Ao Nang, Thailand

Ao Nang is a quaint beach town and great jumping off point for Railay Beach, just a 20 minute boat trip.

We arrived in Ao Nang after taking the bus from Phuket and settled into our hotel about 5 minutes from the beach. Railay is known for its rock climbing, caves, and amazing and quiet beaches. After checking into the hotel we set off to book our rock climbing trip and bus/boat ticket to Ko Samui. We were only staying two nights which didn't leave much time to waste.

Day 1:

Our first day we walked to the travel agency next door to the hotel to inquire about rock climbing. Fortunately we did because starting the next day and for the following three the climbing companies were closed because of a rock and fire festival. We found out there was a half-day for that afternoon so we quickly paid and were left with 30 minutes to find lunch and return to our hotel for pickup.

One thing Ao Nang didn't have much of was street food, at least during the day. With only 20 minutes left we had to settle on Subway sandwiches. We wanted to avoid fast food but sometimes it comes in handy. We had enough time to get changed and return to the lobby to be picked up in a tuk-tuk. It was a short 15 minute drive to the pier where we were greated by a boat to transfer us to Railay East.

Upon arrival you are dropped off in the ocean in about knee deep water and walk to shore. The tides in in this area change so significantly that piers are hard to build. We were fitted with rock climbing shoes, harness, and chalk bag immediately after arrival and took off to the rocks.

It was a small group made up of beginners like us, advanced climbers traveling through, and those in between. We had one other person in a group which left not much down time so we were on the wall most of the afternoon. It was a great afternoon and I think both of us found a new hobby we enjoy. There were even monkeys climbing next to us. After climbing we shared a nice crepe with our fellow groupie and took the return boat to Ao Nang.

Day 2:

We slept in this morning and just hung out in town. We had wonderful breakfast crepes for $3 and are sold on our new treat. Billy and I had our first Thai massages on the beach and it was wonderful. Thai massage is fully clothed and a bit like doing yoga, chiropractic work, and pilates. After the massages we chartered a boat to an island known for it low tide exploring. There were lots of people exploring the island and collecting coral and shells (we can't remember the name). After our trip there went to Railay West where sunsets are rumored to be orgasmic. There are limestone cliffs on either side and the sun sets right in the middle but we picked a not so great day. There was a large rain cloud overhead and the sun never came out from behind. We stayed for almost an hour and a half but nothing changed. Although the colors were pretty it wasn't as great as we had hoped.

Upon leaving the seas were really rough so we had to land farther down the beach in total darkness and feel our way to the shore. It was a 20 minute walk back to our hotel with a short stop for dinner on the street.

After we arrived at our hotel the rain clouds opened up and we watched the showers from our balcony. It was a beautiful storm with lightening, rain, wind, and plenty of heat.