Due to the abundance of rugged cliffs, Railay is a world-famous spot for rock climbing and so I thought I should probably get stuck in!
I decided to take the steep climb up to the islands viewpoint, and also visit the lagoon which is hidden amongst the craggy peaks. The climb was hard work, and quite scary at points, as it was a matter of scrambling up the rocks without any ropes, but it was fun and well worth the effort as the viewpoint provided a gorgeous view of the twin bays!
After finding the viewpoint I wandered around a bit trying to find the trail that led to the lagoon. I bumped into a group of young Aussie boys (Dan, Tom, Sam and Hayden) who were also headed to the lagoon and so I joined them to find the elusive sight. We eventually found the correct path, and started the very scary descent down the cliffs into the cavernous lagoon. It was so much scarier climbing down that up as it was much harder to find hand/foot holds, but after a few scary moments, and some dramatic suggestions by the boys that we might die, we made it to the hidden lagoon, elated by our successful climb! The lagoon was so pretty sitting still amongst the cliffs, and we had it all to ourselves! We stripped off and jumped in for a swim, before we attempted the steep climb out again. That evening I met back up with the Aussie guys to celebrate our success with a few Changs and a few buckets! The rest of my time in Railay was quite lazy in comparison, I did check out 'diamond caves' which were bat-filled and pretty, but otherwise my time was spent lounging on the beach, watching pretty sunsets and eating yummy Thai food!
After a couple of days I left Railay and took a short boat ride across to the beach of Ao Nang. Ao Nang is not blessed with the same beauty as Railay, but it is connected to the mainland and so had facilities (and prices!) that I had missed! The main reason for stopping in Ao Nang was to do a tour of 'The Emerald Pool' and hot springs that are located in a near by national park. The trip I chose to do also included a trip to Tiger Temple, and so I had a nice day exploring the local area.
The first stop was 'Tiger Temple' which is a temple complex located in caves which used to be home to a tiger. It is a pretty complex, with the main temple a top a hill, accessible by 1,237 steps! It was a very hot and sweaty climb, but I made it to the top and saw the giant Buddha statue and the surrounding countryside views! I also bumped into a few groups of school children in the complex who were on a school trip to practice their English by interviewing westerners, and so I ended up being interviewed by two groups of kids (very cute!) which was just as enjoyable as the temples!
The trip then took us to see the 'Emerald Pool' and the hot springs. The pool is a pretty, clear water pool, which is emerald in colour. We spent a bit of time there swimming and enjoying the water before heading to the hot springs which were the highlight of the trip for me! The springs are 38-42 degrees celsius, and run in a waterfall. There were lots of little ledges to perch on and enjoy the waters warmth, like a natural jacuzzi!
I spent one other day in Ao Nang and took a bus to check out Krabi town. The town hasn't got a whole lot going on, a few markets and a BOOTS!! I then made the journey across peninsular Thailand, to the gulf coast, and jumped on a ferry to the island of Koh Tao!!!
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