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Published: January 23rd 2008
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After finally leaving Hat Rin to do a "border run" in Malaysia, we found ourselves hopping from beach to beach, with varying levels of success. We started in the tried and true, the Krabi/Railay peninsula. Having been here on past trips to Thailand, we knew what to expect: amazingly high and overhung limestone cliffs riddled with caves creating the dramatic backdrop for the beautiful white sand beaches. Although not technically an island, it has a definite island feel due to the fact that the only way to reach it is by boat. This is because the impossibly steep cliffs surrounding it make building a road to it not even an option. The result is a complete lack of roads and motor vehicles, making for a quiet, laid-back feel. However, as Thailand goes increasingly towards the high end tourist market, accommodation prices have shot up. After two nights in an extremely over-priced and decidedly shabby room, we decided to try out the nearby "backpacker beach" of Ton Sai, famous for its world-class rock climbing and cheap accommodation. We got a shock. Rooms were not really cheaper than the "posh" beach, and the beach itself was not nearly as nice, becoming a mass
of soggy rocks at low tide, making swimming frustratingly impossible. However, the thing that made us stay only one night was the rock climbers. EVERYTHING was about rock climbing, and boy did you know it! After spending the day listening to nothing but talk of "bulaying down the rock" (whatever that means?!) and the like, we decided enough was enough - we had to find a place with fellow beach lovers!
A 50 minute speed boat ride took us across the bay to the island of Ko Yao Noi. Of the 25 or so tourists on board, we were the only two to get off on the island, the rest carrying on to the infamous island of Phuket. With an older Swedish man that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, we took a taxi across the island to a place mentioned in Lonely Planet which, once again, turned out to be twice the quoted price. In the end, we walked along and found an acceptable bungalow, basic and clean, for 300B ($7). Finally we were returning to normal Thai prices! The beach, though, was disappointing. Like Ton Sai, it was impossible to swim at low tide, making for a very
hot and muggy day at the beach. We spent the rest of the day exploring the island on foot, walking by huge rubber plantations where cups made of coconuts were nailed to trees to collect the sap, which was then mixed formic which serves as a coagulant. Later, the rubber is rung out in a press and then hung out to dry. Everywhere we walked, we could see what looked like huge yellow pancakes hanging up to dry.
The next morning, we moved on and took the public boat ferry to Phang-Nga bay. It was quite fun to finally be off the regular Thailand tourist trail, and for once be the only foreigners on the boat. The ride was beautiful. We rode on top of the boat past island after towering island, beautiful jewels in the middle of the blue ocean. The photos just don't do it justice! After one and half hours, we approached the mainland. We asked the boat driver if we could possibly get dropped off at the island village of Ko Panyi, and he obliged instantly. Wow - a tourist boat would never have done that! Ko Panyi is a town built completely on stilts,
Ko Poda
One of the beautiful islands we visited on the snorkel trip from Railay and becomes inundated with tourists for an hour or two everyday when the package deals come in for lunch. However, arriving at 10am, we had the place to ourselves. We ate a breakfast of fried rice and omelette while watching nervously as the owner's toddler rode his motorized tricycle precariously around the boardwalks. After breakfast, we left our big backpacks with him for safe keeping and went to explore. After escaping from the narrow lane of tourist souvenir stalls (where, I might add, we didn't get hassled as they were not expecting any tourists for at least another hour!) we managed to find the more authentic and charming areas of the village: the houses, the school, and the mosque. It was a truly pleasant morning.
Next stop: several less-visited islands in the south of Thailand. We are really hoping to find some new "jewels" out there!
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Claire and Dave
non-member comment
Hey!
you two look as though you're having a great time. long may it last, hey! ciao, claire