Thailand, 2nd-17th December 2006
Bangkok (1) - Chiang Mai (2) - Andaman Coast (3)
Unfortunately, my hold luggage didn't arrive at Krabi airport with us. After we'd filled in the necessary paperwork we joined our transfer and were taken by jeep to the pier, then by long tailed boat to our accommodation
Approaching East Railay
The plan had been to spend most of the time at Railay climbing, but the rope, my harness and shoes, and (stupidly) my contact lenses were all in the missing bag. We had decadently booked into Sunrise Tropical Resort, so had our own air conditioned villa with access to a pool, so we got settled in then went for a walk to get a feel for the peninsula
The nearby climbing crags seemed very busy
Many of the people climbing seemed to be very good, but there was also a frightening amount of posing and incompetence on display. We saw the worst belaying we'd ever seen - this man's partner was leading at this point, and this was actually how he was belaying, not just a bad moment!
Monkeys round at Phra Nang beach
Phra Nang. Whilst the beach was pretty, it was very busy and you couldn't relax without being bothered every few minutes by people selling drinks and snacks, and you couldn't leave your things unattended in case the monkeys stole them. We didn't stay long
Away from the shore there was a lot of construction work going on, much of it reconstruction after the tsunami
The beach at West Railay
In the absence of the climbing gear and my lenses, there were only so many activities we could enjoy
The next day we were delighted to find the missing rucksack waiting for us at breakfast. We went climbing, but stopped fairly quickly due to the high heat and humidity and incredible business of the easy routes (anything under 6c - so everything we could attempt and more). We hired a kayak and paddled around the peninsula instead, and got very sunburnt. We could see clounds building, and got back shortly before a series of thunderstorms hit
We quickly tired of hiding in our villa and went for a scramble up the hill and down to a lagoon enclosed in the peninsula. It was very wet and very muddy, but not cold
East Railay from a viewpoint on the way back from the lagoon
We started early the next day, but it soon got very busy again
In the afternoon we headed over to Tonsai. The crags there were also very busy, but the bay was a little less busy. We climbed "The Groove Tube" - a very good wee route. It was, unusually, protected by threaded pockets rather than bolts, and was given F6a in the guidebook but was really much easier than that - perhaps UK grade VS 4c or HS 4c, F5a. I think perhaps that the locals are so used to steep, thuggy climbing that they don't really notice easy but strenuous moves and consequently rate easy technical moves as harder than they are. Or something like that
Looking back down The Groove Tube from the lower-off ledge
Rush hour at East Railay
A wee crab scuttling down a rock
The local pigs have taken to burying themselves to hide from predators
Cats playing beside a restaurant at West Railay
We did a wee bit of climbing the next morning, then joined a boat trip in the afternoon. This cruised around a few local islands, stopping for snorkelling. The island on the left above is called Chicken Island, after the chicken-head tower at the end.
We bought a disposable waterproof camera as an experiment, and took a few photos whilst snorkelling:
The trip stopped on an island beach for dinner
The sunset was quite spectacular, and we were lucky in that the rain showers all missed us
Dinner and beers in the dusk.
On the way back, in the dark, the boat stopped off by the cliffs between West Railay and Phra Nang, and we were told to jump in. Once in the water, it was possible to see the outline of your arms and legs glowing in the blackness, and bright greenish sparks of light appeared every time the surface was splashed - phosphorescence. This was absolutely magical, and perhaps the best thing we saw all holiday
On our last morning we climbed at the cliffs by Diamond Cave at East Railay, and then afterwards went for a look inside the cave itself
The formations were amazing, with pools, stalactites and jellyfish-like deposits
After lunch we had just enough time for another trip to the lagoon (Jen hadn't quite made it down the slippy lower cliffs the previous time). It was a lot drier, but still damp and muddy
There are some short cliffs with fixed ropes, and a rope ladder, near the bottom
The big muddy puddle known as Sa Phra Nang Lagoon
We had decided to really treat ourselves for our last two nights, and had booked into Koyao Island Resort. We were picked up by a long tailed boat and raced away as the afternoon showers closed in
Approaching the resort
The karst scenery was stunning. Our boat had taken us between these islands on our way
Our luxury villa. The walls didn't quite reach the roof (it's never cold enough to matter), and could be opened right up; there was a big fan above the bed and another in the sitting room. The bathroom was open to a walled garden at the back, and there were two showers - one in the bathroom and another outside in the garden
Bed!
The resort, which used to be a banana plantation
The swimming pool
The beach had a great outlook, but the water was cloudy
The rain caught up with us shortly after dark...
It was so wet that frogs came into our villa to hide from it! These two hid behind the sofa, and another hid in the bathroom as the garden temporarily flooded
By the pool the next morning
We had booked a boat trip, so had a leisurely breakfast then waited for the boat to arrive
Our trip manager, Mr Been (!) loading supplies
Leaving the resort
We went snorkelling again at several locations. Again, the water was fairly cloudy and there were many small jellyfish nipping us, but it was worthwhile. One stop, at a rock off one of the islands, was much clearer, and we spent some time there admiring the colourful corals and fish
We landed at an island beach for a while, and met some monitor lizards, which were wondering whether or not we would feed them. Mr Been told us that he had been at this beach when the tsunami hit, but had fortunately been able to scale a tree and hang on (he was a coconut picker by trade). The boat we were on had also been there at this time, and the captain had had to turn in to the beach and surf the wave. The boat had held together, and with help he was able to carry it back out of the jungle and go home. Many other boats were wrecked, and are still there amongst the trees
The fish at the beach were not very timid
I went to the toilet before we left, and just about stepped on this!
On the way back we visited this tidal lagoon. The tide was out (which had been good for the snorkelling), so it was too shallow to take the boat in and we had to wade
The mud flats were swarming with small crabs, scuttling around scavenging
We spent the rest of our time relaxing at the resort, then headed back by long tailed boat then taxi to Krabi airport, then flew to Bangkok Airport and on home.
It hadn't been our usual type of holiday, but we'd had a great time!
Bangkok (1) - Chiang Mai (2) - Andaman Coast (3)