So having gone out and bought the obligatory full moon vest (I opted for black as neon does nothing for my figure...) it was time to get the party started. So we played cards and drank lots of water (...) for a good few hours until we decided to head out at midnight. However, so much fun was had playing cards that the water just wasn't sitting right in my belly. Nevertheless we headed to the beach and once there I had to find a quiet and secluded place to sit down. Some three hours later I woke up to find that I had fallen asleep with my head in my arms, and no one was around me. Brilliant. I got up and walked around in a feeble attempt to find my friends.
Even through groggy eyes, the beach was quite a spectacle. Several thousand full moon thrill-seekers, all wearing the iconic neon-coloured vests and glow in the dark glasses and wigs etc, had descended on Haad Rin beach and it was clear they were there for a good time. In and amongst this crowd, there were also those who had clearly found love on the island, either that night or perhaps during the previous pool parties, and deemed it necessary to prove their love then and there, on the shore, next to many a male relieving themselves in said water, for all to see. Ah love, it yields such tender moments.
After an unsuccessful search for my friends, I then attempted to get back into the mood of the night and have a bit of a dance but that was an even feebler attempt as my impromptu "nap" rendered me fatigued and ultimately sober. At the point, I decided to cut my losses, accept defeat and head home to bed. Still, I got back as the sun was coming up, good effort I feel! Even if I did have an inbetixed forty winks... Full moon 2013, rock and roll!
The next morning, it was time to say farewell to the hedonistic island of Koh Phagnan, and more sadly, to my partner in crime Dejan who was to return to Bangkok before heading to Oz *sniff*. After such a long stretch and many, many memories, it was once again time to go solo. Next stop, Krabi province for the long awaited trip to SE Asia's rock climbing Mecca. With over 1,300 routes to be scaled, this was sure to be good.
I have been looking forward to this experience for such a long time. Out of all of the variables of my entire travel itinerary, climbing on the limestone karsts of Railay beach was always a constant. After a good nights sleep and some gorging on mango and sweet sticky rice at the local food market in Krabi town, I took a long-tail boat over to Railay. I made plans to stay in a beachside bungalow on the more affordable and "chilled" Tonsai beach, a mere stones throw from Railay. When the tide is out, it is easy enough to walk from one beach to the other in less than 5 minutes. However, as Sod's law would have it, the tide was actually at its highest which meant the only way to Tonsai was a 45 minute trek over the mountains and through the forest. It was 35 degrees and I was carrying 30 kilos. Needless to say I sweated like a nun in a strip club.
Hot, flustered, dripping with sweat and speckled with mosquito bites, I arrived in paradise. Well I say paradise, it was as basic a bamboo bungalow as you could get. The mosquito net above my bed offered brief respite until I noticed bloody great holes in it. I feared that they were relative to the size of the ravenous bugs that would soon feast on my delectable O negative self. On another occasion, I found myself feeling very vulnerable and frightened as I stood there naked in the shower wielding a stick for defence (no jokes please) with one eye on a monkey in the tree above and the on a spider the size of my hand on the floor below, inches from my foot. I'm not Bear Grylls, I'm not cut out for this! Still, I was on a beach, with a deserved cold Chang, taking in the incredible scenery so life was good! In fact, life was bloody amazing during those few days.
The climbing was truly and spectacularly epic. I met a couple of other climbing keanos and decided to do a full day's course with them. And when that was finished, did a further 1/2 day the next morning. With shredded fingers and lactic-acid saturating my forearms, I completed the ascents, resting for a few moments at the top to behold the awesome views of the surrounding beaches and the great blue Andaman sea. It was, as the youth are saying these days, 'totes-amaze balls'. Everything and everyone on that little peninsula was so relaxed, it was really what I needed.
In the evenings we frequented the local rasta bar on Tonsai which hosted one of the best worst cover bands I've ever seen. Through their native Thai accents, they rattled off tributes to Dylan, Cash, Clapton, and of course, Marley. Each one of the members had their own unique identity; the bassist was rocking a massive fro, the lead singer looked like a Thai come Hispanic gangster while the lead guitarist sported a pink fedora, thai-dyed (ha, see what I did there?) tshirt and Aladdin pants. You got to give it to them though, that was there job and they were similarly loving life. In fact, as I panned the room in a moment of surrealism, all the jugglers, slack-liners, fire throwers and happy-shakers were loving life. It was infectious and groovy man. In spite of all the terrifying 'creature comforts', I had an amazing time on Railay. Can't wait to go again. Indeed Bob, 'One love. One heart. Lets get together and feel alright'.
And from one chilled out island to the next, I was southbound for Koh Lanta. In the high season, this tropical island resort is heaving with both tourists and locals alike. However, as its the lowest of the low season, it was utterly void of life save except for the hermit crabs. And again, mosquitoes. As I walked along the beach, it was like a scene from Castaway meets the post-apocalyptic deserted towns of 28 Days Later. It was evident that people were once here, but not for quite some time. I decided to take advantage of these moments of silence and serenity and indulged in a little 'me' time. For 3 days I did nothing but scramble rocks, chase crabs, collect sea shells, read, and think. Sometimes it's nice to just think. I haven't done that in a while but it was good to collect and organise my thoughts. In all that time, I don't think I said much more than a handful of words to anyone. In fact the only people I saw were the bungalow owners and the shop assistants at 7/11. With all the craziness and fast times I experienced during the past few months, this little island of serenity was a welcomed and much needed time for some r&r. Like yin and yang, balanced was restored once more. For now...
Not long now until my next big adventure to Australia, aah! But I've still got a couple of sights left to see before then, the next one being the old English colony of Penang, Malaysia. Stay tuned!
Much love x
No comments:
Post a Comment