Troublefree Monkeys and troublesome snakes

I arrived in Krabi in the early evening, so just had time to get a Guesthouse, wonder around the night market and work out how best to get to Railay the next morning. Turned out it's really easy; all you need to do is rock up to the peer when you want to go, and when there's enough people, you all get in the longtail boat and set off.

My 'chalet' in Railay

Railay isn't actually and island, but it's at the end of a small peninsular and completely disconnected by road, so has a real island feel with beaches on 3 sides. I got to Railay at high tide, which meant minimum wading through waters with a backpack. If I were to have to do this, you can be certain I would be the sort of person to fall in. I made my way up to 'Railay Cabana' despite the warnings of locals on the way telling me it was miles to walk. It actually only took about 10 minutes. Like pretty much all the other accomodation in Railay, it was a collection of huts, ambitiously described as 'chalets', but as it was only 150 Baht a night, it meant I had more to spend on food and alcohol.

A Monkey with its' baby

On the way to and from the beaches I had to negotiate a pack of monkeys that were searching through a hotel's bins daily. Without the benefit of a stick to hand with which to beat them, I decided not to spoil for a fight.

Not really sure which beach this was. But it looks nice.

There are 3 beaches on Railay, though only 2 of them are the sort of beaches you'd want to spend time on: West Beach and Phrao Nang (to the North). The whole place was relatively deserted, which meant that there was no more than a dozen or so people on a beach at any one time. It also meant that most of the bars in Railay were closed, and those that were open were empty; so there wasn't much in terms of nightlife. But I still speant a few days enjoying the beaches and swimming in the warm, clear water before heading to Phi Phi.

Longtail boats at sunset on West Beach

I managed to catch a couple of sunsets on West Beach, and got some pretty nice photos. On my last night in Railay, on returning to my hut in the pitch black, I switched on the light to find a snake enjoying the few home comforts my accomodation was offering. Rather than scream like a girl and run away (which would have been my usual reaction), I did the much more Manly thing of shining my torch in its' eyes until it left the hut. I was finally becoming a man at one with nature.

Troublefree Monkeys and troublesome snakes

Krabi, Thailand