2 weeks in beautiful Krabi.. the much needed getaway that i was wishing for. I spent the first week climbing with one group of friends and the second week with another. And in between, i had 3 days of 'time alone' to relax.
I got so tanned that i lost count of the number of times tourists AND locals mistook me for a local climbing guide.
View from belay ledge of 'The King & I' 6B (25m), Thaiwand wall. Yes, i am sucking in my gut.
Hanging off the anchors of 'Circus Oz' 6A+ (25m), Thaiwand wall. Felicia, Leonard and myself sat there for an hour to soak in the view and sea breeze.
And this was the view..
Phra Nang beach.
Happy Island, off Phra Nang beach.
When the tide is low, you can walk across to Happy Island to climb the routes there. Ok, i'm doing the gut thing again.
Poda Island.
Nothing like an ice-cold Singha beer after some good climbing and a freesbie session. You can see some people trying to walk across to Happy Island in the background. Ok folks, by default, i suck in my gut for ALL pictures ok?!
Western horizon view from Thaiwand wall.
Longtail boats on Railay West beach. They're called 'longtail' because the propeller shafts are long. You'll notice that most of the boatmen have lean well defined bodies because it takes a lot of strength to handle the humongous engines.
As there are no roads leading into Railay, these boats are the only accessible means of getting there.. either from Ao Nang or Krabi town.
View of Tonsai from Railay west beach.
View from cave anchor point of 'As Far as Siam' 6A+, 15m at Escher World. That's Happy Island by the way.
View from Tup Island beach.
Sunset at Ao Nang.
Sunset at Railay west.
Batch number 1.. me, Leonard, Felicia, KK and Andy.
Hanging out in the cave of 'As Far as Siam' route.
The pious disciples climbed treacherous terrain to seek the climbing buddha to attain climbing nirvana.. (please wise one.. tell us the secret to climb 7A)
Batch number 2.. Priscilla, Dan Wen, Thai local guide, Wei Yang and Jaslyn.
Trying to be arty..
Regrettably, i stayed in Yaya Resort for the first 5 days. I hated it for the following reasons:
1. The floor and walls were paper thin. You could hear people talking and walking about in the 3 story structure which housed about 9 rooms!
2. The bathroom often overflowed.. fucking gross!
3. You'd only get good service from the restaurant staff.. if you were white.
4. The food sucked and the beer expensive.
So DO NOT EVER stay in Yaya ok? They all damn ya ya one.
Now this was a better place.. Rapala Rockwood resort, which is higher up on Railay east beach (just after Viewpoint resort).
The bungalow (not room) was comfy (and cheaper) and quiet, had it's own hammock and the food and service was great! I supposed it was because it was a family-run establishment, so hence, they were more hospitable. When i asked for my dishes to be extra spicy (Phet mak mak), they actually gave me what i wanted.. unlike those yaya bastiches.
How i spent my 3 days of 'time alone'.. before batch number 2 arrived.
It's the ultimate reading experience.. to spend a day with a good book in either a hammock or on the beach. When i got bored of reading, i went bouldering on Phra Nang beach instead.
You'll notice that some of the pictures look 'reddish' and a little 'off'. I think it's because i damaged my camera somehow by pointing it into the sun by accident. Oh well.. that only gives me another reason to buy another (better) one :)
