So about this going-to-Bangkok thing…
…It’s going to be tough to do.
I’ve fallen behind with my posting, but for good reason! Last week was uneventful yet busy in terms of class, and thanks to a three day weekend about ten of us headed out to Rai Leh beach, just returning this afternoon.
I can sum up Rai Leh in one word: paradise. It was absolutely breathtaking and absolutely worth the process of getting there. After a late night of drinks and swimming at the beach, everyone finally got themselves up on Saturday morning and packed a bag. We caught a bus (again, this pretty much means the back of a truck) to the Phuket bus station where we found an air conditioned van to drive us the 3 hours to Krabi for only $4 per person. Once in Krabi we bargained with some tuktuk drivers until we found a guy that would take us to the Ao Naemo pier for $1 per person. He took us about halfway, obviously having no clue where he was going, then stopped on the side of the road and passed us off to a more competent driver who took us the rest of the way.
Once we got to the pier we had a short wait as it was low tide and the boat had to be dragged in for boarding. I bought the most delicious snack ever from a woman on the street, sticky rice with fresh coconut wrapped in a banana leaf and then followed everyone through the mud to the longboat. We finally pulled into Rai Leh bay around 3:30pm and again had a long slippery walk through knee-deep water to the beach (note to self: get on boats at high tide!). It was BEAUTIFUL. Rai Leh is a major rock climbing destination (and the place that Gabe and I will most likely be hanging out at for a while as soon as my teaching gig is over) and of course, with the scenery as it is, a major resort destination.
We hiked around with our backpacks, sweating and wanting nothing more than a dip in the ocean – unfortunately we needed a place first. The entire island is pretty much a network of resorts/hostels and bars/restaurants and there are paths connecting all of them. The places that we immediately came to were of course far out of our price range and definitely not the sort of atmosphere that we were after. We finally found a fellow backpacker on the beach who directed us to the opposite side of the island, where we found rooms for $8/person. They were really nice, bigger than we needed with TV, fridge, hot water, nice patios, etc. We figured there was cheaper, but 250baht was more than doable and we really wanted to swim!
The rest of the afternoon/evening was spent swimming, napping, enjoying massage on the beach and waiting for the incredible sunset. That evening we went to a few bars, beginning with the most laid-back establishment I’ve ever been in, the Stone Bar (you get the idea). It was this awesome set up – the actual bar on a big circular bamboo platform at the foot of a huge rock face with hammocks lining the perimeter. Around the main platform were a several small bamboo platforms with cushions to recline on and low tables set your drinks on…it’s tough to describe how it looked, but I’m about ready to buy it from them and run it myself!
After a drink or two there we came across a cave down the path that had a sign saying “Entry 40baht.” Naturally there was no one there at 10pm, so we got out our lighters and gave ourselves a tour! They had built a bamboo walkway through this cave and it was pretty creepy…Not so much because of the dark or the crazy rock formations, but because of the thousands of bats nesting up above! Raina and I were a bit freaked out by that, as these bats (2-3 foot wingspans, these were not Austin bats!) did not seem happy to have us there, so we turned back after a few minutes. Everyone else did the whole walk and came out unscathed, so we headed to another bar where we celebrated Lisa’s birthday well into the night.
We’d had every intention of coming back Sunday night, but decided that a second night was in order. We had a wonderful breakfast at a restaurant up in a tree and then took a walk down a path to see what was there. Luckily it was the Rai leh Cabana, a true backpacker place that only wanted $3 per person. We got our stuff and moved in – these were thatched roof bungalows with mosquito nets, no hot water, wooden plank floors full of gaps, a non-flush toilet and bananas growing on the tree outside – it was great! Exactly what I’d been preparing myself for in Thailand…
That afternoon we got on a boat to go snorkeling at four different islands. It was awesome, I’ve really never done that before and I was blown away (especially at the reef sharks swimming around)! The reefs were incredible and water is crystal clear – it’s this crazy whole other world down there! I could’ve stayed down for hours, and am even more motivated to get my diving certification now.
The guide was this older South African who has been living in Thailand for about 10 years now and has been taking people out on boat trips since day one. He was a really neat guy and we got to hear things that you would NEVER here on a tour in the states – on the way to the second island he asked “so is anyone interested in free climbing or cliff jumping? There’s a great spot up here, you just need to be pretty strong because the only way to get up is to climp up a rope…I think it’s pretty secure. Just don’t fall, there are a lot of rocks on that side.” In the end, the waves were too crazy to be able to do it , but I’m sure it would’ve been 100% safe, as everything in Thailand is (right?)!
Once the sun started to go down he took us to his “office,” a tiny secluded island with flawless sand and some of the best views ever. He showed us a small patch of sand that was a different color, saying to put our stuff there because the tide would eventually come in over the rest of the beach. We hung out there for a good three hours, saw an amazing sunset, watched bats take off from a nearby island and had an amazing dinner (a big pot of coconut milk, green curry, mussels, shrimp and vegetables, with rice of course).
Around 9pm everyone packed up and we got back into our two longboats which took us to yet another spot where we went nightswimming to see the water light up (if you’ve ever seen “The Beach,” you know what I’m talking about). It’s due to the phosphorus in the water – moving around in the water creates a sort of glowing effect, like lots of tiny fireflies everywhere around you. It was pretty amazing!
We had a low-key night, dousing ourselves in mosquito spray before sleeping in our huts (along with many other creatures, I’m sure). We left early this morning and got back around lunch to get busy on lesson planning.
This will already be our final week of training (?!?), which means that we are doing nothing but teaching practices aaaaaalllllll week long. Naturally I am the first one to go (thanks, Mom and Dad, for naming me with an “A” ☺ ), so at 9am tomorrow I will be thrown to the wolves (ie 30 15-year old Thai kids). Cross your fingers for me!
I have hundreds (seriously) photos from this past weekend, so I uploaded a good number of them here:
http://flickr.com/photos/26728799@N06/
I’ll be doing that from now on as I don’t have all that much space on this blog. Save that link as well and check it often – you won’t be disappointed!
Tags: Travel
allisonrae
May 19th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Allison,
Your right, those photos are absolutley amazing! I’m sure Bangkok will not be as beautiful as these islands are, but it will certainly be another experience and you will get to return to the beach as soon as your teaching obligation ends. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the 15 year olds. We love you and miss you very much!
Dad
May 19th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Awesome pics! I cant wait to be over there! Good luck teaching today!!!!
May 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Absolutely gorgeous photos!
When in Istanbul, some of the best food I had was from street vendors. I never knew what it was so glad you do.
Glad you are having so much fun. We know you will be a fine teacher.
Teacher, me go to bathroom now!
John
August 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
The photos are amazing!! I can’t believe I live in this country 🙂 I’m sure you did great on your teaching!! I just love how you have to get around, you better not wear your sunday best to get around the country!!
February 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
normally when i start reading a blog i read it to the finish. i wasnt put off by yet another female english teacher, but this blog is so boring