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...

 

    

 

 

 

Peace n Love

Day 53- We took the late boat out of Gili T and headed to Kuta (Bali) for the night, before catching a flight the next day to Thailand. Mike and I spent 6 weeks in Indonesia and we could have easily spent much more. There are so many hidden gems around every corner and so many places waiting to be found.

Our night in Kuta was spent with massages and cigars on our little patio.

Day 54- Another early morning flight took us from Denpasar airport in Bali, to Bangkok Thailand. Due to the terrorism incidents in Thailand, just a few days prior, we were cautious with our plans and tried to keep away from big tourist attractions. So the first line of business after we got settled was to eat some Thai curry. I have dreamt about the massaman curry from thailand and no one anywhere else seems to make it the same. Next line of business was to get some suits made for Chudi and Kassie. We went to a tailor highly recommended by the Free and Easy family and Chudi and Kassie settled in for some tough negotiations. 

These things take time and patience. Kassie is demonstrating how to sit and wait patiently while Chudi explores every option possible. She doesn't look bored at all... After the suits were chosen and their measurements were taken, we headed to MBK to do some shopping and eat Pizza Hut. Kassie's bruises were coming in nicely and it was really starting to show how hard she had fallen. 

                           

I forgot to explain the one on her back. That is from when she was gracefully walking through the water with flippers. She fell backwards on a large piece of coral, this was the same day that she fell on her bike. I discovered something on this trip that I didn't know about Kassie. She is very accident prone and her mom is right to worry about her every move! How she walks around in 3 inch Michael Kors heels I don't know. 

Kassie rode in her first Tuk Tuk on our way back to the hostel. 

Day 55- Once again, we had another busy day of travel from Bangkok to Haad Yuan. This place is magical and the landscape looks like it's taken right out of Disneyland. Haad Yuan has been on our minds since we came 4 years ago, so we were so happy to be back. We checked into our room at Ocean Rock Resort where we were paying $12 bucks each a night. We didn't do a very good job of preparing Kassie for such basic accomodation and she was definitely shocked to see where we'd be sleeping for the next 3 nights. However I must say, she did very well and she did it with no complaints. 

            

What you see here is what you get. I can't blame her either, not a lot of people would want to sleep in this type of accomodation but for the price and the view, it was worth it.

We took it easy on our first night and focused on making our home a home. The full moon party was the next day so we stayed up late and played games to prepare us for the imminent late night. 

Day 56/57- We woke up late and had a lazy day on the beach, ate good food and slept the afternoon away. Around 6pm it was time to paint our bodies for the night ahead. We wanted to be a team of hippies for the night so we covered our arms and legs with symbols of peace and love. 

Yes those are flowers in Mike's beard and they were a huge hit. I have wanted to do that since he grew his beard and this presented the perfect opportunity. 

                             

We headed to the local bar before making our way to the craziness of the full moon party on Haad Rin beach. Of course we took this opportunity to take more photos and utilize their black lights.

Me and "Miss" Kassandra (not for long).

We left for Haad Rin beach around midnight and when we arrived, the beach was in full(moon) party mode. Unfortunately, I was dealing with some serious stomach issues so I stuck to water for most of the night but we had to make an exception and get Kassie her first thai bucket.

                           

The beach on full moon is overrun with attractions from music, to fire jump rope, to strength competitions to dance offs and even sleeping areas for people who partied too hard. Chudi and I tried our strength at one of the hanging booths and we both won, although we didn't actually win anything but the right to say we won. Kassie and I did some yoga on the beach to combat our sleepiness late night and Mike and I learnt some of today's hottest dance moves from Kassie and Chudi; the whip and the nene.

                           

                  

Chudi was feeling confident and wanted to show his sick skills at the burning jump rope but Kassie and I were not supportive. Although, I secretly knew it would make for an awesome slow motion video, so when he decided to go for it, I was standing by to capture the terrifying moment on camera.

                              

Disclaimer: No Chudi's were harmed or injured during the making of this film.

Just to clarify, Chudi did not only successfully enter the jump rope with ease but he actually danced in between each jump, if it wasn't for the guy wearing black who jumped in after, this would have been quite the show. All in all it was a great night and like all successful full moon parties, we made it until the morning to see the sun come up. 

After a short sleep we woke up to enjoy another easy day on Haad Yuan. We chilled in the ocean for most of the day and I walked along the beach to get some good photos of the beauty that makes Haad Yuan so unique. 

                             

After a some dinner and a movie at Big Blue restaurant we went to sleep for our last night in our mouse infested bungalow. We packed our bags that night and noticed that a little mouse had been very busy during our stay. It ate a fairly big hole through my new backpack cover and some of my cords, our toothpaste and Kassie's day pack. It was time to leave.