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Beyond expectations

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

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We’re less than a month from our return to the US, and we can’t deny that the nomadic lifestyle is starting to wear on us a bit. While we still have a handful of really neat places to go, and are still making great discoveries every day, travel days have become a nuisance, our bags get packed sloppier every day and we find ourselves making excuses to stay put just a bit longer…

It was in this spirit that we headed for Tioman Island located 30 miles off the coast of eastern peninsular Malaysia in the South China Sea. Having spent the first half of the month in city after city, we figured that an island might be just what we needed, a break from the motorbike traffic and 24 hour everything. We were both tired of sightseeing and ready for outdoor activity, though we anticipated Tioman, which opened only two weeks ago (it remains closed during the monsoon season), to offer little aside from lounging on the beach as there are few roads (thick jungle covers most of the island) and boat transport is unjustifiably expensive.

We boarded the once-a-day ferry and two hours later were deposited, along with a handful of other foreigners, on “ABC,” a beach that reportedly had the majority of the ‘budget’ accomadation. The place was nearly deserted but very pretty with plenty of wooden bungalows and cafes along the single path, surrounded by palm trees, blooming flowers and views of beautiful blue water with a backdrop of rugged tropical rainforest.

We spent the afternoon indulging in one of Tioman’s greatest draws – the duty free shop! Alcohol is incredibly expensive in Malaysia due to high taxes that the Islamic government places on it (Muslims do not drink), but the small airport on Tioman and a half mile stretch of road have been designated tax-free, and beer is sold cheaper than water while good liquor can be bought for next to nothing. After several weeks of near-abstinence, it was a welcome sight and we stocked up!

The next day was hiking. Gabe rented snorkelling gear and we headed off to Monkey Bay, which was an hour hike through thick rainforest, devoid of people but full of monkeys, massive monitor lizards, ants the size of cockroaches, vines the diameter of telephone poles that strangled anything they touched – amazing! The sapphire blue water and absolutely empty stretch of white sand at Monkey Bay was wonderful after the sweaty climb. What we originally thought were a couple of people snorkeling turned out, with a closer look, to be black tipped reef sharks! Gabe couldn’t get his mask and snorkel on quick enough before diving in! We were beyond hungry by that point and had another hour until we reached an inhabited beach, so we pushed on.

We staggered onto Salang, a well-groomed northern beach that was also nearly tourist-free and stuffed ourselves at an eatery with spicy chicken sambal, rice and samosas. The snorkelling was incredible here! Giant parrot fish, schools of barracuda, clown fish, and many other colorful fish make their home in the shallow coral reefs just offshore. The highlight was a sea turtle Gabe had the chance to swim along with until it ventured out in the deep…amazing! It hit 4:00 and we knew that we had to turn back in order to make it ‘home’ before dark – the jungle is not a place for people, especially not at night and certainly not while wearing flip flops and swimming attire. The bugs would eat us alive! We were both drained but managed to make it, taking frequent monkey-watching breaks when the mountain got too steep. We thought that we had found a great island, but we had no idea what lay ahead…

We’d heard rumors of a place called Juara, the only beach on the eastern side of the island and one that could only be reached by boat taxi (for a very steep price), an expensive 4×4 taxi on a crude road, or a two hour jungle hike up and over the mountain. It was said to be, hands down, the most beautiful place on Tioman, and of course there was no stopping us then – we love things that are hard to get to!

The next morning we silenced our aching legs, left our big bags behind and headed to Juara with one change of clothes, books and cameras. The rainforest in this direction was like something out of a fairy tale – gorgeous butterflies, unbelievably tall trees, monkeys and exotic birds everywhere, palm leaves 12 feet wide, vines growing around anything and everything, really an entirely different world. We took it easy and soaked it all in, marvelling at this magical place that, again, was completely devoid of any human life.

Around lunchtime we caught a glimpse of the sea. We passed an Australian couple huffing up the hill who confirmed that we were close, and that it was well worth the work. We got a second wind and finished out the hike, arriving on the most pristine stretch of sand I’ve ever seen, backed with jungle-covered mountains, facing crashing turquoise waves (the sea is rough on this side of the island) and lined with palm trees, brightly colored flowers and cute bungalows. The only thing missing was people – it was empty!

We found a place called Rainbow Chalets and knew that we wanted to stay there – multicolored bungalows with great porches spilling right onto the sand and windows opening to the sound of the waves. Reception was deserted, so we decided to eat. Bushman’s Cafe was right next door, and there were two people eating, the first sign of life! Sitting on their deck facing the sea we ordered food and struck up a conversation with the great couple from Portland, Oregon who were finding it hard to leave Juara. We had an excellent meal, found a sweet old lady to rent a bungalow out to us and moved right in.

The days that followed consisted mainly of waking up early to either run or watch the sunrise, strolling down to “our” restaurant for an incredible breakfast and real! coffee, reading on the porch, taking a nap with the window and door open to the sea breeze, strolling down to our “other” restaurant for an even better lunch, then reading on the even more secluded next beach over. As the tide came in late afternoon the waves formed nicely on sandy beach break which is ideal for surfing. Gabe rented a board for next to nothing and played in the water. After that we would head to the cendol stand(a heaping bowl of shaved ice covered in sweet coconut milk and palm sugar syrup) for an afternoon snack then shower and spend the remaining daylight hours taking photos or reading/writing on the porch. Dinner would usually be social, as the five Rainbow Chalet residents who made up the populace of the beach were all extremely cool people and the affordable alcohol made things even better – after we’d exhausted ourselves, we’d fall asleep to the sound of the surf right outside our window.

In short, this place was paradise. The beach was flawless, the water crystal clear. The residents were impossibly friendly (Gabe was loaned a guy’s personal fishing pole, given a bag of bait and then offered free use of the school’s computers by the headmaster, since it was the weekend and no one was using them), and someone seems to have forgotten to tell the restaurants and guesthouses that they’re supposed to double the prices of everything on islands. We were eating fresh seafood every night for less than $2 a plate and sleeping, beachfront, for $4 each!

There was no shortage of activity – surfing, fishing, and excellent hiking were all at our doorstep. One of the locals even showed us where there are quality bolted climbing routes that offer spectacular views of the bay. Reading on the porch with views of the sea could never get old! There was no traffic, really not even a road, and we didn’t put shoes on for three days straight. The tiny group of fellow travellers were all wonderful, and all finding it impossible to leave. There was really no concern for time, or anything at all – our biggest decision of the day was whether we wanted fish or crab for dinner!

We stretched it as much as we could, but the time came to leave. We will be back on that incredible island someday, and we will make sure to go in that tiny slice of February between the monsoon season and high season when it can be our own little piece of heaven. A surprise like this was enough to reinvigorate the traveller in each of us, and we will finish out this trip with the enthusiasm that it deserves!

Sorry, full!

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

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I am way past due for a post, but I have an excuse and that excuse is Railay Beach!

Between Khao Lak and Phuket, we were pleasantly surprised with how affordable the islands have been despite the high season. In Khao Lak we benefitted from the sluggish December, and in Phuket we benefitted from the fact that I knew the area, our “going local but still indulging in resort beaches” savviness and the fact that we found a great Swedish couple who believe that Thailand should be affordable and thus offer nice rooms for rock bottom prices, right in Nai Han, the area where I had my teacher training back in May. It was a fun reunion with my old stomping grounds, and a million times better now that I had Gabe to share it with!

After five days of cruising around beautiful Phuket on a motorbike and lounging on the pristine beaches, it was time to head to Railay Beach, an international rock climbing destination that Gabe has been anticipating since last year.  Railay is surrounded by huge overhanging karst limestone cliffs that end at the waters edge.  Numerous limestone towers litter the sea providing ample opportunity for deep water solo climbing.  I was in Railay during my first few weeks in Thailand and loved it; I remembered that it was pretty expensive to eat, since it is strictly tourism (though connected to the mainland, there are no roads over the huge limestone formations, so it can only be reached by boat), but that we had no problem finding reasonable accomodation. Surely prices would be a bit steeper in the high season, but how bad could it be?

By the time we rode our motorbike to the Phuket bus station, travelled to Krabi, took a songtaew to Ao Nammeo Pier and then a longtail to Railay, it was near 6:00. We knew that finding a room would be a bit tough at that time, but we’ve always found a place and weren’t too worried. Our first stop was the really nice place that I’d stayed in for 250B back in May. They were full, but no matter – they wanted 1500B for the same room! We moved on.

We covered every inch of east Railay (the ‘budget’ side) and were greeted with one of two scenarios at each place; either rooms were “cheap” at 950B and completely booked, or else there was a room available for upwards of 2000B! As our budget allows around 2-300B per night, we were at a loss and didn’t even bother checking out the ritzy west side. It was beginning to get dark and we were exhausted – where to go?

Tonsai Beach was the place to go, according to some rasta-type Thai climbers that were lounging at one of the many reggae bars. We’d briefly read about Tonsai, that it was the true climbers hangout on Railay, but that it was quite a hike to get to and only had electricity for a couple of hours a day.  Regardless, we set off over the steepest, sandiest, sweatiest trail ever, hauling our bags and chasing the last bit of daylight; I was having Cambodian jungle flashbacks!

Finally, finally we reached Tonsai, and it certainly seemed more our speed. There was a very definite “type” of crowd there – everyone was young, extremely fit and in no rush to be anywhere. We figured that with that hike, it’d be no problem to find a room, right?

Wrong! After stopping at every single place (and there were a lot, mostly barebones thatch bungalows in the trees) and following tips from helpful fellow travellers (all who wished us an unconvincing “good luck“), we had nothing. “Sorry, full!” became the refrain of the night, and they weren’t joking! One bar owner offered us hammocks on his deck if we couldn’t find anything, and we were just about to resort to that when we came across one last place. We approached and asked about a room, almost cringing to hear the answer. Strangely, we heard “yes, have room!” Our faces lit up, then fell when the price was quoted: 1300B. The kid must have seen our desperation, because he relented and told us that we could stay in a tent on the deck for 300B. By that point I would’ve taken anything, and a tent sounded great! They set it up, swept it out, gave us fresh sheets for the mattress and pointed us towards the restaurant bathrooms, complete with a shower. Exhausted, we threw our things down and trudged back up the hill for the first of many, many expensive dinners.

The next morning dawned in a brighter light. Gabe was able to meet up with some Europeans to go climb (literally every person on Tonsai is there to climb, and climb only – I haven’t seen so many fit people in once place since my last college race!) while I took charge of finding a proper room. After making the rounds twice and still hearing that awful “Sorry, full!” over and over, I was thrilled to see two girls checking out of TiewKhao bungalows and raced over to grab their spot. The room was basic as basic gets (the tent was more luxurious), but at least we had a base! Vacation could begin.

Railay is like a giant, unbelievably beautiful playground, a mecca for rockclimbing, sea kayaking, diving, snorkelling and all sorts of other things. Tonsai was its own little world; it took effort to get there and most people were staying for at least a month, if not more, strictly to climb then rest then climb again. I stayed off the rocks and stuck to long, hard morning runs, but could be entertained all day by these incredible shows of strength, from all over the world. It was bizarre to cross back over to Railay East or West and suddenly find yourself amongst the big, soft resort-typers (remember the TWTs?) lounging at their pools. We certainly preferred the Tonsai side, and after just a couple of days you would suddenly realize that you were running into all sorts of people you knew – it was a true little community!

The drawback of a place like Railay is the price of everything and the lack of Thai food. Understandably, all supplies must be brought in by boat, and of course the prices are then nudged ever higher by the fact that there are no Thai people living here; it is strictly for tourists. On average, everything (from basic goods to meals) was 2-3 times pricier than normal. Sunblock was an ungodly $16 per bottle (we rationed ours and wore hats), and a scoop of icecream could ruin your day. It was impossible to find a restaurant that would serve Thai food for breakfast (hello omlettes and muesli!), and when you did find Thai food it was so farangified (ie no spice, no fish sauce, no taste) that it made the high price that much more painful. A sunset beer could kill your days budget, and internet was astronomically expensive, hence my recent absence!

Despite these things, Railay is a bit of a tropical paradise and we truly settled in for the week, spending each evening watching the pro climbers perform and the unfortunate late-comers search for a place to stay. Gabe got to do some great climbing with really neat people from different parts of the world, and we fit in plenty of other things around that as well.  The climbing highlight for Gabe was going out on a boat for a deep water solo trip to nearby limestone towers, which involves climbing over water without any sort of protection (ie. rope, carabiners, harness).  This is one of the purest forms of climbing as there is no gear to get in the way, only you and the rock wall in front.  You climb up until you arms give out and plunge into the water below, rest on the boat, and repeat!

We spent one day taking a tour to Koh Phi Phi, home of the infamous beach in the movie, The Beach. While the location was stunning and we’re glad that we saw it, the beauty was detracted from by the thousands of tourists (yes, we were part of it), hoardes of speedboats, the smell of gasoline and the cattle-herding method of the tour. Snorkelling was done amid a mass of idling boats, lunch was a bland buffet of fried rice, spaghetti and instant coffee and stops like “Monkey Bay” were disappointing, exploited zoos. We wouldn’t do it again.

We departed today, having discovered affordable-ish food (the chicken ladies!), having made some great new friends, enhanced our tans and having rediscovered some long-lost climbing and paddling muscles. We were partly sad to go, partly thrilled about the return to real Thailand, where not only can we interact with real live Thai people!, but can also afford to snack and use internet and have a beer if we please.

Tomorrow we go to Malaysia for the final “new frontier” of this trip. In one month we will return, again, to Thailand for some diving and goodbyes before heading back to the US for the culture shock of the year! There is a good chance that the next blog will concern food and food alone (Indian food is reportedly better and more plentiful in Malaysia than it is in India) so come hungry!

(Also….enjoy the latest photos!)

The playpen

Saturday, January 10th, 2009
You sure can cover a lot of ground in a week! After departing the wintry mountains of the north, we headed to the still-sweltering city of Bangkok, then found ourselves sailing to Kawthoung, Burma (a town that foreigners can enter, but cannot ... [Continue reading this entry]

Ear-to-ear

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Vietnam is fast becoming the highlight of our trip, consistently putting smiles on our faces. We started out on Phu Quoc, a large island not too far from the Cambodian border. Phu Quoc is 90% mountainous forest; there is a ... [Continue reading this entry]

Sea breezes and secrets

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
2801745506_651ec3a5e2.jpg  I've discovered the secret to staying sane while living in Bangkok, and it's called Ko Si Chang. Ko Si Chang is an island in the gulf that takes only 2 hours to reach by bus ... [Continue reading this entry]

How to find paradise for seventy dollars.

Thursday, July 24th, 2008
2690322619_4176d89490.jpg After an entire two days back in Bangkok, Gabe and I were about ready for another trip. Gabe had been kind enough to go buy the bus tickets on Tuesday while I was at work, ... [Continue reading this entry]