After spending 2 nights on the island of Koh PhiPhi (arguably the most party centric small island in the south) we were hoping for some solitude at Tonsai Bay on mainland Thailand. We were quite pleased when only one other passenger transferred from our hundred passenger boat to a smaller long tail boat to be taken ashore.
Tonsai is home to some of the oldest climbing routes in SE Asia and we were fortunate enough to find space at a bungalow owned by Basecamp Climbing Shop. The bungalows were fairly primitive, no fan due to the fact that we only had electricity 5 hours each evening. All of Tonsai is off the grid and is run completely by generators. There are no automobiles on the Railey peninsula and the only way to acces the beach is by boat, hour hike, or waiting for low-tide and walking on the rocky beach from Railey. We went on a guided rock climbing tour for half a day and had a excellent time climbing with our Thai guide and 2 Dutch girls. We also took a kayak out for a day trip, played lots of cribbage and watched a base jumper's parachute open just over our heads as we sat for a drink at the beachside bar.
After 6 nights of hanging out, we moved to Railey Beach and reunited with, Jesse, Jessi, Olive and Eleanor who were joined by our good Denver friends Micah and Jamie Lichte. We spent the next few days catching up with them, relaxing on the beach, swimming at their pool, rock climbing, dining, Icing one another, and playing some long awaited euchre. We enjoyed our stay at Railey beach but I was excited to be on the move again. Next stop, Kaoh Sok National Park.
Once again, we boarded a packed van for our 3 hour drive. An hour outside the park, we stopped at another popular beach resort town. Everyone except Erin and I got out of the van and we were happy to know we had gotten off the beaten track once more. We spent a few days in town (known simply as the "Tourist Village") exploring the park and rehashing our trip itinerary for the 33rd time. After our 3rd night in town, we were picked up in the morning for a long drive, then boat ride on a huge lake to a set of floating bungalows. We were accompanied by our guide Kit as well as 2 other couples of our age. It's low season for all travel in SE Asia which means our tour was tailored for 30+ but was only attended by the 6 of us. We spent the next 2 days taking boat rides, spotting monkeys, swimming, kayaking, hiking through a 700m cave, and eating the most filling Thai meals while the sun set over the lake.
That ended yesterday, and shortly after making it "home" we were on a bus through the night. Now we are expecting to spend the next 5 nights or so exploring Bangkok, catching up on errands and shopping that we have been needing to do for the last couple weeks; Buying toiletries and maybe shipping some of our unused items home. I am doing really well, after our day of itinerary tuning I think we have a good grasp on what we will be capable of in the coming months. It's amazing what kind of impact a concise plan can have on moral, no longer caught up pondering future plans, or current expenses, but excited for the many more positive possibilities.
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