A Little Piece of Heaven - Railay Beach, Krabi, Thailand

I spent one night at a hostel called Pak-Up in Krabi. It seemed like a fun/nice hostel, but I didn't spend much time at it. After checking in, I dropped off my things and wandered around a night market. I got some delicious coconut milk ice cream and a necklace. I went to bed early and had a fantastic sleep; the bed was so comfy!

In the morning, I headed to the pier and made the half-hour journey over to Railay Beach. It is not technically an island, but it sure feels like one! It is a small peninsula between Krabi and Ao Nang. It is accessible only by boat due to limestone cliffs that cut off mainland access. It was one of my favourite places; it had such a chill vibe and was surrounded by beaches, jungle, and stunning cliffs!

When I arrived, I dropped my bag off at the hostel and walked around. I walked to Phra Nang Cave Beach (the most stunning place ever). I saw the Princess Cave and Shrine, full of various phallic-shaped objects known as offerings for fertility. Railay Beach is known for rock climbing, so I watched people climbing for a while, went swimming, and then headed for Railay West Beach; I saw so many monkeys on the way. I stopped for a delicious Thai Pancake and a fruit smoothie at Samonsi Pad Thai, which was delicious, and then I went to the beach. As I was eyeing up the kayaking stand, a Chinese man saw me and held up his phone with a translated sentence asking if I wanted to share a kayak and he would pay. I ended up kayaking with this lovely Chinese man who barely spoke English for an hour. As the worker guy pushed us out into the water, he told me to look out for the guy because he couldn't swim. It was a wild situation; I had fun! We went around some beautiful caves. 

After, I headed back to the hostel to check-in. I stayed at Blanco Hideout Railay, which was a nice hostel! There were some insane stairs you had to climb to get up to it, but it also had a beautiful hangout/bar area and swimming pool! After sorting myself out, I went for a walk and spontaneously decided to go rock climbing. I paid 1500 baht (£35) for the half-day afternoon lesson. I got all the equipment and went to Diamond Cave with the guide and two guys from New Zealand. I've always enjoyed rock climbing, but this was my first time doing real rock climbing. We did four climbs, two long, one short, and one medium; I made it to the top of each one because I'm stubborn as heck. It was a bit scary, exhausting, challenging, and exhilarating! I felt so strong and accomplished after, and I can't believe how much I enjoyed it! I went for a swim at the beach afterward because I was sweaty and covered in chalk and dirt. I read my beach and watched the sunset on the beach. Railay is known for its sunsets. Unfortunately, it was quite smoky when I was there, so it was only okay. I went to Railay Story for dinner. I needed a break from Thai food, so I got a delicious pizza and a beer and read my book. After dinner, I hung out at the hostel for a bit, then headed to The Last Bar, had a drink, and watched a Muay Thai Boxing match. I usually hate boxing, but it was pretty cool to see! When that finished, they had a fire show, and I met some girls and danced with them for a bit before heading home to bed. 

On my second day, I woke up, grabbed a delicious coconut smoothie, and climbed up to the East Railay Viewpoint. I had read that it was a bit of a climb, but I didn't know how intense. I started the climb, which was enjoyable; the rocks had really good holds, and there was a rope to grab onto if needed in the steeper places. I visited the stunning viewpoint and then decided to keep going and hike down to the lagoon. It was so difficult! It was proper rock climbing, I'm talking completely vertical rocks at some points, and I was just free climbing. I realized sometimes that if I slipped, I potentially could have fallen to my death... I followed a lovely Australian couple who checked on me lots. I made it down to the lagoon and went for a much-needed swim at my favourite Phra Nang Cave Beach. I was covered in sweat and red dirt from the rocks. I climbed back up, which was scary but fun. I felt really accomplished and proud after making it back down safely. I headed to the beach to cool off. I got some Pad Thai and a mango smoothie for lunch at Welcome Back Restaurant and then hung out at the pool at the hostel for a bit. 

Next, I headed out on a boat party tour through my hostel. It was so funny; it turned out to be pretty much all Canadian people! We went in a boat, had some drinks, and saw different islands. We went swimming and snorkelling and had a picnic. We nearly stepped on some giant sea urchins, which was a little scary. We hung out in the boat and watched the sunset in our life jacket diapers, and then, when it was dark, we put on snorkels and masks and jumped into the water. It was so freaky in the dark! Once in the water, we got to swim with bioluminescent plankton; it was so cool! When you are still, you can't see anything, but if you move your arms and legs around, you can see the little blue lights; they look like sparkles; it is incredible! Back at the hostel, we changed, and then we all went to Thai Family Restaurant for dinner. I had Pad-su-i, which was tasty, and it cost me like £2 for the food and a pop. We got a pineapple shake for dessert and wandered around before returning to the hostel, where we lounged by the pool and chatted. 

On my last morning, I packed up and stopped at a café near the pier for an iced coffee and the most delicious Thai tea croissant. I took the boat back to the main island with some Canadians and headed to the airport to fly to Singapore!