Railay

 Safety

 Etiquette

• Familiarize yourself with the “wai”. Hold your hands together upright, bring them to your chest, and bend your head in a small bow so that your nose points to the point of your fingertips. Use it to greet people or say goodbye, say thank you and generally return it to anyone who does it to you. There are obviously many nuances related to societal stratification, religious peculiarities, and age rankings, but as a visitor, it is enough to stick to the basics and not perform the wai if your hands are busy holding a phone, beverage, sunglasses, or anything for that matter. Better to simply nod respectfully in this case.
• There are two fundamental institutions in Thai society: Buddhism and the Royal family. As such neither should be criticized or disrespected.
• Avoid homogenizing those from Thailand with people from neighboring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, or Myanmar.
• When it comes to the temple/Wat, shoes or sandals must be removed when entering it. Needless to say that Buddha statues are sacred objects, and should not be touched, or stood on the altar where they are.

 Weather

The climate of Krabi is tropical and hot all year round with an average high temperature which never drops below 31 °C. At night, temperatures rarely drop below 20 °C.

The rainy season is between May and October, and the dry season is from December to March. Due to the southwest monsoon, the rainy season can be quite abundant.

 Flora & Fauna

• The Andaman Sea is one of the most beautiful and peaceful in the world. Despite there being no sea creatures to watch out for in particular, be wary of the usual animals that can ruin your stay (i.e. sea urchins near corals). Also, jellyfish are pushed to shore and the beach is actually where it is more probable to find them. Anyways the species of jellyfish are not particularly irritating and their sting will not amount to much more than a bruising.
• As with any tropical climate country, mosquitoes are your main enemy here. Ditch the perfume and take out the insect spray. As expected this is especially true during the evening/at sunset. Also as soon as you are not in direct contact with the beach, there will be vegetation, usually mangroves, and you will be mosquito lunch.
• There is a large amount of fauna in the area, from the myriad of geckos, monkeys, fruit bats, and birds. Having tropical jungle ecosystem, scorpions, snakes, and spiders are also common.

Stay Overview

I stayed and the Sand Sea Resort, directly facing Railay Beach. The rooms were spacious with a nice balcony and the resort has a relaxing pool two steps away from the beach.

In the evening I often enjoyed drinks while watching the beach sunset together with many visitors, admiring the frisbee players, listening to live music, and enjoying the chilled-out atmosphere.

About

Railay Beach is especially famous for its large rock cliffs which embrace the bay.

Its beautiful sea and long tailboats moored on the white sandy beach, create a picture-perfect scenery during the day.

In the evening the atmosphere gets even better if possible, with many people chilling out on the beach admiring the mesmerizing sunsets, and many restaurants and bars facing the beaches offering drinks and live music which go well into the night in an escalation of entertainment.

Impressions

Reaching Railay was an experience in itself.

I did not organize an airport transfer to the hotel and am now glad that I didn’t although I was a bit uneasy at the beginning. From the airport, I got “picked up” by a lady who was shouting louder than all the other people who catch tourists for a taxi, shuttle, and transfers and was dropped at the “ticket office” which consisted of a guy and two friends surrounded by fans, insects, and geckos under a lamp in the middle of the street. I was the only one and was told that he needed to wait for the other 7 people to fill up the boat, or that I could pay for all eight and have a private trip. I waited. Finally, a couple arrived, and was as lost as I was at the beginning. We split the boat fare among the three of us and boarded the motor boat.

By this point the destination Railay had been repeated to me so many times that an imagination trip started carving and echoing into my mind until it became R’lyeh, the famous fictional lost city where Cthulhu slumbers in the stories by H.P. Lovecraft. So I started to immerse myself in that imagination. The reptiles at the ticket office, the boat trip, everything became distorted according to that narrative. When we boarded the motorboat, we crossed in absolute darkness. Of my other 2 Spanish companions, the woman seemed worried while the man just looked disappointed that he could not take pictures during the boat ride and had to just wait. But for me, it was a fun journey imagining these scenarios and narratives. The few stars that would be seen between the clouds became “out of place” and the constellations were distorted on unfamiliar planes. Not being able to see land but vaguely discerning the contour of mountains and cliffs on the coast which also appeared tilted was met in my head with a “Yep, that’s non-euclidean geometry”. The faint blueish and greenish glow of other boats on the horizon became an “over there, at the bottom of the sea, must be where Dagon is”.

The next day the beach had become normal and paradisiac, with lush green mountains and crystalline sea waters and the lost city of R’lyeh had dissipated.

Impressions

The walk to Phra Nang beach is very scenic, with a small winding road that traverses limestone rocks with stalactites and stalagmites, and small alcoves with Buddha statues and miniature altars.

I woke up at 5 a.m. on the 1st of May/Labor Day and because of the holiday and early morning, the lack of visitors along the trail allowed me to see numerous langur monkeys and macaques going about their business.

I reached the opening to the beach which was deserted as the sun was only just starting to timidly warm the area.

Without a soul in the vicinity, I enjoyed the tepid waters and was the first to start bothering the small fish within.

On the western side of the beach is the small Princess Cave with its fertility shrine, littered with phallic symbols. In the afternoon when I returned, the area was swarming with dozens of climbers and changed completely the scenery to a chaotic place meant for sports activities.

After having enjoyed the peaceful secluded area, I started walking along the beach to find other relaxing spots and the elusive bat cave.

Impressions

Despite knowing the existence of the bat cave on Phra Nang, its discovery was wonderful in the exploration.

After having enjoyed the tranquil sea and relaxing on the deserted beach, I saw a large lizard scurrying behind me and vanishing in the mangroves where I saw a small opening within the thick trees.

After ducking and crawling through the branches and roots I reached the bottom of the cliff which had a simple rope hanging over the muddy slope.

Barefooted and with more difficulty than I would like to admit I managed to climb the slippery slope and reach the top of the trail after which I arrived at the entrance of the cave which had a rickety bamboo ladder that seemed loosely tied to the rocks.

The interior of the cave was huge and there were several smaller dark caves littered with fruit bats, “chirping” and flying from one stalactite to the other.

I took the mandatory postcard pictures from inside the cave of the openings of the cliff that face the sea and beach below.

After having explored the guano-filled cave I climbed down and this time dextrously repelled down the rope, got devoured by mosquitoes within the short mangrove part of the trail, and jumped back in the tepid calm waters.

About

The Diamond Cave (Tham Phra Nang Na) is a small cave in Railay East. The entrance fee is 100 THB and there is a paved suspended walkway that loops throughout the interior

Impressions

The cave is extremely small and can be traversed in basically two minutes along the looping walkway. Still, there are some beautiful stalactites, and are well-lit, giving high contrast to all the surrounding rock formations.

The only downside for me personally was that, together with the bats, some Java Mina birds were inside and these birds are the stuff of nightmares, with their heads perpetually tilted upwards and empty yellow eyes and very aggressive swooping.

About

Ao Nang, together with Krabi Town is a major hub of transport for tourists and visitors of the area. The town consists basically of a main street, with several restaurants, pubs, souvenir shops, and tour operators.

The beach is incredibly long and beautiful, but it is not used much by sunbathers, and there are many long-tail boats that offer transport to the infinitely many other nearby islands and beaches.

Impressions

As soon as I arrived in Ao Nang I went to the monkey trail which is a series of bamboo planks and ladders loosely tied together that lead to the quieter Pai Plong Beach across the jungle.

The trail is steep, long, and beautiful although I did not see any monkeys. Pai Plong Beach is very nice although the area has many (beautiful) resorts but also has a less genuine or easygoing feel when compared to Railay Bay.

I then returned to the main town and had a quick stroll on the extensive main beach. It was amusing to see a couple of groups of locals trying to surf on the waters by running at top speed from the beach and gliding on the most still waters there can be.

Impressions

This was a simple full-day tour on a long-tail boat that would touch some of the closer islands near Ao Nang and Railay.

Koh Poda was the first stop and was wonderful as it is a small island with white powdery sand no shops or restaurants and is completely secluded.

Next was Tup Island which was also beautiful and had long tongues of sand cutting through the shallow waters.

We stopped at the base of the cliffs of Khao Phing Kan, also known as “James Bond” island since it was portrayed in The Man with the Golden Gun movie, to do some snorkeling as the waters are filled with colorful fish.

We passed by the famous Chicken Island which has a rock formation resembling the silhouette of a chicken and enjoyed the sunset on the way back while passing by other great islands and rock formations.

About

Muay Thai, also known as Thai Boxing is the national combat sport of Thailand and one of the most known and effective martial arts in the world.

Known as the “art of eight limbs” it is widely spread internationally and commonly integrated into MMA, but witnessing Muay Thai bouts in Thailand is a completely different experience.

With ancient roots and deeply steeped in Thai culture, Muay Thai offers an incredible spectacle.

Impressions

I had already witnessed a match in Bangkok years ago and can remember the wild crowds and the bustling and frenetic gambling that occurs constantly at every traded blow.

These matches were more aimed at tourists and a couple of bouts seemed fixed in the outcome but nevertheless, the conditioning and fitness of the fighters, especially the younger ones, was astounding and the international crowd was energized by the show.

Closing thoughts

It is no wonder that Thailand is a world-renowned holiday destination. Despite the islands in the Krabi province not being an unknown gem anymore and being a well-known destination, the region still manages to maintain a genuine feel to it.

This part of the country has been blessed with everything that is “needed” for a wonderful relaxing stay. From delicious food, to easy-going and welcoming people, to awe-inspiring scenery, warm weather, and pristine beaches facing warm emerald waters.

There are a myriad of islands but even without journeying to the famous Phi Phi islands or Koh Lanta, a simple stay in the beautiful Railay Bay can recharge from any stress.

Simply put this little sliver of paradise tucked within the jungle is just a perfect holiday destination.