Railay Beach, Thailand

We took a ferry from Ko Phi Phi to our next destination at Railay Beach. The east side of Railay should not be called a beach. It is more of a mud flat…with mangrove trees. We had to leap from the ferry into a longboat…which then took us as close to shore as we could get at low tide. The boat was full of luggage and tourists in various forms of “resort wear.” I think the mutual thought was “how do we get to shore?” Then we saw the tractor which was attached to the “tourist transporter.” Brilliant! It takes you through the mud and water and safely to shore.

That was when I noticed our boat driver staring at me, and saying “get out.” No one on the boat moved. I questioned out loud, “do you think we have to get out?” The tourists all said, “no way!” and waited patiently for their “tourist transporter”. We finally came to our senses after sitting in the boat for WAY too long. Dean hopped out and lucky for us it was only knee deep…but we had to slog through water and mud…tripping over rocks (broken toe Trish..not happy) on the way. After we had checked into our room, Dean went out to take this picture and there were still tourists sitting in the boat.

The beach on the west side is amazing! (Of course we are staying on the east side) We grabbed some wine and sat on a mat on the sand, watching the sunset.

Limestone cliffs…you can see why Railay is so famous for climbing.

Sunset…..it was one of those that just kept getting better.

The next morning Dean got to climb. Broken toe Trish took pictures and sat on a rock. We are learning something on this trip…"world class diving/climbing can only be fully appreciated if you are a world class diver/climber”. There are over 700 bolted routes on Railay…and it appears that they took all the tourist climbers to the same wall. Sort of like the Great Barrier Reef….we snorkeled with 400 other people.

Dean ended up having 5 great climbs. He also learned how to belay. As one foreign climber put it "You held my life!"

That afternoon we headed to another beach on the island. It is only inhabited by one resort…a five star 26 acre resort with security guards. Lucky for us, the beach is public property.

Wish we’d had kayaks! We swam until we got stung by jellyfish (again!)

Monkeys! I chatted with a little girl who was climbing and she told me “The monkeys come out in the afternoon.” She was right! Course, she also told me that she was saving her money to buy a monkey. Further discussion revealed that it would be a “pretend monkey.” Phew. Now off to Malaysia!

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

After one night in Phuket, we took a ferry over to the island of Phi Phi Don. The "tourist village" is made up of small lanes full of restaurants, bars, and shops. No vehicles allowed! Very nice not having to dodge cars/trucks/motorbikes...but you can still get hit by a bicycle. Luckily, most are not well maintained, so you can hear them squeeking up behind you.

The village is set on a small strip of sand...so a beach on each side. This is the "harbor" side. Boats as far as the eye can see. So glad we were here in the "green season". Tourists poured off the ferries, but most left at the end of the day.

The other side. Beautiful white sand beach...and much less boat traffic. Perfect spot for sunset drinks and dinner right on the beach.

A corner of sunset! The beach didn't exactly face west...

The cliffs on either side are amazing. Kept the waters in the bay nice and calm for swimming.

At night the beach transformed! Fire dancers, strings of lights, torches lit, music pumping. Unfortunately for them, England and the USA World Cup games were being viewed in town. I'm sure they benefited later in the evening after both games were won!

The next morning we hiked up to the "Viewpoint". We (of course) took a wrong turn and went the LONG way (SE Asia is not known for good signage). You can see the "spit" of sand...the harbor on the left and the swimming beach on the right. You can also see how the Tsunami wave devestated this island. It went over the spit and back again. Thousands were killed. It has been completely rebuilt...

That afternoon we hired a speedboat for snorkeling. Ended up being a private boat, as the Chinese couple with us wanted to go back to shore. The woman got dizzy when the speedboat hit some big waves. First stop, Monkey Beach. We watched as the youngsters dove into the ocean and swam around. They get fed by tourists all day, then head back into the jungle. At the end of our boat trip, we came back here to snorkel. We saw a huge puffer fish and a seahorse....and then we both got stung by jellyfish....we were covered in welts. Darn those jellyfish.

Maya Beach on Phi Phi Leh...famous for being the spot where they filmed the movie "The Beach". In order to get to it we had to be pummeled on the rocks by waves and climb a slippery ladder..then hike across the island. When we reached our destination, a speedboat pulled up to the beach. No fair.

As the tide came in, we were able to drift back into the other lagoon on Phi Phi Leh. We had snorkeled outside the lagoon earlier. Amazing....beautiful coral...tons of colorful fish. In the lagoon it looked to be only sand...but we found schools of white/translucent fish swimming around.. that really wanted to nibble our feet. We also saw long skinny Gar fish and a small fiesty fish that appeared to want to "kick our *sses". My guess is she was protecting her young....she almost seemed to growl. Now off to Railay Beach for some climbing....that is, if I can fit my broken toe in a climbing shoe!

Ko Tao, Thailand

We took a ferry to the nearby island of Ko Tao...known for it's snorkeling and diving. It's a very beautiful island...with lot's of huge rocks and pretty coves.
The view from out bungalow deck! Amazing....until you have to walk up OR down the incredibly steep driveway....It was even more exciting on a moped. We felt like the Flintstones on our way up the hill.....had to get our feet running!
The pool. Spent an afternoon reading, swimming and devouring a banana smoothie.
We rented a moped for a day, and decided to snorkel in various coves around the island. What we weren't told is that A) none of the dirt roads are marked B) the dirt roads are 4WD only....not moped friendly. Luckily, Dean grew up riding motorcycles. Unfortunately, I am a nervous nelly riding a moped over boulders and down cliffs with no helmet (just try working on a trauma unit...) We arrived safely and found an amazing cove to snorkel in!
The coral was colorful and covered in fish....the nibbling kind that like to...well...nibble. We did our fare share of kicking at them.
We headed into town to book our diving trip, and decided to have a beer on the beach. The "long boats" are incredibly colorful! Loud too....you get accustomed to the distinct noise they make.
The next morning we dove. The water was incredibly rough. It was almost impossibe to assemble gear, and getting on and off the long boat was dangerous. I managed to break my toe at the end of the day, while jumping into the boat as it was pitching around.
The diving was mediocre. Part has to do with the time of year (monsoon season, of course). Note ALL the dive boats in the picture above. Ko Tao is almost tooo popular. Our dive master said that they can take out 40 divers in one trip! We "only" had ten. It was like a diver party underwater.
The waters here are every shade of blue. Next up....fly to Phuket..and then on to Ko Phi Phi.

Ko Samui, Thailand

We left the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and hopped on a prop plane bound for Ko Samui island. We attempted a landing…only to pull up sharply and circle for 10 minutes. We then flew to Phuket to refuel, and give it another go. There was a nice crosswind, that made for a rough landing…but we made it! Our hotel on Hat Bo Phut had little beachfront bungalows and a nice pool.

We walked the beach to the small fishing village. Lots of nice restaurants and small shops. Found the perfect bar….they had a projection screen right on the beach playing World Cup Soccer. We sat on big bean bags with candle lit tables in the sand.

The next morning we took a speed boat tour to Ang Thong National Park. We snorkeled for an hour along a coral reef. Once inside the park we saw rock formations that apparently looked like various animals. This one is a monkey with praying hands.

A lion laying down….

Colorful fishing boats. We have broken our vegetarianism….the fresh seafood is amazing.

We hiked up to a saltwater lake. We could see tropical fish and even some coral. They say there was a tunnel connecting the island to the sea…but it has since collapsed.

The view from the top. A precarious climb…almost like going up and down ladders.

We spent the afternoon on another island…eating lunch and kayaking. However, Dean and I opted to lay under a palm tree, napping and swimming in the ocean. On the trip home we had the excitement of running out of gas. Luckily they had a reserve tank…and once they ripped up the floor and manually moved the fuel line we were A-okay. On our last night the fishing village had a street market. Music, dancing, street foods…fun! Now on to Ko Tao…more island hopping!

Two Nights in Bangkok...

We arrived in Bangkok to discover a city that was much larger and more modern than we expected. This picture exemplifies Bangkok....poverty around one corner..and riches around the other. On the sidewalks we passed people selling food, t-shirts, souvenirs....seconds later a man in a white suit and gloves opened the door to a shopping center selling Prada, Miu Miu and Chanel.
We took an express boat along the Mae Nam Chao Phraya. A good way to see most of the sites from afar...with a nice river breeze!
On our boat there is a "Space for Monks".....it was used appropriately.
We passed skyscrapers, temples and river houses...
The grandeur of the temple...a bit of a contrast...
Wat Arun....a royal palace and temple built to house the Emerald Buddha.

The street carts are amazing!!! Grilled meats, deep-fried snacks, fruit served with ground chilli, fresh fruit juices, coffee served with condensed milk, etc.


Surprised this place is still standing...
Last night we ventured into the Red Light District. Nana Entertainment Plaza is a three-story complex of strip clubs...complete with its own hotel....for those who decide to pick a go-go girl "to go". We were sitting upstairs drinking a beer and people watching when we saw a couple enter the complex. Dean said, "Wherever they go next, we will go." So we headed towards the bar they entered. When we arrived, the doorman whispered, "It's a boy bar!" Dean just about bolted away, but I got the "girls" to encourage him to stay. It was incredibly entertaining. A few of them had us completely fooled....well, not completely...but it led to some interesting conversations...On to the islands!!!!

Phnom Penh

We decided to spend two nights in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. We wanted to do a Hash run and learn more about the Khmer Rouge revolution. The Hash was quite an adventure. Unfortunately we did not bring our camera…or should I say fortunately…it would have been ruined. We arrived at an abandoned train station and piled into the back of a “livestock” truck. We basically stood in the back of the truck, bouncing over huge potholes and careening through Cambodian traffic for about 45 minutes. About half way there we just about drowned in a torrential thunderstorm, which did not stop for the next few hours. Our destination was a beautiful temple out in the countryside. We ran 6 miles through cow pies, rice paddies, barbed wire fences, herds of cattle, past huts and naked babies…all in mud and water up to our calves. One of those adventures you never forget! (and my running shoes will never smell the same…)

Our favorite place in Phnom Penh….our private soaking pool. Every time we ventured out into the heat we knew our refreshing pool was waiting for us. Our tiny hotel, The 240, was wonderful.

Disclaimer…prepare to be depressed. This is the Tuol Sleng Museum. In 1975 this High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). This became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country. Between 1975-1978 more than 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the killing fields.

Building A was used for detaining cadres who were accused of leading the uprise against Pol Pot. There were torture tools and shackles present. The front of the buildings were covered in a fishnet of barbed wire, preventing prisoners from committing suicide by jumping down.

The Security of Regulation…rules to be followed. Next to this was the pull up bars that had been used by the children of the school for physical education. It was turned into an interrogation and torture machine. I will spare you the details.

The Khmer Rouge leaders were meticulous in keeping records. Each prisoner was photographed, sometimes before and after torture. I could not photograph the “after” pictures…too disturbing. The museum displays include room after room of harrowing black-and-white photo’s…men, women and children that were later killed. It brought tears to our eyes…some looked so terrified.

The individual cells...most with blood stains on the floor and chains still attached to the walls. At the height of the Khmer Rouge revolution they started devouring their own. Generations of torturers and executioners who worked here were in turn killed by those who took their places. When the Vietnamese army liberated Phnom Penh in 1979, there were only seven prisoners alive at S-21. Pol Pot died in 1998...he was never brought to justice.
The Royal Palace....outside the gates you see so much poverty...tuk-tuk drivers, beggers, children selling goods. An interesting contrast. Now on to Thailand! We are giving Bangkok another try....