Beach hopping

We have spent the last few days on the beach hopping between islands, sunning ourselves and relaxing.

We spent a couple more nights on Ko Lanta enjoying the really peaceful resort that Aimee mentioned in the last post, we decided that if we didn't leave soon we would never reach the north in time to meet mom and dad so we booked ourselves onto a boat headed for the famous Ko Phi Phi. Famous because it was 'the beach' in The Beach but unfortunately also because it was badly affected in the boxing day Tsunami. The boat to Phi Phi was pleasant, fast and cheap, although we did have to climb over 2 other boats to get to it.

Ko Phi Phi was devastated by the boxing day tsunami but is back to its best now there is everything you could need for a good time at the beach.

We only stayed on Phi Phi for 2 nights because the accommodation was a bit pricey, it was nice to have a change of pace for a couple of days and if you are looking for a party then Phi Phi is the way to go. There are also lots of other beaches on Phi Phi that might provide that paradise feel but we decided to head back to Railay where we went last year instead (I fancied doing a bit of climbing, more of this in the next post).

Very good advice

So we got ourselves onto another boat bound for Railay, this time no clambering over other boats as Phi Phi has a nice concrete pier. We knew that we would have to transfer to a smaller long-tale boat to actually get to Railay as the beaches are rather isolated and there is no pier but after all of our boat trips we are salty sea dogs now.

As we set off from Phi Phi, on time rather than Thai time, the weather was beautiful, there were even people sunbathing on the roof.

As the journey continued the sky slowly got darker and darker until we started to see flashes of lightning in the distance. Then the rain started, a light English style shower to start then progressing through heavy rain all the way to stormy seas. The waves got bigger, although they stayed a beautiful green and we kept thinking, this will pass by the time we have to get off.

Then we saw a couple of limestone Karsts that we recognised and the weather was not letting up. Then sure enough came the cry "RAILAY, RAILAY," we were the first to get up as everyone else going to Railay seemed to be English and therefore pronounce it Raylee. The rain was so bad that even with the boat stopped all that we could see was emerald green waves and the dark shapes of the Karsts off in the mist. We were rather glad when we were ushered into the warm of the engine room out of the rain although this did mean we missed the first round of long tales to the beach. As soon as we stepped back onto the deck we were soaked right through again, we were glad that we had put the rain covers on the back packs before we started out.

A long-tale pulled up along side the small ferry that we were waiting on and was tied off. The boat driver, I know driver is the wrong word for a boat but it really is the only way to describe the way a long-tale moves in the water, hauled our bags down then we jumped down ourselves followed by eight other people. At the best of time a long-tale with its massive car engine balancing on the back has a pugnacious relationship with the water in front of it, pushing it out the way rather than gliding through it, however with the larger stormy waves the boat felt as if it were trying to rip a hole in the very fabric of the sea - and winning. The rain and the spray were indistinguishable, the boats canopy no protection at all. We were wet before we got on the long-tale but after it looked like we had had a fully clothed swim in the sea.

We jumped out of the boat when we got to the shore and waded the last couple of meters to the beach. Even after all of that it was worth it, the sand is soft, the scenery spectacular and our accommodation had a sign out welcoming us.

Railay maybe a bit awkward to get to, the food and accommodation is a bit more expensive but it is our favourite place in Thailand.

Always a nice welcome your name on a board