Joe and Lou's Travel Blog

We moved to our booked, twin room at the resort. It is actually better even though it is cheaper. Tim calls it "rustic". It is made from wood planks with gaps in between some of them and also between the floor boards. The bathroom is made from cinder blocks and has a crogated iron roof that covers about a third, the rest is open. It has a nice feel and you don't need the fan on in the night as it is quite cool.

We hired a kayak and waterproof bag for half the day. It was Tim's first time so I gave him some quick instruction about how to get in and how to row. After a little trouble with steering, he was away just fine. The first stop was Railay West beach. This is the busiest beach in Railay and was quite crowded. After swimming for a while we pushed off and headed further round to the beach they call "princess beach". It is surrounded by an exclusive resort so to get there you go by boat or along the edge of the resort compound. We watched some Thai guys climbing up an overhang from out of the water, then they climbed along the top and jumped back into the sea. With the water below they did not need ropes. They were very strong and had incredible control as they climbed, hanging from their arms and lifting their feet over their heads.

A few hundred meters out from princess beach are a pair of islands. Paddling out to them we passed through the narrow channel between and round the outer island. Here the sea is choppy and I had to make sure we steered the kayak so that the waves were directly behind us to prevent being toppled over.

After returning the kayak we headed towards the path to Railay West. The path requires you to scramble up and down dusty rocks. Luckily the path is well trodden and it is easy to find the best route.

Looking around the bars and restaurants at West Railay I was surprised by how much more expensive they are compared to Ao Ton Sai (where we are staying) even though it is only a 10 minute boat ride away. By the time we finished our curries, it was getting dark and my stomach was not happy. The man on the beach said the boat to Ao Ton Sai would leave when there were enough people. We stood on the beach and waited. People came and left on boats headed to other destinations, we drank beer and waited. Looking along the beach we could see little specks of light in the dark. People were walking from Ao Ton Sai in the dark! We agreed they were crazy.

After waiting another quarter of an hour Tim suggested we see if there were any torches for sale. With our cheap, small torches in hand we headed down the beach contemplating how foolish we were. Despite their build the torches were bright and had groves that made it easier to hold them in your mouth. Useful when you need both hands for climbing.

Following the easier than expected trip back along the path we headed for the "chill out" bar to celebrate. The bars here are great with large open air decks and platforms with cushions, very laid back and lots of Reggae. The barmen all have long hair and sport rasta coloured t-shirts. Here we met and Aussie guy and a couple, the guy is Scottish and the woman English.

With a few drinks under our belts we got up and danced to the covers band playing mostly Reggae music. A Russian woman who has lived in Thailand for two years told me they were very popular until the lead singer took most of the money from a gig the played and they kicked him out. She said the new singer sounds just like the old one. I must say the singer was one of the worst I have heard in a covers band. I think Thai's have trouble singing in English as, in their language, tone change the meaning of a word so singing a word different ways would seem strange. Just a theory.