Railay Beach, Thailand - Part 3

Hello Family and Friends -

Today I will wrap up the Railay Beach adventures with cuz and Elizabeth.

Tuesday began early with me and Elizabeth setting off for breakfast, then meeting our rock climbing group at 9am.  We got fitted for shoes and gear and we set off to the east side to start the climb.  It was just us 2 and 1 other Israeli guy, so a nice small group.  Elizabeth had climbed quite a bit indoors and I'd done it a few times.  I admit I was a bit nervous.

I had the advantage of going last so got to see the hand/feet placements.  Plus our guide knew every nook and cranny in the rocks so was continually shouting up tips on where to reach and put our feet.  Most helpful indeed.  There were many places I thought, there is nowhere else I can go.  We attempted 5 climbs and got through 4 of them.  The last one was an inverted start and our arms/legs were so tired and shaky, that neither of the girls could do it.  The guy managed it though.  Next time!

This rock climbing was all new to me but I loved it.  The 1st 2 climbs we did were about 13 meters, and the 3rd one was 30 meters!  That's about 90 feet!  (Right?)  That is high!!!  The views from up there of the east and west beaches were spectacular.  This was one of those "Remember this view forever" moments.  Our guide said the climbs we did were 5.9 and 5.10.  Again, these #s didn't mean much to me but Elizabeth said that was really good!  :)  It was great!

To reward ourselves we got Thai pancakes (like crepes) and a Chang.  The banana and nutella pancakes were to die for!  :)  Very well deserved!

Then later that afternoon we were back at the Princess Resort for another round of 1.5 hour massages.  This one was even better because everything was sore - arms, legs, neck.  It was heaven.  It went by WAY too fast!  When those finished the heavens had opened again and we ran back to our room in the downpour. 

After cleaning up we had our last dinner in Railay at where else, the Flametree!  We treated ourselves right with panang chicken, pad thai, some Chang and then dessert!  My new favorite of fried ice cream and bananas in honey and coconut milk.  The fried ice cream tastes like a giant doughnut filled with ice cream.  After pouring on the chocolate and condensed milk, it's to die for!  Seriously, SO good!

 We turned in about 11 for our last sleep in our Railay bungalow. 

Wednesday we caught a longtail boat and then a van into Krabi town.  We checked into our hotel and rested a bit before heading out to explore.  Honestly, there wasn't much to be seen.  We saw this temple below, took some pics and this woman came up to us.  She grabbed Megan's arm and sniffed, then did the same thing to me.  It was really creepy!  Never seen that before.  Ummm, let's skip going into the temple and go get food!

We had a nice lunch, did some souvenir shopping, walked around a bit more, did a bit more shopping and headed back to the hotel. We didn't do much other than relax, pack, watch tv and enjoy the A/C.  We felt like we were in the lap of luxury with tv and A/C again.  We thought we'd better take advantage and watched some really thought provoking shows such as Hoarders, Caesars 24/7 and Sell This House.  Also we played some cards.  It was actually a really fun night to just chill and sleep.   

There were these crazy traffic lights in Krabi Town. 
Looks like something out of an evolution textbook!

Thursday we had breakfast at the hotel and caught a cab to the airport.  Our driver was telling us about his experience in the 2004 tsunami which was heartbreaking to hear.  One of the many reasons we realized again just how blessed we are.  Flight was on time and we arrived back in Singapore about 2pm.  Today was my birthday so I was very excited for our celebration tonight.  And I think you've already heard that story so I will end it here.

Megan, Elizabeth - I am so glad you were both able to come out and visit.  It was so special to have you here for my birthday and the trip to Railay was just perfect.  Truly an unforgettable experience.  It was great spending time with my dear cousin Megan and I am so thankful for a new friend that I've made in you Elizabeth.  I look forward to catching up with you both in Charlotte in about 2 months now, and many more memories to come.  Love you guys!

* Oh, and 1 last thing to the readership.  There will be no blog until next Tuesday because Sam and I are heading to Chiang Mai tonight!  I know you all are surprised!  :)  Stay tuned...