Changing plans, changing directions

The great part about independent travel (as opposed to tour groups) is that you're free to change your mind, turn around on a dime, and head in the opposite direction if the whim strikes. On Friday, I took a morning ferry and bus from Ko Chang to return to Bangkok. My loose plans for the last week of this trip - hit the weekend market, see a few other sites around Bangkok and maybe take a side trip a few hours west of Bangkok for a few days.

Well, I went to the weekend market, and took a side trip. But instead of taking a 2 hour bus ride west, I hopped on a plane Saturday afternoon for a 2 hour flight south to Thailand's southern penninsula. My destination - Railay Beach, a small inlet outside the town of Krabi, accessible only by boat. By the time the airport shuttle bus reached the "dock" it was dark and raining. I was with 2 other travelers from Holland. I use the word "dock" loosely. The dock is the beach. Our transport, a wooden longtail boat, pulled up as far as it could towards the beach, lowered a ladder, and we waded out into thigh deep water in the pitch black to climb into the boat as it pitched back and forth in the surf. Our boat ride took about 25 minutes in semi-rough waters, rocking the boat just enough to get a little nervous but not overly worried. The "dock" on the other end was the same - the beach. Again, climbing down the ladder, getting soaked thigh high as the waves came up. But we were there - Railay Beach.

Arriving at night doesn't do Railay justice. Once I stepped out on my balcony in the morning, I saw what this place is all about - amazing steep cliffs jutting out of both the land and sea all over the place. While I wasn't going to be scaling any cliffs (Railay is a popular rockclimbing site) I was hoping to take a canoe or kayak trip through some mangroves, or just enjoy the beaches. Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn't cooperating, and the rain continued into the morning and almost all through the day.

While the weather wasn't the best, the company was - my new Dutch friends, Els and Elmer, and Greg from NYC. When the rain stopped we went out for dinner (I had coconut rice actually served in a coconut!), then to a bar at the end of the beach, aptly called "Last Bar", for drinks. We also caught a bit of a fire show - some Thai guy with a 5-6 foot long pole set on fire at both ends, twirling it around and throwing it in the air like a high school majorette.

I had only planned a quick trip, with my return flight to Bangkok on Monday. Of course, that's when the weather cleared up. I really can't complain. I am, after all, travelling in the "rainy season", and this is the first time I've seen rain that has lasted for more than an hour or so.