Monkeys and rock climbers
Still on Railey…enjoying the big deck on my bungalow here, trying to stay in the shade to get away from the heat. There’s really no escaping it though at this time of year in Thailand – anywhere you go the temperature will be a minimum of 90F. Forget about buying a chocolate bar anywhere (unless it’s in a refrigerator) – they are all melted into complete liquid. If you pick one up in a store it will squeeze through your hand like a packet of jelly.
Anyway, my bungalow here is really nice, situated high on a hill with trees all around. Definitely feel more like I’m in the jungle here than at the beach, although the beach is just a 10-minute walk away. In the morning, I’ve been waking up to the sounds of monkeys and birds calling from the trees – how cool!
Railey beach is world famous for it’s limestone cliffs jetting out on the beaches – it’s The Place to rock climb in Thailand. Although the beach is on the mainland of Thailand, it’s only accesible by boat because with the high cliffs all around there’s no chance of getting a road through. So it still has the island feel to it for sure. The place is loaded with hard-body rock climbers, all walking around with their harnesses on. It’s defintely a scene. But just to sit on the beach and watch people scale the rock faces is an awe-inspiring experience. During the Dec/Jan high season, I heard stories from people escaping to Ko Lanta because Railey was so packed to the point where you couldn’t even walk on the beach from all the sunbathers spewed everywhere. Now though it’s perfect – not a lot of tourists at all, just the climbers and a few sun worshippers.
Tomorrow I’m heading back to Ko Lanta to go on a one-day dive trip, then depending on how I feel, I’ll either stay on Lanta for a bit or come back here.
Railey Hill Bungalows…what a great porch!
Ton Sai Beach, famous for rock climbing
Sunset by longtail
Add comment April 2nd, 2002