17. - 22.04.2012 (Tonsai Beach) Krabi, Thailand

Our first stop in Thailand was Krabi. We arrived on a bus terminal and we were looking for a transportation to get to the peninsula. A crowd of taxi drivers surrounded us and wanted to offer their services. They asked for 600 Baht. This is 20$ and a little much in our opinion. So after having a lunch of Pad Thai, we found a pick-up truck taxi service for 60 Baht. It drove us to a different location, however it was just as good and... a lot cheaper! After changing some money we walked to the harbor where we found a long boat driver who was going to take us to Railey on the peninsula. With the longboats you always have to wait until they have at least 6 people before they start the engine. Luckily there was another group and we took of within 15 min. The engines are very interesting. They are open with nothing around them and a long stick with the propeller directly attached on the back of it. The drivers have a handle to steer the boat by lifting the propeller out of the water or turning the entire engine! Very advanced technical engineering is going on here.





We had a 45 min ride and started to pass spectacular little islands with amazing rock formations on it.


We arrived at Railey beach west. As it was low tide we had to embark the boat 100 m of the shore and walk through the knee deep water to the beach with our backpacks on. We joined up with the other travelers who were with us on the boat as they also wanted to go to Tonsai. Then we crossed for 5 min through a resort to come to the east side beach of Railey. There we walked over the beach for 5 min until we reached the end where we had to climb a steep hill. There were ropes attached to trees to be able to get up the hill. Not easy with a bag on the back and one in the front! We had to climb through narrow passages between rocks and boulders. After 15 min we reached the Tonsai Beach. As we heard from our Spanish friends about a cheap bungalow, we searched for the Tonsai Bungalows. We had to go through the beach settlement up the hill and after 15min we finally arrived, completely soaked in sweat. The bungalows were made out of bamboo, airy and had a ventilator. Electricity was available only from 6pm to 1am. We stayed as the price was good and it was clean.


After a shower we went back to the beach, which might not be as nice as in Railey, but the area was far more secluded and charming, cheaper as well.


Close to the beach were lot of little bars, shops and little restaurants. We enjoyed dinner at a place with fresh fish. You could choose from King Fish, Shark, Barracuda, Squid, Tiger Prawns, Snapper. They were all presented on ice and a lady cut a piece off of it in front of you. Then it got wrapped in aluminum foil with a special dressing and cooked on the open fire. A salad buffet was included and it was sooooo delicious!





The next day we walked over to the other beach again to explore some hiking track and go to a lookout. Below is the view of one of the pools of a fancy resort.


To reach the viewpoint included steep and slippery paths in the middle of the heat.


As it was easier to go barefoot then in shoes, we got a nice mud packet for our feet.


We also reached a beach with this shrine where people come to ask for all different kind of things, including babies. Hundreds of wooden penises in all different kind of sizes where all over this cave. The legend says that if you ask this god for something, you need to promise something in return, if your wish comes true. If you do not follow up on your promise, bad luck will come over you! So be careful what you wish and what you promise this god!


The sunsets were every evening spectacular.


As our local girl of our group Noi was not only lovely crazy, but also very adventurous, she decided that the way throughout the water would be faster and easier then the way along the hill, they went the water way and Luke and me went the land way. We waited for 15 min until they finally arrived.


For the following day we planned a "deep climbing" trip. All we needed were some climbing shoes. A long boat took us out to one of the many small islands with some rocks on it. A kayak took us individually to the rock face, where we started to climb. The rock was great and had a great grip. All you had to do was to climb. You either climbed until you found a spot you liked or until gravity won and you fell. Either way, you always ended up in the clear and warm water.





We had 2 different stops and both were very different. As the tide changed to low tide, the jumps we had to do to get back on the boat got higher and higher. I would say the last one was good over 15 m and that's a long way and a lot of time to think about many different things whilst falling! It was a great thrill and experience. Especially as I wouldn't take my own climbing shoes to jump into the water with. There were some really good climbers which mastered the rock face spectacularly. After a couple of hours of climbing and watching others climb we headed towards a romantic little beach for lunch.


We did a little bit of snorkeling and relaxing in this beautiful surrounding. It was a wonderful day and experience. Tonasi is in general a paradise for climbers, also for those who don't want to get wet. There are many different shops who offer lessons or rent equipment. The area has for all skill levels something to offer and the views are usually for free.



We eventually had to leave the view of our little bungalow above and head to the beach. There we waited for a long boat to fill up so we would be able to get a ride back to the mainland beach from where we had a bus booked to get to Surathani and the to Kho Pagn Nagn. It's hard to leave such a little remote and cozy spot! The group of people we had around us was fantastic and we hope to see them soon again.


Here are more pictures from our lovely stay at Tonsai Beach