On to the last leg of our trip! Although it’s been a few weeks since we were in Railay Bay, it’s one of the islands that I still wish we were at. It’s definitely one of my favorites – the vibe was super chill, people were laid back and we were able to explore the entire island on foot.
Hotel: Sand Sea Resort, Railay West- I LOVED our hotel. What a change from Phangan; this hotel was on the beach front, had 2 separate pools and breakfast was included (served with the best coffee!)
Days Spent: 2 night 2 days
Bare with me, in order to get here we had to take a ferry from Ko Phangan back to Samui, cab to the airport, fly to Krabi, and then take a cab to a long tail. Sounds complicated but the trip only took about 4-5 hours. When you’re planning to travel island to island it’s important to set aside a day for travel time – honestly, flights, and hotels are really the only things we booked in advance in order to stick to somewhat of a schedule.
Arriving to Railay Bay was such a relief from the craziness in Ko Phangan. These limestone cliffs were everywhere; the entire island was so picturesque!
It was great to have an air conditioned hotel room again, right next to a pond and a pool.
We explored the caves and ran into some monkeys right outside…
I was a bit scared at first but these guys were more afraid of us than we were of them.
I couldn’t help but look up in the Diamond Cave to see the beautiful stalactites AND I had to look out for the bats, they were flying everywhere. The last thing I wanted was for one to get caught in my hair!
Trying to master the pose, king dancer ;)
The next day was spent on Railay Bay East, climbing the limestone rocks with a few awesome instructors.
Using my spidey senses to make it up to the top!
There’s Will making it look easy…
It was such a workout…climbing to the top took so much endurance and ability to use your inner instincts. The view once you got up there was so worth it. If you’re not afraid of heights and are looking for a tough adventure, definitely go climbing! It was only 400 baht each which in American dollars is $13 (loved the exchange rate!)
We rewarded ourselves with a swim in the most gorgeous beach I’ve ever been to, Phra Nang beach. Looked like something out of PIrates of the Caribbean! The water was crystal blue, surrounded by caves and limestone cliffs.
We stumbled upon the infamous Phallus cave…it is said that the fisherman, before going out to sea made offerings in the symbol of a Phallus to the Phra Nang Princess, because they believed it would bring them success in their fishing and believed it would help with fertility. The only words I can really describe this shrine is bizarre and fascinating
Will had some of his own theories as to why the Thai men gave these phallus offerings…
Ok I know I said the monkeys are more afraid of us than we are of them, but these particular ones we ran into on the way back to our hotel were way more friendly…especially if you offered them food.
They had no reservations jumping on your shoulders…this lil guy just hung out there for a bit, I wasn’t sure what to do. Ok, I have to tell you the quick scare I had…I had fed the monkey a banana, and I guess there was still a little left on my hand, so the monkey bit (well nibbled) my hand. I instantly freaked out to Will, swearing I could get aids. When the monkey jumped off I looked at my hand and no blood was drawn, not even a scratch. I was being a bit dramatic (for good reason) but all was well. I even asked the people at our hotel what to do and they just gave me alcohol to wipe it down. No big deal.
Will was way more comfortable having the monkeys on his shoulders than I was.
We had dinner along the beach on our last night, with a cold bucket of Chang. I miss this place!
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