Rai Ley Beach, Ton Sai Beach, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Tao, Thailand
October 3 - 12, 2008
Rai Ley Beach is the small piece of karst limestone paradise that everyone expects from a Thai island... except this isn't actually an island! Accessible only by boat, the area is divided into four distinct attitudes... the $1000 a night resort of Phra Nang beach, the overdeveloped West Rai Ley beach resorts, the urban backpacker scene of East Rai Ley, and the cool /chill / sporty vibe of Ton Sai beach. Although the area is far from undiscovered, I am sure it is a better destination than the heavily touristed Koh Phi Phi (ie - The Beach) and Phuket.
Ton Sai beach lured me into an extended stay where I got slightly tangled and tied up in the climbing scene, enjoyed relaxing massages, and chilled completely on the nearby beaches. The tempermental weather often churned the afternoon and evening skies into a stunning display of electrical storms, perfect for photographing. I spent a day snorkeling around the sheer limestone islands rising impossibly out of the water, followed by a curry dinner eaten on a spit of sand connecting three lone islands. At dusk, bats the size of small dogs emerged from their island caves slowly beating their wings in prehistoric silhouettes against the colours of the sunset. Behind us, another dazzling lightning display erupted in the distance. Before arriving back at the beaches, we snorkeled in darkness through the magical bioluminescence while the lightning bolt rapidly approched.
I decided that I had to move on from the vacuum of Ton Sai Beach, and the infamous Full Moon Party provided a deadline and a destination. I finally made it to the quiet shores of Bottle Beach to enjoy a few days of reading and writing before moving along to the diving island of Koh Tao. I only went on a single dive since the visibility was exceptionally bad, but from what I saw, I would choose the underground wonderland of diving in Honduras over Thailand any day.
Since the overland journey into Cambodia is rumoured to be hell, I opted for a cheap flight into Phnom Penh from Bangkok. When I grew up I remember listening to the song "One Night In Bangkok", but I never really understood the lyrics. One night in Bangkok in the Pat Pong district was certainly more than an eyeful than I had expected!
Rai Ley Beaches, Thailand. This is a view from an observation point which overlooks Rai Ley East on the right, Rai Ley West on the left, and Ton Sai beach in the distance. The best beach, Phra Nang, is out of the photo on the far left, where the resort charges $1000 a night! The karst limestone formations make for a climbers paradise!
Rai Ley Beaches, Thailand. The view from Phra Nang beach.
Rai Ley East, Thailand. When the tide goes out, Rai Ley East dries up completely!
Rai Ley, Thailand. Climbing up the strange limestone formations on the edge of the jungle.
Rai Ley, Thailand. It seems that most of the public miss this hike, or are too afraid for the climbing involved to get here, but it is well worth the trouble. In the middle of the jungle the limestone opens up into a fully enclosed 360 degree lagoon, completely isolated!
Rai Ley, Thailand. View towards the sky while floating in the middle of the lagoon!
Ton Sai Beach, Thailand. Looking towards Rai Ley beach, this vicious storm stirred up in only a few minutes, loading up the sky with crazy textures and colours.
Ton Sai Beach. A view of the incoming storm and the popular hangout at the Freedom Bar. You can see one of the popular multi-pitch climbing walls overhanging the Freedom Bar.
Ton Sai Beach, Thailand. The calm before the storm.
Rai Ley, Thailand. Snorkeling tour around some of the limestone formations.
Near Rai Ley, Thailand. The beach at night before the sunset.
Near Rai Ley, Thailand. Islands at sunset.
Near Rai Ley, Thailand. Sun setting over the narrow sand strips joining three islands.
Near Rai Ley, Thailand. An electrical storm off in the distance made for a spectacular light show.
Near Rai Ley Beach. The people from our tour enjoying a seafood curry and rice dinner under the stars while a lightning storm threatened in the distance.
Koh Phangan, Thailand. Crazy Australian guy named Lucas who bought a strange and magical pot filled with some sort of fermented grains... stick a couple of straws in, suck away, and enjoy the Full Moon Party...
Koh Phangan, Thailand. All painted up for the FMP, Lucas performs a dramatization of his possibilities for the evening, after he disposed of the contents of the magical jar into the toilet.
Koh Tao. Sunset from the restaurant during happy hour.
Koh Tao. The fire dancers in Koh Tao were undoubtedly the best I have ever seen.
2 comments:
It is pretty amazing to see someone visits the same place that I have visited before and did same activities(rock climbing, snorkling, sunset,not exactly the same sunset,but.. :) )
I made the same mistake - Full Moon + diving Koh Tao = disappointment....but the whale shark made up for that. The similans are amazing though - or south of Koh Lanta...
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