Thailand - Railey Beach

Ko Lanta Island to Railey Beach, Thailand Day 53 (March 23)

Ko Lanta is a difficult place to leave. We really wish we could chill for a few more days. Today, we take the ferry boat to Railey Beach.


Railay Beach is on the mainland, but is reached only by long tail boat due to the high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. The ferry stops offshore, and we load onto long tail boats for beach transport. We heard Railay was touristy, but we were surprised to find no luggage porters or agents touting hotel rooms. We stay at the Diamond Cave Resort on east Railay beach.

arriving Raliay West Beach with longtail boats

Raliay map

Vana has been in email contact with Katie whom we met in a cooking class in Vietnam. We plan to meet them for dinner tomorrow. On the way to our hotel, we run into another Katie whom we met in another cooking class in Chiang Mai. Vana suggests that they also join us. After finding that our cooking classmates from Vietnam and Chiang Mai are staying in the same hotel and room number, Vana realizes she has her Katie’s mixed up, and we have quite a good laugh. (Vana: I wasn't embarrassed at all. This is what happen when you use emails rather than Facebook).

Hanging out with Katie and Amanda in their pool on the west side. Katie was a HR at a financial firm in NY. Amanda was in the media buying industry before both decided to quit and take a travel break in SE Asia. Amenda went back to the bay area last week. Katie decided to stay in Thailand teaching English for 6 months.

Railey Beach, Thailand Day 54 (March 24)

Today we rent a Kayak and paddle along the limestone cliffs and islands around Railey beach. The evening has intense rain, so we chill out in the East Side village.

It's a beautiful morning. We decided to Kayak

Let's go


View Point, white sand beach!

kayaking around the islands offshore

paddle along the limestone cliffs

millions of small schooling fish in the water. looks like sperms

Ao Pranang beach

blue bird

crab

kayaking between two islands

stalagmites cave

spotted a jellyfish in the water

colorful stalagmites

back to the beach

rain coming in

CLICK HERE to see more snorkeling pictures.


Railey Beach, Thailand Day 55 (March 25)

The main activity in Railay is climbing. The surrounding cliffs are a climber’s playground with hundreds of bolted routes. Vana wants to try and signs up for a beginner’s top rope climbing class. There isn’t much to the class, and in no time Vana is scaling a 50 foot vertical face. Most people on the wall are beginners, and the instructors on belay provide significant help. Vana looks like a pro in no time. When coming down Kevin yells “jump”!

getting ready at the climb shop

reaching for the top

No hands on the rope!

On the wall face

made it

coming down is easy

if you know how to jump

jumping down

Jeannette is the other girl in my group. She is from northern Germany. Her knees are still shaking!

CLICK HERE to see more climbing pictures.

In the evening, we are enjoying the pool at Katie’s resort, when out of nowhere we spot the other Katie and her husband strolling on the beach. After a visa run to Burma, and dive certification in Kao Tao, they’ve arrived in Railay as their last stop before going back to Mississippi. We tell them our funny Katie mix up story, and in the evening we all met on the east side for drinks, with all Katie’s present and accounted for.

Katie (from Chaing Mai) tells us about her bad luck with planes. On their flight from Laos, one of the props stopped right outside her window, and the captain announced an emergency landing in 10 mins. Over the next 40 minutes, the other passengers flip through magazines, while Katie is in a heavy breathing panic. No one told her that a plane can fly just fine with one engine. We'll be thinking of you everytime we sit in the exit row!

Katie and her husband Blaine got married and decided to live-abroad. They moved to New Zealand for two years. But recently quit their job to travel in SE Asia for few months before moving back home. Katie is a traveling nurse and Blaine is a chemical engineer by day and puzzle solver by night.

Vana, Chiang Mai Katie, Amanda, Vietnam Katie. We had a girls night out after dinner.

Railay Beach to Kao Lak, Thailand Day 56 (March 26)

Today, we take long tail boat to Krabi, and then minibus to Kao Lak, north of Phuket. We stay at the Poseidon Bungalows, which runs a three day, two night live-aboard snorkel trip to the Similan Islands.

Southern Thailand Map: Krabi to Kao Lak

In the morning, we took a longtail boat to Krabi

arrving at our hotel in Kao Lak

the hotel is located at a conjuction where fresh water and salt ocean

our bungalow is in the forest