Travel Correspondent: Miranda, Thailand, Blog 5

Blog Post #5 – Krabi

“Time is precious, waste it wisely.”

That’s the quote that was written on the pier to get to Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand. Just Google Railay Beach, and you will find it is considered the best beach area in possibly the world (depending on what you’re looking for). It has everything, and is a perfect hidden gem.

Railay Beach is inaccessible by car or foot due to the giant limestone cliffs cutting off connection to the mainland of Krabi. Therefore, the only way to access these breathtaking beaches is by boat. After landing in Krabi, I took a taxi to the nearest pier and from there took a long tail boat to the beach. You have to pack light, because you’ll be walking in the water with your luggage for a bit to arrive on the beach! But once you’ve made it, it is all completely worth it.

You can get to Railay East and West beach with a short 10 min walk across the land through the jungle paths. WARNING: monkeys are EVERYWHERE! And they take ANYTHING! I was woken up one morning to footsteps running around on the roof of my villa, and when I walked outside to go to the breakfast lounge of the resort, there were at least 20 monkeys running around, stealing trash, hopping from one branch to another, and staring at ME. I quickly locked the door to my room and sprinted past them (they won’t follow you, but anything loose on your body they will steal)!

Railay Beach is the best destination if all you want to do is relax, take in the local scenery, and go on a few adventures with the local tour guides. My first evening here, I chose to partake in a clear kayak evening tour.

We kayaked out of the island in the bay and traveled through some sea caves before taking in the most breathtaking sunset I have ever seen in my entire life.

Our kayaks had bioluminescent lights underneath, so once it got dark, we began to see the sea nightlife consisting of jellyfish, fish, plankton, and much more! It was amazing to experience something so exotic and from a completely different perspective.

The second day here, I did something I’ve never done before. I consider myself to be pretty adventurous and always willing to challenge myself with something new or scary, so once I saw the opportunity I took it. My tour guide from the previous night convinced me to join him and his partner the following day on a rock climbing expedition. This wasn’t just any rock climbing experience, and was definitely not for beginners or inexperienced people. We climbed a total of 188m worth of cliffs, including hiking through caves that lead to more amazing views. I was terrified a few times as I didn’t realize how much rock climbing relies on mental willpower as it does on physical abilities. But once I started climbing, I knew I had to make it to the top (in the pictures below, zoom in to try and find how high up I am).

The rest of my time was spent relaxing, taking in views, kayaking, and eating the best food I’ve had yet. Island Thai food is the best! Especially since there is so much variety. You can eat at any of the resort restaurants, or walk to the only “walking street” which consists of a few more restaurants, treehouse bars, tour guide offices, shops, ice cream stands, and the only ATM and pharmacy accessible on this part of the land. Everything is easily connected. If you want to live the entire day in a swim suit soaking up the sun, eating great food, drinking tasty drinks and living like a beach local, then Railay Beach is a dream come true destination for you.

One of the toughest things to see here is the lack of business and tourists. The pandemic has brought an incredible hardship for these people who rely on selling food for a living to tourists or renting equipment to tourists for a day. I tried to eat at a different restaurant for every meal to support the people and tip extremely well, as I know what it is like to work in restaurants throughout the pandemic. During the kayak tour, it was myself as well as another local and the tour guide. They normally have 30-40 participants. My rock climbing tour consisted of a total of 4 of us, and normally there are 10-15 climbers per group, according to the guide. The Thai Baht currency is extremely cheap compared to the U.S dollar: 100 THB = $3.23. And everything is much cheaper in Thailand. For example, my first meal at the resort consisted of a sea bass fillet, fries and veggies as well as a nice mojito cocktail. The total was 300 THB, or $9.68. Just a mojito at a bar is normally priced between $6-$8.50 in the U.S! Therefore it is easy to afford to tip the locals well. The smiles on their faces was something I’ll never forget.

This was my last vacation while in Thailand, and it was unbelievable to say the least. I have never felt more relaxed and at peace with where I was at, especially in this stage of my life. Everyone is quite shocked to hear that I solo travel everywhere around Thailand outside of Bangkok, but honestly solo traveling is the best. You don’t have to follow a schedule set by other people, you don’t have to wait on anyone or worry about pleasing an entire group. You can do whatever you want, when you want and just feel at peace with your environment. Taking in every moment and sight from this trip is something I wish I could explain and put into words, but I guess a few pictures will have to do.

2 weeks from today, I will be back home in Minnesota (assuming my flights don’t get cancelled once again). Dealing with airlines during a pandemic sucks and I don’t wish the stress on anyone. I continue to just worry about what I can control, and make the best of my last 10 or so days in this beautiful country.

-Miranda

Read Next:

• Miranda’s Travel Correspondent Blog 4
• Miranda’s Travel Correspondent Blog 3
• Rose’s Travel Correspondent Blog 1
• Intern in Thailand

Posted by World Endeavors on    April 1, 2021