Thailand - The Railay Days

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After a quick stop over in Bangkok Airport between flights we arrived in Krabi to a cloudy welcome! Unlike Chiang Mai our hosts picked us up and transferred us via car and Long Boat to Railay. The initial view that greeted us didn't exactly fill us with joy, but we soon realised that we were going in through the tradesman's entrance, also known as East Railay!

East Railay is a backpackers haven and a 'flash-packers' hell. Full of roughly constructed bars, restaurants and budget hotels, all fronted by a forest of mangroves. West Railay on the other hand has hotels I'm happy to dwell in and a beach that shouts Thailand, long, arced and with tall cliff mounds at either end. On the other side of one of the cliffs was a beach offered the most amazing views (& sunsets). Our walled garden villa was all we had hoped, spacious modern and private!
Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, as all but one of the days was cloudy, with the other day being a complete wash out! Undeterred we still managed to squeeze in some adventure, misadventure and relaxation!

Our first foray into the ridiculous was on our 'little walk' to the look out point on the top of one of the nearby cliffs. The Guidebook described it as a steep walk. Steep, Yes, walk, No! Perhaps my English isn't what it should be, but a walk shouldn't include a near vertical climb up a muddy rock face with strategically placed ropes! So, twenty five minutes later (and very muddy) we find the most amazing look out point and takes in both East and West Railay! Probably worth the climb, sorry walk... We were also on the lookout for the Lagoon, however we soon realised that this was a sea lagoon which could only mean one thing, a decent, an ascent followed by another decent. After a brief discussion it was decided that the safest option would be to leave the Lagoon for more foolhardy souls! A tricky twenty minute downward climb got us past the most challenging sections without any issues, in accordance with Sod's law it was on a fairly routine five meter section where I came a cropper! Bear in mind I was on a 'walk', with foot ware to suit. I managed to slip on a muddy rock, I held on to the rope which reduced my worries, however this made me swing and bash (I think 'smashed' might over play it) my elbow into the rocks! With pity in her eyes (and a 'Told you this was a bad idea' coming her way) Charlie was suitability sympathetic, but still decided that we should head for a swim anyway. Needless to say it wasn't her elbow she couldn't bend...  In all fairness the swim did take my mind off my arm, if only because Charlie trumped me by getting stung by what has to be a swarm of Jelly Fish! In agony she managed to swim out of the water on to the beach, only to find the pain increase. Enter David Hasselhoff (or at least my version of him) running along the beach, bare chested and man boobs keeping me upright, I can only apologise to the other beach lovers, it wasn't a pretty sight. Unfortunately the 5* hotel security wasn't the most useful (though he did manage to keep me off it's grounds), another fifty yards on I got the much needed cure! 'Rice Wine Vinegar'! After a suitable drenching the pain subsided another that I didn't need to use my on acid based fluid! Three days later all marks of the 'attack' had cleared, though it was as many days before Charlie return to swim again in the sea.

The rest of our stay in Railay was a combination of lazing by the pool, drinking cocktails, eat well, treating Mozi bites and even the odd foray into East Railay! Not forgetting that Charlie being Charlie she had to find the Lagoon, so tagging along with a few more foolhardy people she climbed up, down, up and down again to report back that 'the tide was out'! I think my two hours by the pool with a cold Chang was more worthwhile!

  

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