age trying to secure the best deal. That is mainly my fault, I have to admit, but nothing grabs me on the accommodation front. It’s not that expensive though. With it being low season and the state of the world economy, we have plenty of options of a room at 300 Baht (£6), and even a dormitory bed for 150 Baht. I don’t fancy the dorm, it’s midday when we pass it and most people are still sleeping, and it is cramped.

After we take the room and get a bite to eat together we go our separate ways. Katie wants to look around the shops and I want to book a tour to Phi Phi Ley for tomorrow and then hit the beach. I quickly sort the tour out, getting a good price and then start to wander Phi Phi Don in search for the best beach. As I’m walking around evidence of the 2004 Tsunami is everywhere. Signs for evacuation points, new buildings (the old ones were completely wiped out) and also a ‘Tsunami village’. I wonder what the village is about so start to walk towards it but turn back when I’m told it is a half hour walk. It is too hot for that. Ton Sai beach didn’t look up to much - too many boats and noise to disturb the tranquillity - so I walk across to Lo Dalam instead. Lo Dalam is a nice beach, but I’d put it in the Ao Nang league rather than those of Railay. It doesn’t help that the tide is out, exposing the mud lower down the beach. Also, it is busier, much busier than Railay. This busyness shapes my first impressions of Phi Phi. It is undoubtedly beautiful, but I’ve seen better beaches and it is too commercialised and much too touristy for my liking.

I spend a couple of hours on the beach before walking up to the viewpoint to see the sunset. The view is well worth the effort of climbing all those steps - you can see both beaches below. I walk back down to the guesthouse after the sunsets, drop my stuff off and then go and get a massage. I ask for a back, shoulder and head massage, however my masseurs interpretation of human anatomy includes my legs in my upper torso!! She contorts my body in all sorts of strange ways, and at times I’m in positions which are more uncomfortable than relaxing! I’ll look forward to a full Thai massage in due course.

I catch up with Katie later in the evening. We go out and see what Phi Phi’s nightlife is all about. We share a bucket, which is a small bottle of spirits, and a mixer which you can buy from any convenience store or bar. We wander around the streets of Phi Phi Don at approaching midnight bucket in hand to see where looks good once we’ve finished our bucket. All the action seems to be between Ton Sai and Lo Dalam beaches, the beachfronts themselves are quiet. We have a drink in one of the central bars and then walk down to Lo Dalam beach where we find a beach party in full swing. There’s a fire show and a limbo dancing competition. The pole is lit on fire to add an extra dimension of drama. It ends up being a really good night and I could easily stay out longer but when it reaches 4am my thinking is more rational than spontaneous and I call it a night as I know I have to get up tomorrow morning for my Phi Phi Ley boat trip. As for Phi Phi Don it truly comes alive after dark, and I think it’s better at night than during the day.

Day 328: Saturday 23rd May - ‘The Beach’

I’m suffering from a hangover and a lack of sleep this morning ahead of my Phi Phi boat trip. Katie decides to come along as well at the last minute. The tour doesn’t exactly start in a glamorous location as we are led through the dirty back streets of Phi Phi Don to get flippers for the snorkelling and to pick up lunch. The first stop on the boat trip is at Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don where there are long-tailed macaques. These animals are becoming almost as common a sight as dogs and cats to me now, but it is funny to see them jump on to one of the boats and then swim back once they have taken the bananas off the tourists. After a short stop at Monkey Beach we go snorkelling at Shark Point, just off Phi Phi Don. I don’t manage to see any black-tipped reef sharks, but the water is very clear and the snorkelling is good. My head isn’t in the best shape to snorkel, and I’m in no mood for a leaky mask.

Our third stop is for lunch at Bamboo Island. The beach is a beautiful white sandy beach, it isn’t too busy and the waters surrounding it a brilliant turquoise blue. I find some shade under a palm tree and dose off, which is no surprise in the heat and due to my lack of sleep. A short snooze later and we’re off again to Maya Bay on Phi Phi Ley. This bay was made famous as being used as ‘The Beach’ in the movie of the same name about 8-9 years ago. Ever since I saw the film I wanted to come and see it for myself, nine years later I’ve finally made it. Initially, we pull into the bay to take a few pictures. We don’t go ashore as the boatman says the water is too shallow for the boat. Instead, we take the boat around to Loh Samah Bay, on the opposite side of the island and park up here. It is a bit of an adventure from here to get to Maya Bay, just like I remember it being in the film. When I say adventure, I mean in the sense of an obstacle course, as we wade through waist high water, struggle through tight gaps in caves, across slippy and sharp rocks and up and down steep ladders, eventually coming out through the trees on to ‘The Beach’. Maya Bay is as beautiful as I remember it being in the film. Its fine, white sands are surrounded by steep cliffs, and the bay is simply stunning. Railay had some beautiful beaches but I think Maya Bay tops them all, and for my Thailand experience it is probably ‘The Beach’. We have an hour in Maya Bay, I could stay here all day but we have a further two stops on our boat trip.

After Maya Bay we continue around Phi Phi Ley to Pi-Leh Bay. We snorkel in the entrance to the bay for half an hour before returning to the boat to enter the bay. It is similar to Maya Bay, enclosed by steep, limestone cliffs, and with very shallow waters. It is so incredibly peaceful inside the bay, the serenity only disturbed by the occasional longtail boat. Another amazing location on this amazing island. We finish off the trip by passing by Viking Cave, which appears to be ‘farmed’ for its bird’s nests. Then we cross the waters between Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don, watching the sunset to finish off a great day. The only thing I would say hasn’t been great has been the snorkelling. The water is incredibly clear, but the impact of tourism is apparent, with a lot of rubbish in the sea which is sad.

Back on dry land in Phi Phi Don, I book my ticket to Bangkok for tomorrow. A couple of nights on the island has been just right for me. I’ve done the boat trip around the other Phi Phi Islands which is the main thing I came here for, but Phi Phi Don is a bit too commercial and the beaches not worthy of another day for me. Futhermore, I’ve been eaten alive by mosquito’s on the island. I think of all the places I’ve been on my travels, this is the worst for mosquitoes. I’ve been bitten before but this species of mosquitoes seem to cause a bigger reaction on your skin when they bite. I’m not the only one who the mosquitoes have taken a liking to by the looks of it as well - as you wander the island you can see numerous other people with particularly bad bites. Finally, I don’t think I could handle another day with my roommate. She’s a lovely natured girl and spending a day or two together is fine, but we’re two totally different people, and we haven’t got too much in common.

Me and Katie are both shattered after a long day and a late night last night so rather than another late night on the drink we go for a nice meal. It will be the last time I’m by the sea for a while, maybe until Vietnam so I decide I want some sea food. I try barracuda for the first time, which is good.

Day 329: Sunday 24th May - Leaving Thailand’s island paradise behind

Today is my last day on Thailand’s beaches. Or it would be if I had made it to the beach. After a lie in there isn’t much time left on Ko Phi Phi Don other than to get brunch. I catch the boat back to Krabi at 2pm, which takes two hours and then connect on to a ‘VIP’ bus to Bangkok. I would struggle to agree that it is a VIP bus on two accounts. First, it is full of ‘sweaty’ backpackers (hardly VIP’s!!) and second the quality of the bus is far behind those I’ve got in Chile, Argentina and Malaysia to name a few. The journey to Bangkok is 13 hours, including meal stops, arriving at 5:30am the next morning.

My ten days on Thailand’s beaches have shown me what all the fuss is about. I now know why so many tourists visit this area, as it is indeed a stunning coastline. I’ve also hit lucky with the timing of my visit - it is the start of the rainy season, hence the start of the low season, so tourist numbers are low. I also got lucky with the weather. Considering it was rainy season, there were only 3 occasions I remember it raining during the day these past couple of weeks. And on each occasion it rained it didn’t have any great impact on my day. Railay was the favourite of the three places I stayed as it had the best beaches, was quiet but not too quiet and wasn’t that commercialised. With such a wide choice of beaches to visit before I arrived it was a tricky decision to choose the right ones. The fact that I can’t believe that I’ve been in Thailand 10 days is testament to the great time I’ve had, and therefore I must have got the decision right. It has been the right mix of chilling on the beach, doing activities in the day and enjoying the nightlife for me... brilliant times and happy memories. Those memories that will shine the brightest are Phang Nga Bay, the beaches on Railay and Phi Phi Ley but every day has been a good day. Sharing this experience with Mike and Trudi in Ao Nang and Railay helped to make it, as it did in a different way with Katie in Phi Phi. We may be different people, but I had a great night out with her that first night in Phi Phi.

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