Feb 2 – Feb 16: Andeman Islands: Stage 2 Blog
Railay, Phi Phi, and Phuket
After leaving Koh Ngai, we unfortunately had to go somewhere to try to extend our Thai visas . (The visa rules had changed since we had checked them online before our trip. We’d heard rumors about it from other travelers in Penang, but no one seemed to know what the real story was. I (Nat) spent an afternoon trying to get to the Thai embassy in Penang, only to arrive 6 minutes late! Part of the reason for the tardiness was that I was too cheap to take a taxi and besides, I was having fun on my own getting there by bus! Unfortunately, it meant that we arrived in Thailand with only 15 days, rather than the 30 we expected. ) Sooooo, we left Koh Ngai, for the provincial capital of Krabi, where there was an immigration office. We ended up having to pay for Tim and I to have 7 more days, but they told us the kids could just “overstay” – that there was no fine for kids – but to be prepared for a possible hassle when we left Thailand. We’re finding that the “business” of travelling takes more time than we thought it would!
After taking care of the visa business, we took a longtail boat over to Railay Bay, which is a peninsula blocked from the mainland by massive limestone cliffs. I was here 25 years ago (where has the time gone?!) when it was just a finger of land covered by palm trees and beautiful, empty beaches. I knew it had changed, but was still shocked when we arrived to see hotels, paved paths, restaurants and LOTS of tourists. When I “got off the boat” 25 years ago, I walked down a sandy, single track through the palms to the other side of the peninsula, and stayed in a “resort” with about 20 huts and a single restaurant. It was so strange to walk through manicured “real” resorts, ATM machines, luxurious spas, pools, etc. to the other side of the peninsula and to stand on the spot where I stayed which is now a 5-star resort.
Despite all that, Railay is still a beautiful and quiet place to be. There are no roads to Railay, so no cars and no motorbikes. All the supplies are delivered by longtail every morning. I’d get up early and go have a cup of coffee, and every morning about 5 guys wheeled big wagons full of beer and ice (and I’m sure other things!) up the beach to the restaurants. Railay has also become a rock climber’s mecca, due to all the limestone cliffs, so Josh spent an afternoon climbing (and was very sore the next day!) Tim and I and the girls rented a kayak and paddled around the cliffs during Josh’s climb. The highlight of the stay was a Sunset snorkel tour we took. We left at 4:00 with about 10 other tourists, and snorkeled in 4 different places in the clearest water we’d seen so far. The girls finally enjoyed snorkeling (sort of!)because they could really see what was going on beneath them! We even fed bananas to the fish! After all the snorkeling, we pulled onto a deserted beach and had a picnic dinner with the sunset. Just before it got dark, a huge flock (swarm? hive? school?) of fruit bats flew out of the jungle of a nearby island, bound for the mainland mango plantations. The whole thing was pretty magical. The last adventure in Railay was a climb through the jungle to a lagoon that was “inside” one of the cliffs. We couldn’t figure out how it was formed. The water in it was salty, and its level changed with the tide, so there must have been an underground channel that fed it. All around the lagoon were extensive caves. Getting there was a challenge – we had to climb up rocks and vines, with the help of ropes that were screwed into the rocks.
Leaving Railay, we took a large ferry to Koh Phi Phi (pronounced Pee Pee!). Again, I was here 25 years ago, but it had changed so much I really couldn’t recognize it. Phi Phi was hit badly by the tsunami and there is a large section of the town that hasn’t been rebuilt yet. We went for an all-day dive trip and learned that the owner of this particular dive company had been killed in the tsunami, along with his daughter. His wife was still carrying on the business. One of their good friends, and former employees, (an English guy) has written a book about the whole experience, which we bought and read. It was, of course, a horrific experience, and made more realistic to us by being in this place and meeting people affected by it. We also hiked up to a viewpoint on the island, and by comparing a pre-tsunami postcard with what we saw, we could see how much had been re-built and how much was still just open land. As you walked around, you could often see places where there was still a lot of debris piled up – like old toilets, building materials, chunks of cement, etc. We never asked anyone about their experiences – it felt too recent and too invasive.
The diving was fantastic – again very clear. We also privately rented a longtail boat for a few hours one day and went to the beach where “The Beach” was filmed. Gorgeous, of course, and completed filled with tourists, including the Johnsons!
Our last stop in the southern islands was to go to Phuket, which was also hit very hard by the tsunami. I got into conversation one afternoon with a Thai woman about my age – about raising kids, life, etc. Since I felt we’d talked awhile on a personal level, I decided to ask her about how her business was affected by the tsunami. I’ve never seen someone’s face just sort of close up the way hers did. It was like all the animation and life in her features instantly evaporated. I felt terrible for intruding that way!
We went specifically to Phuket to see a cultural show that was supposed to be fantastic. It lived up to its reputation with 20 elephants, trapeze artists, Thai dancers, a herd of goats, a flock of chickens and doves flying through the audience! After a quick 1 night in Phuket, we had to get on the night bus to Bangkok, so that we could leave Thailand before our visas again expired. I was disappointed to have to leave now (heading for Vietnam) because I felt like my Thai was finally coming back to me and I could finally communicate at least a little bit again. We’ll be back after Vietnam, but given my memory these days, I’ll have to start all over again!
Well, this blog has been long enough. Thus ends the southern islands of Thailand. On to Bangkok and Viet Nam…
Tags: Travel
tahoejohnson
ascorbic acid launch – ascorbic acid gentleman ascorbic acid southward
заказать курсовую срочно https://kontrolnyeaudit.ru/
buy views on tiktok buy tiktok views
pharmacie en ligne: achat kamagra – pharmacie en ligne pas cher
https://formomebel.ru/stoliki/iz-mramora
tadalafil daily dose
Доставка цветов в Саратове https://flowers64.ru/ это отличная возможность заказать различные цветы, букеты, композиции, подарки, не выходя из дома. Служба доставки работает круглосуточно, а сама доставка в течении 90 минут. Вы сможете подарить букет анонимно, просто напишите это при заказе. Огромный ассортимент цветов порадует всех!
promethazine faith – promethazine desk promethazine pause
pharmacie en ligne france pas cher: levitra generique prix en pharmacie – pharmacies en ligne certifiГ©es
pharmacie en ligne pas cher: kamagra gel – pharmacie en ligne livraison europe
https://rybalka-v-rossii.ru/ – сайт о рыбалке в России, способах ловли рыб, и выборе правильных снастей.
5 Lessons You Can Learn From Online Shopping Uk Sites hunting camo shirt red large
Pharmacie en ligne livraison Europe: levitra generique – pharmacies en ligne certifiГ©es
Viagra homme prix en pharmacie sans ordonnance: viagra en ligne – Viagra sans ordonnance livraison 24h
Каталог финансовых продуктов: сделайте выбор с умом
Принимать финансовые решения может быть сложно.
Но с нашим каталогом финансовых продуктов это стало проще, чем когда-либо!
Мы собрали все лучшие финансовые продукты в одном месте, чтобы вы могли легко сравнить их и найти те, которые подходят именно вам. Наши экспертные обзоры и рейтинги помогут вам принять обоснованное решение, соответствующее вашим уникальным потребностям.
займы
Независимо от того, ищете ли вы кредит наличными, дебетовую карту или инвестиционный счет, наш каталог финансовых продуктов поможет вам сделать правильный выбор. Посетите нас сегодня и начните свое финансовое путешествие с уверенностью.
Achat mГ©dicament en ligne fiable: cialis generique – Pharmacie sans ordonnance
Why You Should Be Working With This Online Shopping Uk Amazon Storage End Table
8 Tips To Boost Your Buying Online From Uk To Ireland
Game Vimeo.Com
pharmacie en ligne pas cher: Levitra 20mg prix en pharmacie – pharmacie en ligne fiable
10 Things You’ve Learned In Preschool That Can Help You In Uk
Women’s Online Shopping Websites Color’Peps Pencil Collection
pharmacie en ligne livraison europe: cialis sans ordonnance – pharmacie en ligne france livraison internationale
Ten Trusted Online Shopping Sites For Clothes-Related Stumbling
Blocks You Shouldn’t Post On Twitter Gyenno Parkinson’s Smart Cutlery
Viagra homme prix en pharmacie sans ordonnance: SildГ©nafil 100mg pharmacie en ligne – Viagra sans ordonnance livraison 48h
https://autoblog.kyiv.ua путеводитель в мире автомобилей. Обзоры и тест-драйвы, актуальные новости, автокаталог, советы по уходу и ремонту, а также общение с автолюбителями. Всё, что нужно для выбора и эксплуатации авто, вы найдете у нас.
pharmacie en ligne fiable: acheter kamagra site fiable – pharmacie en ligne france pas cher
Are You Tired Of Best Online Shopping Sites London?
10 Inspirational Sources That Will Invigorate Your Love Single Wall Bbq Door
https://ktm.org.ua/ у нас вы найдете свежие новости, аналитические статьи, эксклюзивные интервью и мнения экспертов. Будьте в курсе событий и тенденций, следите за развитием ситуации в реальном времени. Присоединяйтесь к нашему сообществу читателей!
Are You Responsible For A Best Online Shopping Sites London Budget?
12 Ways To Spend Your Money American Made Crown Muffin Pan – Anton
–
12 Companies That Are Leading The Way In Online Clothes Shopping Near Me Tactical Belt Pouch
7 Things About Cheap Online Grocery Shopping Uk
You’ll Kick Yourself For Not Knowing Seat Belt Cover For Kids
florinef scowl – esomeprazole mock lansoprazole colour
20 Trailblazers Lead The Way In Uk Online Shopping Sites Like Amazon Meguiar’S M5032
The Steve Jobs Of Online Sites For Shopping In Uk Meet Your Fellow Online Sites For Shopping
In Uk Enthusiasts. Steve Jobs Of The Online Sites For Shopping In Uk
Industry Dog Crate With Divider (https://vimeo.com/930311704)
trouver un mГ©dicament en pharmacie: levitra en ligne – pharmacie en ligne france livraison internationale
Viagra vente libre pays: viagra en ligne – Viagra 100mg prix
https://kursovyemetrologiya.ru
pharmacie en ligne fiable: kamagra livraison 24h – vente de mГ©dicament en ligne
https://formomebel.ru/stoliki/kruglye
https://formomebel.ru/stoliki/iz-mr
pharmacie en ligne fiable: Pharmacie Internationale en ligne – pharmacie en ligne pas cher
купить секс куклу силикон https://24sexy-dolls.ru
What’s The Most Common Online Shopping Sites In United
Kingdom Debate It’s Not As Black And White As You Think Gluten-Free Banana Bread
купить самую реалистичную секс куклу https://24sexy-dolls.ru
https://fraza.kyiv.ua/ вы найдете последние новости, глубокие аналитические материалы, интервью с влиятельными личностями и экспертные мнения. Следите за важными событиями и трендами в реальном времени. Присоединяйтесь к нашему сообществу и будьте информированы!
pharmacie en ligne france livraison internationale: Pharmacies en ligne certifiees – pharmacie en ligne avec ordonnance
https://bestwoman.kyiv.ua узнайте всё о моде, красоте, здоровье и личностном росте. Читайте вдохновляющие истории, экспертные советы и актуальные новости. Присоединяйтесь к нашему сообществу женщин, живущих яркой и насыщенной жизнью!
The Most Effective Advice You’ll Receive About Online Shopping Top 7 Wahl
Detailer American Voltage – https://vimeo.Com/,
The Reason Online Clothing Sites Uk Is So Beneficial During
COVID-19 Kong Tug And Fetch Toy
https://7krasotok.com здесь вы найдете статьи о моде, красоте, здоровье, отношениях и карьере. Читайте советы экспертов, участвуйте в обсуждениях и вдохновляйтесь новыми идеями. Присоединяйтесь к нашему сообществу женщин, стремящихся к совершенству!
https://prowoman.kyiv.ua на нашем сайте вы найдете полезные советы по моде, красоте, здоровью и отношениям. Читайте вдохновляющие статьи, участвуйте в обсуждениях и обменивайтесь идеями. Присоединяйтесь к нашему сообществу современных женщин!