Rocks and Rolls

Day 58- A boat, a flight and another boat later, we arrived in Railay, Thailand. This was another return visit for Mike and I and we knew it would be a great last stop for Kassie and Chudi. Railay has a very chill vibe. Although not far from the mainland's City of Krabi, it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere. Railay has a ton of activities to keep travellers busy and to test the body's limits. The boat ride in offers a stunning view of what this peninsula has to offer. 

The boat brought us in at the west beach and the scenery satisfied all of my desires. 

We hadn't booked any accomodation, so we walked around while Chudi and Kassie looked for a place to stay for the rest of their vacation. After the minimalist approach we took in Haad Yuan, we were all in need of some hot showers and a few extra amenities. 

                     

Kassie and Chudi chose a beautiful room at Princess resort that would normally go for $200-$300 dollars a night in Canada. This is the beauty of Asia, they only paid around $60. Mike and I on the other hand, wanted to return to our old stomping grounds, on the north end of the island, at Phutawan Hotel. It sits at the top of the hill and is complemented by one of the best views of the large rock walls that make up the surrounding landscape. It also has A/C, hot showers and great wifi, probably the nicest place we have stayed at so far, for a whopping $30 bucks a night. Another reason we insisted on returning here, was for the best coffee in Thailand at a shop called Highland Coffee. On our last visit, Mike and I spent a lot of time with the guys who own the shop and I got my brown leather purse hand made by Chao, the rasta rock climber who always wears a smile. 

                       

We took it easy for the night. Played some games and got massages. 

Now if our Duchty friends ever read this, you need to look closely at the next photo.... Yes, that is what you think it is... SCOREBLOCK!!!! One of my life's greatest accomplishments. 

                     

Day 59- Mike and I took Kassie and Chudi to the Lagoon. Below is a picture of East beach that we took while walking to the Lagoon. This is also the view from Kassie and Chudi's hotel.

The lagoon is a not-so-secret magical place surrounded by walls with an area in the middle that fills up with water during high tide.  Here is how I like to describe it... it is one of those stunning places that you would see an image of on national geographic, that you would never imagine you would get the opportunity to see in real life. To get there involves quite the strenuous climb up, over cliff walls and wet red mud. Earth and humans have collaborated to help adventurers see the lagoon by exposing roots and tree vine as well as actual rope, to grab, hold and support people during the climb. This is no easy trek, taking time and a lot of concentration to do it without getting hurt. When we were starting the trek I actually overheard a girl talking to her boyfriend, with a crying voice saying, "I can't believe I am still alive"! Bahahahahahaha!! The climb is hard but not "I can't believe I'm still alive" hard. 

                           

  

We passed very few people along the way but when we did, we would take their advice while offering our own on how to best navigate the puzzles ahead. Last time we did this trek we went barefoot and it helped to grip the walls with our feet.  Nothing like feeling the earth between your toes. 

We made it!

                           

Looking up from the middle of the lagoon.

What is the best part? There were only two other people there other than us. Pretty amazing that something so beautiful can be enjoyed without crowds of tourists around you. 

I mentioned snakes and Chudi wasn't sticking around for photos.

Getting out of the cave is much easier than getting in but before we could leave, we had to check out the view point from the top of the crater. East (right) and West (left) beach are shown opposite of eachother while being sandwiched from the north and south by rock cliffs and palms.

It was a relief to make it to the bottom with all of our toes, limbs and skin still in tact.

We enjoyed the rest of the day playing in Chudi and Kassie's infinity pool. Kassie does the best underwater hand stand, Mike can hold his breath under water the longest and Chudi and I make a great audience. 

That night we went our seperate ways for dinner and I found some banana nutella thai pancakes!!

                       

Day 60- We rented some kayaks for the day and cruised around the rock formations in the ocean. 

                      

There so many places to hide within the canals and caves of the ocean rock.

We found a private little beach and we stopped to take a swim.

There was a little cave on shore that Mike climbed into. I tried but was unsuccessful. 

                     

After kayaking we hung out in our pool and fuelled up at our little coffee shop to prepare for a night out. We finished off dinner with some more nutella banana pancakes and strolled to Last Bar to....

listen to some live music by a Malaysian song bird,

play some more games,

and watch some fire dancing.

That night Kassie was hit with some pretty wicked food poisoning that put her out for the next couple of days. 

61/62- Woke up in the morning and took it easy for the day while Kassie recovered. Unfortunately whatever got Kassie sick, got me as well. It took me 4 days to feel 100% again. Mike and Chudi were also affected in a less violent way. Chao from the coffee shop said it has been happening a lot, where one person will get sick, then the next day their friend will get it and so on and so forth. Either way, it was a rough couple of days but it didn't stop us from finishing what we came to do. 

While I was recovering Mike and I chilled poolside and the craziest thing happened. Mike starting walking on water and ate a guy climbing on a nearby mountain.

Day 63- This was Chudi and Kassie's last day so we had to make up for lost time. First, we hit the beach for some last minute sun rays and salty water. 

                         

Then we met up with Chao to do some rock climbing. Railay is known around the world as a rock climbers haven. At one point the entire area was underwater, forming perfect pockets in the rock for hands and feet to climb up. We harnessed ourselves in and took turns climbing the 15 meter rock cliffs. Here are some of our best shots!

Mike was a natural. Look at that reach!

Kassie making a risky manoevre that pays off big time.

                           

                      

My wanna-be Laura Croft moment.

                         

And Chudi's cliffhanger re-enactment.

After a couple of climbs each, we headed to the cave to capture yet another great view.  Last time we came to Railay, I got a beautiful picture of the view with my iphone but I was anxious to get a higher quality photo with my professional camera. Headlamps were a must on this trek, as we entered the cave from the beach and walked into complete darkness. Bamboo ladders help climbers get higher and higher in the cave, which eventually lead to a breathtaking lookout. 

                          

Don't they make a good looking couple?! 

                          

Yes I was talking about Chudi and Kassie, not Mike and Kassie...

Once at the top, we tightened our harnesses and rappelled 20 meters back to the ground. Kassie has never done anything like this before and she was an absolute champ!

                       

                       

                       

       

                       

View from the bottom up. 

                  

After a hot shower and some food we all got thai massages to loosen up. We went to Last Bar for our last night with Kassie and Chudi to catch one more Thai must-see. Muay Thai boxing!

The time spent with our dear friends has left lasting memories that we will cherish forever. It was so sad to see them leave and it only reminds us of just how true the statement "there's no place like home" really is. We are very lucky to have such great friends and family to come home to. This doesn't mean that we are coming home yet though, I was just saying. 

Day 64/65/66/67- For the rest of our stay in Railay we sunk back into travel mode and spent the least amount of money possible. On average, including our hotel stay, we spent $70 bucks a day. We were both still recovering from our illnesses so we were happy to relax by the pool and catch up on our 20 or so missed episodes of Big Brother! In the mornings I would enjoy breakfast alone  while Mike slept in but one morning I had a whole bunch of sneaky companions. These guys came into the restaurant and broke open the sugar and creamer packages...I probably should have told someone but it was just so entertaining. 

Much of our time was also spent enjoying the rain with a nice cup of coffee from Highland Coffee House

and fooling around with the many trinkets that make their shop so inviting. 

We finally managed to catch a sunset on West Beach. The sky transformed right before our eyes into an instant postcard....

We enjoyed our last night in Railay at Jam Bar. They play classic reggae hits and they also provide games to patrons. We gambled against one another, built the tallest jenga building ever and I kicked Mike's butt in connect four. 

                          

Day 68/69- We said goodbye to Railay and made our way back to Bangkok. We had plans to see more of Thailand but after looking at our timeline, we quickly realized that our schedule was tighter than we thought. So we spent a couple of days in one of my favorite cities, enjoying good food, watching movies and taking our last thai tuk tuk ride. 

                    

We went for dinner at Madame Musur's restaurant, just behind Khao San road and they served me the best Massaman curry I have had to date! We also ordered satay pork with peanut sauce. The food is made with the flavors and flair from Northern Thailand and it really is worth a visit. 

                          

And a new adventure begins...