Catching up - Ao Ngan and Railay

….Good times, as usual.

Not a hell of a lot to report. Honestly, its been two well needed and well deserved quiet nights in a row. I now lay in a bed in Koh Pha Ngan at 1am with 2 sleeping bodies in the same room.

Leaving P.P in the rear view mirror, we arrived in Krabi Town, a group of 4 with nowhere to go. After talking to the harassing locals at the ferry terminal, we diceded the route to make would be to a town called Ao Ngan, which was a 20 min drive away, and a short 15 min longtail ride to Railay Beach, which is known as one of the most beautiful in the world. So off we went in a cab, in search of the perfect guesthouse in a small, tourist town.

The sights along the ride, although spectacular, would be nothing in comparison to what we would be laying our eyes apon in mere hours. Limestone mountains jutting from the earths surface, covered in lush, green vegetation, For the 3^rd or 4^th time ALREADY on this trip, I was seeing scenery in which I thought only Hollywood could produce. How was I to know it was only a continent or two away?

So Dave and Erin found a place for 1000 ($34) baht a night, but that was a little to rich for our blood, so we backtracked a little in search of the guesthouse that was advertising 550 baht rooms. Little did we know we were stumbling on one of the best deals in S.E Asia. The room we got would have EASILY been $150 CAD in Calgary, and we were paying less that $20, What a steal….Much better than the 1000 baht place down the road that our friends were now inhabitating.

We quickly checked in, and promptly headed to Subway for a true western meal. Lunch was something none of us expected, as the subway in Ao Ngan could have been located on 17^th Ave. It was damn near exactly the same, sans the Franks Hot Sauce (which is pretty much mandatory on any sub I eat).

After polishing off the subs, we were promptly whisked away in a longtail boat to a scene unlike any I had ever seen before. Rai Lay Beach is a photographers dream, and saying that, I managed to fire off a good 100 photos before we left. It is so hard to describe, but I will give it a try…

The cascading limestone cliffs dominate the skyline, stretching from the emerald green sea into the pale blue sky. They were lined with sapphire green vegetation, and cast their shadowy figures on, not one, but two beaches, all with sand that is finer than powdered sugar. The shore of the beach were lined with majestic longtail boats, giving it that extra little pazzaz that it really didn’t need, although it did deserve. Like I mentioned, the place damn near cost me a full round of batteries in my camera, as it was never off. There was always something deserving of a couple clicks of the camera. Once again, the pics could never do justice to a place as muse-like as Railay beach.

So for every positive, there had to be a negative. The churning water gave way to an ocean that was less than par for a swimmer such as myself. You see, I prefer deep water and crashing waves (read: Ipanema). Instead, me and my travel mates were left with hundreds of meters of knee high water, with portions so rocky and sharp it left ginsue knives jealous. Also, the water was not just warm, it was goddamned HOT. I have had baths colder than the water i walked into.

Anyways, all and all, it was definitely worth the day trip. As you can tell, I was more in awe of the scenery than the water, so I had no worried about spending a couple of hours just soaking up the area. Truly one of the most amazing sights I have ever laid my naked eyes apon.

So, really, there wasn’t much to report from the night. All four of us had a delicious meal, walked the main street, and after watching a1/2 of ‘footy’ it was off to bed. The day ahead of us would be a long, warm journey.

So, apparently, in koh phi phi, I picked up some nice bites/reaction on my legs and arms. At first, we believed we had bed bugs, but I am the only one suffering, so then I went to the pharmacist, and she belived it was an allergic reaction to a sand bug. Either way, my legs are rittled with red blotches that are itchy as hell…It’s getting better, but still rather ugly.

The journey from Ao Ngan to Koh Pha Ngan was a tiring journey. It began at 8:30am with a stuffed minibus ride back to Krabi, followed by a 2-hr minibus ride to SuranTanai that was a tad stuffy…and then one more bus ride to the ferry terminal that felt like we were sitting in the depths of hell.

But once all the bussin’ was done, it was a 2 hr. ferry ride, that actually was quite fun. We picked up another English bloke on the way named Tristan.

So the girls spent the ferry ride sunbathing, The English spent it drinking, and I spent it finishing off a book I have been reading…then drinking with the English.

Arrival on Pha Ngan was greeted with an array of Thai women selling their houses to rent. Sometimes, this can become overwhelming, but I really always want to get two of these little women to argue against each other. It is my goal in life to get a full on fight going on between two middle aged women wanting to rent out their houses…God, that would be hilarious.

After an hour or so of looking at places, the girls came back with a steal of a deal. Its basically a resort here in Haad Rin (where the full moon party takes place) that is right on the quiet beach, and includes its own pool. All for 400 baht each ($13). Quite comfy.

And as I mentioned at the start of this post, it was another quiet night here, too. I think the idea is that we want to save our energy for the big party on the 9^th. Everyone is feeling it could be a little ‘epic’.

I think we will spend our first full day in Pha Ngan on motorbikes, discovering what the island has to offer outside of this party town. I have heard many stories about magnificent beaches, snorkeling, waterfalls, and just about everything else you can ask for from a tropical paradise.

Hope everyone is good back home!

MB