Rai Lay rock-climbing

Surprisingly it was pouring with rain when we arrived in Krabi, but I got the local taxi to Ao Nang and then a longtail boat to Rai Lay beach. I hadn't realised there was a separation between Tonsai (where I was meeting the others) and Rai Lay, so I ended up wading through water and clambering around some cliffs for a little extra adventure on arrival! Despite the weather, I was amazed at just how beautiful this place is.




I climbed a couple of routes that afternoon with Dave & Patrick, and was surprised to climb reasonably well considering it's been so long. There are some areas with huge overhanging rocks so the rain doesn't affect them too much. We're staying at some pretty basic but quite fun bungalows on Tonsai Beach.


Day 2 I climbed with Philip, Dave & Patrick at "1-2-3" wall over on Rai Lay East beach. (There are several walls spread over about 4 beaches which are all easily accessibe...loads of variety in grades so there's something for everyone!) I climbed pretty well again, total bonus because I was expecting the first few days to be quite frustrating until I got some confidence back. The rock is superb though, with loads of excellent holds and some really fun climbs.




The third day the boys were having a day off so I climbed with Warwick, Michelle & Steve at an AMAZING area called Thaiwand Wall - an enormous rocky outcrop hanging right over the sea. It was incredible, and I climbed really well so was very pleased with myself! I did my first lead climb outdoors (grade 5 which is easy but you have to start somewhere!), and then top-roped some 6A, 6A+ and 6B climbs, none of which I thought I'd be able to do within the first week.


We went through a huge cave with head torches, which came out at another beach called Phra Nang. After an extremely refreshing swim and some fresh pineapple on the beach, we were able to walk back through to Rai Lay East, across to R.L. West, and over the 'jungle path' back to Tonsai. It was a superb day.




Day 4 the sun returned. Warwick & I rented a double kayak and paddled out to an island about 45 minutes away. Around the back we found some spots to do a bit of "deep-water solo-ing", which basically involves rock-climbing off the boat up some cliffs, as high as you like or can manage, and then jumping into the sea...great fun! We found a nice beach which nobody else was at and did some snorkelling (I borrowed gear from PD & Dave). It was magical - the coral wasn't so good as in Australia, because most of it was destroyed by the tsunami last year, but the fish were spectacular...thousands of them all around us. Kayaked back and had a lazy-ish afternoon exploring a bit of the Rai Lay beach area, and then met the others who had just finished climbing. There was a beautiful sunset over the cliffs & beach as we headed back to Tonsai.




Yesterday I went for a run on the beach in the morning (it's not very long so I did a few laps but it gets kind of boring!), and then joined PD & Dave for climbing at "The Nest". We did 3 routes in the morning, but I didn't climb nearly as well as I have been - aah, back to reality :) Just felt quite tired and my arms seemed a bit dead from the previous days. Time for a day off I reckon! Had a relaxing afternoon and then all met up for dinner and a few drinks later on.


So today I decided to rest from climbing (so have the others but they've rented a boat for half a day to go snorkelling and swimming again)...I went for another few laps of the beach this morning but it got hot pretty quickly! Back for a shower and I just walked over an extremely overgrown path that Dave discovered yesterday to get to Ao Nang (takes about 1hr 15mins but everybody takes the longtail boat for 60 Baht and even some of the locals don't seem know about the path!). I'll probably get the boat back later but am going to explore around Ao Nang (which is pretty small so won't take long), and maybe write some postcards etc. Then I'll probably get the boat back and meet the others for dinner tonight. Then I'll hopefully be ready for some more fun climbing again tomorrow :)

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Day in Bangkok

In the middle of my lengthy journey from Mae Hong Son to Krabi, I had a day to kill in Bangkok. I dumped my bags, booked my night bus, and checked my e-mail, then had a hot chocolate and read the paper. Enough relaxing...I went to the gym on Khao San Rd (in between two consecutive 16-hr bus journeys having a good run was a must-do), and after re-energising on the treadmill I also enjoyed my free shower.


While wondering round the backpacker area I bumped into 4 separate people I'd met on our travels, so it was nice to catch up with what they'd been doing since we'd last seen each other. Falco (a German guy we met at the Plain of Jars) was wasting time till a flight that evening, so we went to the Royal Palace together. I couldn't wear shorts to go in, so they gave me this sexy skirt to wear instead.

I managed to sell my Laos guidebook, give away some clothes, and buy 16 country badges to put on my backpack...I'll have a busy time sewing them all on. The time passed reasonably quickly and I got the 6pm bus to Krabi.

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Mae Hong Son 2

Day 2 in MaeHong Son, I walked up to Temple on the Hill which had good views over the city. I still had the motorbike for the morning, but there wasn't anything else too close that I wanted to see so I just went to the monument and local market! The park and river area were really nice, so I had a walk and wrote some postcards before getting the afternoon bus. A slight upgrade from the previous two journeys, the VIP overnight bus to Bangkok (16hrs) had comfy recliner seats, pillow & blanket, and tea/coffee & biscuits provided...a pleasant shock to the system!

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Mae Hong Son

I couldn't believe the last bus journey could be beaten so quickly, but it really was. I got the 7am pick-up truck, not bus, from Pai to Mae Hong Son. There is space for 10 people in the back, and 1 in the front. We all know I like to tell a good story, but I am not exaggerating on this one - there were 31 people including the driver for a good part of the journey. 3 in the front, 14 sqeezed on the seats in the back, 4 on the floor (squatting amongst boxes and trapped between legs), 5 on the roof with the bags, and 5 on the back footstep holding on by the ladders and roof-racks. Once you get over the safety aspect, it was extremely comical.

I walked down to the lake in Mae Hong Son, and checked in to Friends Guesthouse...he showed me the room and said he'd give me the key when I checked in. So I got ready to be a tourist for the afternoon, locked the door and went to the reception area. Turns out the key was for an external padlock, not for the regular lock, which of course didn't work. So then they had to break into my room by climbing through the window (seemed bit too easy!), and open the door from the inside.






In need of more adventures, I rented a motorbike for the afternoon to go and explore some sights. Beautiful scenery on the winding roads through the hills and rice fields. First stop was Nai Soi - village of the Karen hilltribe, also known as "longnecks". The women, by tradition, wear large coils of gold around their necks...adding more coils as they get older until married. Most are wearing about 6kg of jewellery, and they sleep in them as well!


Along with the colourful dress they have, it's quite a weird sight. Most of the folk in this village come from Burma originally. It has turned into a tourist mecca, and seems to be the main reason most people visit Mae Hong Son. There are loads of areas to hike, but most tourists seem to do that out of Chiang Mai or Pai. I'll have to come back another time :)




On to Pha Sua waterfall, which was really pretty. It has 6 levels in all, but only 3 are visible within short walking distance (I wish I had more time to do a longer trek but it was already late afternoon). Then to Thambla - Fish Cave - just in time before dark. Nice park area, and tons of large fish can be seen through a 'hole' in the cave floor.

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Pai

Got the morning bus to Pai...my nickname at ASU was Pie, so I feel it was a calling to come here (pronounced the same). The bus journey hilarious - long story, but I ended up on a local bus carrying almost double the people it should have been. 3 of us were on boxes between the driver and front passenger seat, one man stood the whole way (4 hrs) holding the rails with his feet straddling another box, and a local lady had a pull-down seat over the doorsteps, while the door remained open for the entire journey...classic :) All part of making a memorable SE Asia experience!




Pai is gorgeous though...I walked ages to find a nice GH - some were full and I wanted to find one that had been recommended in the Let's Go Guide. Eventually found it but unfortunately it was full too. Next door (Eden Guesthouse) there were bungalows (also full) but the lady gave me an extra "house" - literally, I have it all to myself - for under $5. Nice find and worth the extra hike with big bags :)

Went for an explore straight away, up the hill to Mae Yen Pagoda which had great views over the city...then took a jog through some of the backstreets while it was still light - there are some amazing spots with superb views over the river. The bamboo huts are great, and I think the rice fields with a mountain backdrop are beautiful :)

I hiked to Mae Yen waterfall this morning...a nice trail through the jungle that had a few too many river crossings. Where was the guide to carry me I asked myself?? Interesting walk though, and I'm glad I didn't do a guided trek - there are so many tourists here, I'm sure it would be a let-down after the one in Laos.

In the afternoon I rented a bike - total quality for 50 cents (I bargained for half-price because I was only renting for half a day...I know, I'm such a scab). It was amazing: a) it had gears, b) it had brakes that actually worked, and c) it still had a basket. But, there wasn't a bell - kind of disappointed about that one.





I had a really nice time visiting elephant camps, the tree-house resort (just being built - it has the PERFECT setting, and an actual tree-house room to rent!), and the natural Tha Pai Hot Springs. The hottest pools were 80 C (way too hot for me), but the lower ones were great for a quick foot bath.

I just decided to pamper myself and had a Thai massage this evening (very nice, but the one in Laos remains my favourite...it was the best, EVER :) ). Now I'm relaxing with a beer, a wireless internet connection, and a fantastic view over the river. I like Pai.

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Chiang Mai

Our bus to Chiang Mai arrived around midnight, with quite an impressive welcome - there was a festival going on, and thousands of orange lanterns + fireworks were lighting up the sky...it was really pretty. Unfortunately it was the last day of the festival (which only happens once a year), but at least got to see the end of it!




Spent the next day exploring. A moat surrounds the old city, with brick gates and walls still visible in parts. There are loads of wats, and some interesting old buildings. We took a songathew (large tuk-tuk) to the Tribal Museum, which I found pretty fascinating. Had loads of info on the different hill tribes existing in Northern Thailand, many of which are a mix of cultures - the borders to Myanmar, China, and Laos are all within close distance.




In the evening we did a 4-hour cooking course. It was brilliant! Nokki (our instructor) was hilarious, she really made it special. There were only 5 of us, and we cooked four dishes - veggie Pad Thai, Green Curry with Chicken/Tofu, Prawn Tom Yam Soup, and Morning Glory. The last one is a spinach/spring onion veggie dish in an oyster sauce - kind of sounds gross but I think it was my favourite :) They were all really good though...and we got the cook book to keep. PLUS, a dessert - fresh mango with sticky rice & a sweet coconut sauce. SOOO good. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO stuffed afterwards!

No expectations please mum :)

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Slow Boat to Thailand

Spent two days on a slow boat travelling from Luang Prabang to the Thai border - really pretty scenery, and a pleasant change from bus journeys. We had become a group of 8, having joined up again with Chris & Emily, 3 Canadians and an English guy they had met in Phonsovan...all great fun. We stopped for a night in Pakbeng, and had a really nice Lao meal at a local restaurant.


Day 2 was much the same as day 1 - lots of card games, reading, and general boredom by the end of the day. Still kind of glad we didn't opt for the speedboat, which would have taken only one day, but [quote from the guidebook] "not advised unless it's the last option"...



The border crossing was pretty funny though - we arrived on the Laos side at 5:30pm, and Thai immigration closes at 6pm. We were rushed from the boat to get our exit stamps, then literally grabbed our bags, ran to another small boat and motored a few hundred metres across the river. With bags flying everywhere, we rushed up to the Thai immigration desk, paid 20 Baht each (about 30 cents) and officially made it into Thailand, right on 6 o'clock. Never in doubt. :)


We were then taken to the bus station, given time to get some dinner at a small restaurant (excellent pad thai), and then onto the minibus for a 5-hr bus journey to Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand). Considering we didn't even have a receipt to say we'd paid for all this in advance, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it all worked out.

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Trekking Lao-style

Our 2-day trek from Luang Prabang is definitely one of the highlights so far. We didn't see another Westerner for 2 days - a good sign of being "off the beaten track" I reckon! The hike was fantastic - stunning scenery, fascinating village people from different ethnic hill tribes, and a fun guide.





The first day we walked through jungle tracks beside the river, and then 'up up up', passing 2 different hill tribes along the way - Hmong & Khamu. The only obvious difference is Hmong village huts are built at ground level, while Khamu huts are raised above the ground using bamboo sticks. Speaking of bamboo, nobody would survive without it here - it is used for EVERYTHING! Building houses (including the roof); in cooking or eating raw; water pipes; kindling, baskets, carrying poles, fences & gates; sandpaper for school books...the list goes on. Really is amazing.




My fitness must really be lacking though - I had to get carried across the rivers, and was even caught leaning on a tree for support. :)

Playing with the kids at the village we stayed was really fun - hopping tag, rock-paper-scissors, and chanting "ning som sam" (1-2-3) while joining hands in a circle...I never really understood that one. The older kids played a game like volleyball, except using feet and heads only. Our guide had taught us the numbers 1-10, which came in useful for scoring!

They had some kind of ceremony for us in the evening - we had to drink a few shots of 'lao-lao' (seriously strong alcohol fairly burns the throat...just grin & bear it :) ). Then we were given loads of bracelets "for the good luck". It was an unforgettable experience.


Day 2 we continued downhill via a waterfall and back by the river. The villagers work so hard carrying heavy sacks of rice, piles of wood, or supplies. Everyday they walk about 4 hrs from the village to the road, get a tuk-tuk to Luang Prabang to exchange goods (selling rice or corn, and buying supplies), then walk back to the village in the evening. Others are either collecting rice, pounding rice, cooking, building, or making something else in the village.





Some of the villages had electricity, generated from a makeshift pump at the river. Other hill tribes use a half-pipe (made from several bamboo sticks tied together) to transport clean water for washing and cleaning to their area.

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