Living In a Postcard

Ao Nang and Reiley Climbing Adventure

Sawadee-Ka my friends and followers! I figured it was about time I jotted down a few notes and observations for all your curious cravings. I have officially been in Thailand for about 2 weeks now and it has been a whirlwind! Between an adapted working environment to bizarre new cuisines and customs, I could easily make this blog pages long. However, I’m going to trim the fat a little and get down to the meaty grit.

This past weekend I had two back-to-back days off from the internship and decided to take a spontaneous trip to the Krabi provience. My new friend Matt, who is a local dive master and business owner here in Phuket, helped join in on the adventure and brought a lot of local travel insight and knowledge to the weekend. Using the local bus system, we traveled Phuket-Krabi-Ao Nang for roughly 200baht each ($8).

Once Ao Nang, we stay at the Yellow Sun Hostel which is only a block away from the beach and cost 150baht ($5) for a night in a shared dorm! As luck would have it, our dorms mates were all chill travelers from around the world. We immediately all bonded and made dinner plans.

The Ao Nang beach was gorgeous. Islands dotted the horizons face like sun-kisses in summer. The heavy salt water made floating effortless and the temperature was warm and calming. That evenings sunset was the first one I saw since my travel to Thailand began and I must say…. It was worth the wait. Vibrant pinks, oranges and reds shown across the sky and faded to purple and blue with the coming night. Thailand’s sky has almost a roundness to it that gives a fisheye effect and could satisfy any photographers dream. Matt and I spent the sunset taking pictures and playing some beach Frisbee as he attempted to teach me new Thai (Hardest. Language. EVER.)

Since Thailand is under Marshall Law, there is a curfew set throughout the entire country. By 10pm, every night, business and bars are closed down and people are not allowed in the streets. Our group of new friends attempted to find a devious bar that would encourage rule breaking and continue to serve…. However, as soon as the military men began patrolling, it was hopeless.

The next day, Matt and I hopped on one of the picturesque long-tail tourists boats and cruised over to Railay Beach. Immediately, over the turquoise blue waters, emerged the beautiful island chain that could remind even the most unimaginative person of Treasure Island. My inner desire of exploration ignited and all I could do was stare in awe while my mind ran lucid with sights to be discovered.

Renting a 2 person kayak for 2 hours cost each Matt and myself 150 baht ($5). We paddled around all the near island chains and tested our strength at Deep Water Soloing. DWS is a water sport that is a type of rock climbing. It is free climbing that requires no additional equipment aside from shoes. The water acts as  a crash pad and the kayak is used to paddle from one route to the next. One a route is finished the you have “topped out”, you simply cliff jump down into the water! It was an absolute blast. Although, a word to the wise; watch your hands! Those darn barnacles are a lot sharper than they look and if you’re not careful, the cuts will be proof enough.

Railay Beach was ultimately on of the most beautiful sights I’ve yet to see throughout all my travels and DWS is possibly the greatest thing. Ever.

The End.