Jan 8th-14th
Glad to escape the massive toilet bowl that was Koh Phi Phi, Amina and I took a ferry to Koh Lanta, a mere hour-and-a-half away.
We caught a tuk tuk who escorted us to several accommodations until we found one that had space available.
Our accommodation, Green Garden Resort, was located on Hat Khlong Khong, which is a beautiful white-sand stretch of beach . Unfortunately, the amount of rocks extending in either direction and in the water made it a more pleasant place to tan rather than swim.
To remedy this, we headed to Hat Klong Dao the following day. Hat Klong Dao is a beautiful 2-km stretch of rockless, white-sand beach with a few low-key restaurants and bars. Believe it or not, but I had the best Pad Thai in all of Thailand at a restaurant that doubles as a minimart. Go figure.
The next day, Amina put great faith in me when we rented a scooter to access a beach further south on the island. The roads were quite barren and the terrain quite flat, so our lives were not in any immediate danger.
We arrived at Hat Khlong Nin, a serene, white-sand beach with perfect waves for swimming. We plopped ourselves down in some lounge chairs and enjoyed the peaceful serenity which was in stark contrast to the rowdy, dirty beaches of Koh Phi Phi.
To continue the beach vibe, we took a ferry to Railay beach, the same place as our New Years Eve bash. We took the early ferry to make sure we found accommodations because once again we didn't book in advance. We managed to find a nice pool-side bungalow on Railay's east coast and we would stay there for four nights.
The last time we were there, it was already after dark so we had no idea what Railay actually looked like. If I had known, I probably would have never left.
Everything you imagine when you think of a Thai beach, Railay has it. Crystal blue waters, white and gold sand, breathtaking limestone cliffs, cigar boats and even resident monkeys; you name it, Railay has it.
While still quite touristy, Railay keeps a low-key, relaxed feel. While there are developments springing up around the cliff-shielded peninsula, it is done in a tasteful way that doesn't compromise the natural beauty that Railay is loved for.
Railay is also renown for its world-class rock climbing, due to the fantastic cliffs flanking its beaches, attracting rock-climbers from all ends of the earth.
On our first day, we went to the surreal Hat Phra Nang and lounged around on its golden sands and turquoise waters.
It was also fun to watch the monkeys play and steal unsuspecting peoples' food.
The following day we headed to Hat Railay west. Although this beach acts as the drop-off spot for most boats, it is still clean enough and big enough to accommodate many beach-goers and swimmers.
As the afternoon was approaching, we went back to Hat Phra Nang to take in one of the beautiful sunsets and admire this beach's majestic cliffs during the golden hour.
The following day, we decided to be more active and would try an afternoon of rock-climbing after a morning on Railay's west coast.
We decided to go with Railay Rock Climbing Shop, whose staff were really friendly and had a solid reputation.
Our guide, Nut, led Amina, myself and Cynthia, a Taiwanese-American girl, to the beginner spots on the southern end of Railay's east side.
Nut, put up the lead line after teaching me to belay for him.
After the top-line was secure, the three of us took turns ascending the rock-face.
As the afternoon progressed, so did the degree of difficulty and height of the climbs.
I was really impressed with the girls' climbing ability. While I relied purely on upper-body strength, they seemed to utilize more skill and technique.
Amina, with her non-existent arm strength, really showed some incredible determination on her climbs, especially the last one.
It was really great to do this activity together considering she didn't even want to do it when we were talking about it initially.
I really enjoyed rock-climbing: It's goal-oriented, easy to gauge progress and incredibly rewarding to make it to the top of a climb. Not to mention an amazing total-body workout!
My only complaint is that I'm not flexible enough and would like to learn to utilize my legs more.
Things to work on.
Once we finished our climbs, we put away our gear and grabbed a tall beer to admire the sunset on Railay's west coast.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
While on Railay, we ended up spending all our evenings out at Last Bar, the same place we went for new years. The good vibe, shisha, and nightly fire shows made it the place to be.
(Photo Credit: Amina Qureshi)
On our final day in Railay, we spent the day on the west coast beach and before sunset I made my way to the surprisingly hard-to-get-to lookout point, giving fantastic views over this magical peninsula.
From there I attempted to get to Sa Phra Nang, which is a secret lagoon, but the steepness of the path and the setting sun made it too dangerous to attempt alone.
My sickness on Koh Phi Phi notwithstanding, I was still nonetheless disappointed with its level of development and degrading natural beauty. However, Koh Lanta and Railay re-instilled a sense of excitement and appreciation towards the beauty that Thai beaches can still possess.
Just thank God that we had found them!
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