27/2/25
It didn’t feel quite as bad the second time round but 5:30am was still 5:30am. We drank some coffee. Frankie also drank some chocolate soya milk. Her favourite. We didn’t worry about eating breakfast. Still after all the faffing about it was 7am when we set forth on highway 4.
We had routed ourselves in such a way as to avoid the highway whenever possible. But there were limited opportunities. The first possibility came at the elephant hospital. We really wanted to see elephants but there limited ethical opportunities. Feeding and bathing elephants may sound better than riding them, but why would they need humans to do it for them? It’s not ethical.
The hospital wasn’t far down the side street. We could see an elephant from a hundred metres away. It was exciting for us but not for the elephant, not because we were scary, but the elephant was obviously there because they were sick. There was a man tending to the flappy eared animal. Then we saw another one, lying down with a large bandage on its side. It was a sad sight for us.
The garmin was suggested the possibility of a through route. We almost took our chances but it was a muddy orange track that didn’t seem enticing in that moment. We returned to the highway. It was 10 more kilometres to where we had planned our next detour. The road wasn’t too lively and we were glad of the cool temperatures. We had a great tailwind and flew up and down the gentle hills.
Turning off was still a blessing. The minor roads were quiet and had more tree cover. The locals smiled and waved at us. Their lives laid bare by the openness of their houses. After passing a temple we took a further side road past some nice looking houses. Then we were to take yet another side road. This was a dirt track though. As it was only for a kilometre we were undeterred.
It started off wide and vehicle width but slowly got narrower. Cattle and birds were living in harmony in the palms before we disturbed them. It was a great feeling to be off road in Thailand for the first time. As the path neared its end a man, who was sat in a little cubby, stood up and asked in stern English, “Where are you going?” We smiled and said we had just came down the path. He relaxed and asked where we were headed.
We meandered down some more backroads, parallel to the 4. There was a lady selling pomelos by the side of the road. Alongside an assortment of other random cooking ingredients. We bought the more expensive one, 40baht, it was much softer and therefore riper. Her husband came out to cut it for us before they both set about stripping all the pith. We didn’t know whether to intervene or not. No matter, it was a tasty fruit.
We had to sit on the highway past the airport. They’re always a pinch point for some reason. It wasn’t even busy, but they were building a new road and the traffic built up as a result of the construction.
Not long afterwards we entered Krabi town. The roads were heaving with traffic. We spied a fruit market across the central reservation. Frankie waited with the bikes while Jonathan ran across to gather fruit. We knew it was better to carry it rather than pay tourist prices later, even though we had to carry it 10 miles. Always buy it when you see it. It’s tempting to think you’ll take the next opportunity. But there often isn’t one. Two large mangos, a papaya, a hefty bunch of bananas and a mini pineapple for £3.50. The prices were visible, Thailand isn’t dirt cheap, not here, but the fruit tastes much better than home.
We were taking the 4034 out of Krabi. It was still a busy road, but it was not just the best option, it was worth it. The karsts had been coming into sight already, but here they came into their own. We were weaving around them. Dramatic limestone cliffs, and caves, all around us. All the beauty of a mountain without ever going up.
Along the road was Wat Sai Thai, a temple with a huge lying down Buddha. It also hosted a cave with seashells, that were found nearby because the sea level was much higher around 6000 years ago. A little further on we turned left onto the 4204. It was another 10km directly south to reach the hotel we’d booked. It dragged on and the heat of the Sun was brutal. We mashed out the miles.
The town of Ao Nam Mao wasn’t particularly interesting from what we could see. We were only there for the pier. We went to the hotel, hopeful our room was ready, but it was only 11am. Who were we kidding? We left our bikes under some stairs, grabbed the vitals and quickly walked to that important pier.
We were taking a long tail boat to Railay peninsula. It was a really popular tourist destination, but as before, it’s popular for good reason. Sadly the sign said that it would be another hour for a boat. As we arrived the woman and the counter quickly indicated a boat was going right then. Probably because of the women with suitcases. Hotels commission the boats.
We went down the pier behind the ticket taking man, and were put on a boat. There was already one boat full of people. A few other people on our boat were instructed to change to another boat before we left. We soon found out why. The water was ridiculously choppy. We bounced around on the water, spray flying in our faces. Everyone seemed to be looking just as nervous. It really felt a bit hairy.
We didn’t have to swim. We soon arrived at the large floating pier at Railay East. It really was beautiful. Huge karsts overwhelmed the whole place. We were hungry but decided to explore first. We walked along the concrete edge, among the floods of people, waves splashing on us. We didn’t have any idea where we were going but the viewpoint sounded nice.
After passing some extensive shallow caves where the limestone over hanged, we reached a sign which stated the path was extremely dangerous and hard to climb. We could see it going up a shiny muddy slope. It had been worn that much. Every rock and root was smooth. There were large ropes hanging down to help. And there were numerous people, barefoot or in sandals, climbing up and down.
It was a fun climb. A little bit sketchy in places but still fun. It went up quite a long way. Probably about 100m upwards of 70 degree climbing. We had to wait occasionally at the pinch points. Then it flattened out a bit and led us to the viewpoint. It was busy but still stunning. We managed to get a little break in the people to have our photo taken. On the way back we almost went to the lagoon, but a guy coming back up told us it was a bit pants. We took his word for it. We were knackered and getting a little irritable.
The descent was harder, they always are, but it also took a lot longer. There were a lot of people to wait for. It was seriously impressive that more of them weren’t falling to their deaths given their choice of attire. We continued our walk until we reached the absurdly busy Phra Nang beach. The people there were extremely preoccupied with the resident monkeys. But it didn’t feel like an ‘interested to see wildlife’ vibe. More like a ‘I’d like to torture that animal’ vibe.
We watched people climbing, some old dude was slack lining, then free soloing the cliff face. It was an odd place. We went for a swim then sat on the jam packed beach. A monkey went patrolling and grabbed someone’s plastic bag, presumably with food in it. The ‘white knights’ went berserk and desperately tried to retrieve the bag. It was sad to watch. We left.
We decided we better eat. As we were looking online for somewhere cheap and vegan friendly, a nearby man chimed in. He told us he worked at a restaurant that was good for vegetarians and even took a picture of us to let them know we were coming and they should look after us. We started our walk there when who should appear in front of us, Jero and Ana. It was a lovely surprise. We knew they were somewhere in the area but what were the chances?
They were off to go rock climbing, but recommended a restaurant just off Tonsai beach called Legacy. It had the word vegan on their menu so we were sold. After a street of shops we crossed Railay East beach to find the path that led over the cliff. It was another enjoyable hike/climb and we passed many wonderful cliffs on the way. This was a truly gorgeous place.
We passed lots of rock climbing spots, the anchors visible in the rock. At the other end of the beach, just up a road, was the restaurant. We ordered a red curry, a massaman and a mango shake. We had to request no sugar, but it’s basically just blended mango then. Oh well. Our thirst was really noticeable.
They were nice curries with some tofu in them which would have been nicer fried and with at least twice as much. When we walked back the tide was completely out, so we could walk on the edge of the rocks. We trekked back to the floating pier and found it completely waterless. There was a sizeable tide here. We didn’t have to wait long for there to be enough people for a boat back. The sea was less rough than before. Only mild bouncing and the occasional wave impact.
After a quick visit to the supermarket for some tofu, water and banana cornflakes we checked into our room. It was nothing fancy. We took a somewhat obligatory dip in the swimming pool. The landscape was something to behold, expanses of flats with the Sun setting behind a majestic karst. We ate some fruit and cereal and carried on watching season 2 of White Lotus. We’d had a big day and felt a bit weary.
Surly They Won't Make It 