Thai's Snoop Dog in Railay

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After staying in Krabi and feeling like I was back in backpacker land it was time to hit the road.

First thing in the morning after grabbing a delicious egg rice noodle soup from one of the local stalls/resturants I headed to the pier. The boat left after it got near full and we set off.

The boats are pretty cool from Krabi to Railay they have almost mini Viking boat features and it almost doesn't do it justice to have a motor hooked to the back. I guess the back packers passing through Thailand get pretty relaxed so I'm not sure who would actually be up for the rowing.

Initially I made my way to Railay Cabana which I read was one of the cheaper less resort like aces on the island. I got lost seriously 4 times going around in circles around the same resort before stumbling into Cabana completely drenched in sweat. And as if to rub it in my face Cabana was full.

Before heading over to book the bungalows next door i mentioned I was interested in rock climbing and potentially learning how to lead.

That's when I was introduced to Nughn. One thing I've noticed since arriving in Thailand is the back packers with amazing bodies. Both girls and guys are great looking and it's not uncommon to spot a couple of six packs on the beach. I know a couple of English backpackers who made sure to get buff before coming to Sydney and I guess this is the case with backpackers trying to get ready for the beaches of Thailand.

This trend is even more prominent in Railay.

Combine beaches and rock climbing and you get some pretty fit bodies strutting their stuff usually with their tops off or open.

The Thai guys are not shy about this on Railay and I think it's almost mandatory if you are a rock climber or fire thrower on the island to never wear a shirt on Railay Beach.

So back to Nughn. Nughn, like all the fit rock climbers, sported a no top look the whole time I was there. He had Snoop Dog like features but with more Afro style hair tied back in a pony tail. Nughn offered to teach me to lead, mentioning the prices were about 2,800 baht but were negotiable due to the lack of available text books. I wasn't sure about Nughn as he seemed like he might be trying to do a dodgy deal on the side. I mean he didn't look like he even had a climbing store. I checked into the bungalows next door for 400 baht or say 13 aud then decided to grab my gear and see if I could find any climbers on the crag.

I headed up to the 1 2 3 wall a nice wall with some easy climbs surrounded by a stunning back drop. However no partners exclusive of a climbing school were to be found.

Having usually gone with friends I was reluctant to pay for what was theoretically a climbing partner. However I did want to get some climbs in on the island so I decided to bite the bullet and grab a partner that afternoon. For 800 baht (which is what seems to be the going rate on the island but can probably be negotiated in low season or May to October) the school of choice promises you half a day or 4 hours of climbing.

I climbed the crag with Tom from Ya Ya bar. The routes were quite good and I found them quite challenging due to my technique being fairly rusty. My personal best for the day was a 6b.

If your climbing with a climbing school do keep an eye on the time as Tom was eager to call it quits after 2 hours and i had to keep reminding him that we were climbing for 4. Following the climb I decided to have a chat with Nughn again.

After negotiating a really good price I was happy when he began to teach me the technique. So for the next 3 to 4 hours I felt like Daniel son from the Karate Kid I practiced knots, clipping in and safety myself to a tree, whilst Nughn kept a watchful eye on me from the bar.

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