railay: one night on the west beach

welcome to Railay, a little slice of heaven on the Andaman Sea. this is the west beach: our arrival, and our first night there.

I think it says a lot that to even get to Railay you have to ditch your shoes, hike up your skirts, and put your faith in a guy with an 8-foot-long outboard motor. this is not a fancy place. beautiful, yes, but in a very laid back way. you have to just go with it. you will get wet + sandy on your way to Railay. there's no way around it, literally. even though Railay is a peninsula [not an island] thanks to the surrounding rock cliffs, there are no roads that can reach this beach- only boats.

oh, but it's worth the trouble.

we arrived late on a hazy afternoon, flying from Bangkok to Krabi, grabbing a taxi to Ao Nang, and then of course a longtail boat to Railay beach. by the time we settled in to our hotel and made it back to the west beach for dinner we had missed all but the very end of the sunset. [in fact, we only ever saw one sunset in Railay. but it was a spectacular one.]

spectators hole up at one of the many beachside bars or restaurants and stay through the whole show. others camp out in the sand. or better yet, in front of the bar that sets out mats on the beach to use as tables. [that's where we relocated after dinner.] with warm breezes and cool beverages aplenty, there's not much incentive to go very far.

there's still plenty to see after dark. the moon, big and bright. the stars, clear as ever. couples strolling hand in hand. possibly drunk girls feeding pizza to cats. 

merchants selling paper lanterns wander the beach. and when someone breaks down and buys one, and everyone watches to see how far out over the sea the lantern will fly.

after a few drinks, the west beach quiets down. the sea starts to light up in eerie green as the squid boats arrive for the night. some good conversation, a few rounds of cards, and it's time to head back to the hotel for a midnight swim some beauty sleep.

bangkok: getting around

 // smoggy sunset from the river

first: I hope you are not getting sick of vacation posts already, as we haven't even gotten to the bulk of the Thailand trip, or even touched on the Philippines. we only spent 48 hours in Bangkok, if you can believe it. and I have another post or two just on this city.

second: being as we were only in town for a few days, we didn't even see most of the city. Bangkok is HUGE. but this is how we saw what we were able to see.

// cab ride from the airport

we flew through both of Bangkok's major airports while in Thailand, and the cab ride in/out of town gives you a chance to see the city. or really, to see just how large and sprawling it is. you'll notice the driver is sitting on the right hand side. Thailand was never officially colonized by a European power, but being sandwiched between French and British colonies clearly has given a lot of influence. that, and being a trading powerhouse with Europe during the 16th century. [thanks, Wikipedia!] Bangkok is still a major gateway to Asia - mostly through the airport. our cab driver had tip money tacked to his ceiling in dozens of different currencies.

one other note about taking a cab - make sure you get one who will use his meter, otherwise you are going to get ripped off.

// water taxi // the rich, the poor, and the European // rush hour

during our stay, we decided to take the water taxi up the river and stop at various temples along the way. the ride cost about 20 baht [less than $1 US] and you can take to boat as far as it goes. we made our way up to the Wat Arun stop, but got to see quite a bit of the city along the way. it was an interesting mix of wealth [note the private yacht], poverty [people living in a shack that's literally falling into the water], and old buildings with clear European influence. you'll see your share of temples and skyscrapers as well. I definitely think the water taxi was a great way to get around, and if when we go back, we will take it farther upstream.

// tuk-tuk

after a night + morning of walking, and an afternoon of climbing temple stairs, Husband and I [or really, my tired knees] decided to take a tuk-tuk from the river docks back to our hotel. what is a tuk-tuk? imagine a scooter that has a metal cart attached to/around it. and a driver that's even crazier than your typical cabbie. it's definitely an experience, but one you should probably have while in Thailand. the good news? you get where you need to go, fast + cheap.

other modes of transportation we took while in Bangkok: free shuttle bus between airports + a ferris wheel [does that count?]