Day 7 - Pizza and Cocktails

Still wishing to avoid spicy food, Monica suggested we try a place for Pizza. There are many Italian restaurants in Ao Nang. This still hadn’t stopped another apparent entrepreneur from opening up a new place. The shell of a restaurant was being fitted out with a new stone oven for pizza. The impressive thing about the place was the speed in which the workmen went about fitting it out. Could it be ready before we leave?

Monica decided that we would try "Tanta’s" on the main road near the hotel. It was recommended in the Lonely Planet guide as having the best pizza in town. It didn’t disappoint although it was a bit pricey compared to Krabbi Town but so was everything else in Ao Nang. After dinner we decided on a stroll up the road, away from the beach. We had only ventured as far as the Starbucks coffee place so were keen to see other places recommended in the guide. The further up the road you go the less busy the place seems. Another recommended place in the guidebook was "Dean’s Restaurant". Sadly, the place was empty but there were a few people at a roadside bar just outside, "Mr Long’s".

We decided to have the first cocktail of the holiday at Mr Long’s shack. The cocktail list was relatively large and the prices were a reasonable 150 Baht (£3). Still Monica noted that it wasn’t as cheap as Krabbi Town where the Old West bar’s cocktails started from 100 Baht in Happy hour. I went for my old favourite the Caipirinha whilst Monica went for a Pina Colada as the Mojito was not listed.

At Mr Long's shack.

The Caipirinha was served in a rather disappointing way, where was the crushed ice? Monica was quite pleased with her Pina Colada. However, my disappointment soon faded after speaking with the engaging Mr Long. He, like most Thai people we had encountered on our trip, was instantly likeable. He must be the Thai lookalike for Bob Marley. Super chilled with a constant smile stitched to his face. He told us that he used to own a bar near the beach before the devastating Tsunami struck. It completely destroyed his bar and his livelihood. To make ends meet he went to Bangkok to search for any work he could find. After several years he had had enough of life in Bangkok and returned to Ao Nang. Thanks to family at Dean’s Restaurant, they allowed him to set up his hut bar on their land. He vowed he would never set up a bar near the beach again. No worries on that score here. Its at least a 10 minute walk from the beach but is well worth a visit for a cheap cocktail and the pleasure of meeting Mr Long.

Not from H20 this Caipirinha. Where's the crushed ice!!!

Buoyed by our cocktail we decided to head back down to the beach in search of all the bars that the guidebook alluded to. However, a quick walk along the beach road and not one bar was seen. Most are restaurants. The one bar mentioned by name in the guide was on a back street off the beach road named "Encore Café". We headed for this place but were instantly put-off by the sole inhabitants being an old man of foreign origin and a few local girls vying for his attention. The neon sign over the door could easily have read "Puta Club". It was the only bar on this street so we headed back to the beach and settled down on an outside table of a restaurant that advertised "Happy Hour" on Chang draft. I hope I don’t have a headache tomorrow.

Taxi back from Beach.

Day 7 - Snorkelling at Phi Phi

We have often gone snorkelling back in Nerja whilst on a Kayaking trip but never really got into it. We never found a clear enough spot and the fish were few and far between. We always thought that snorkelling in Thailand would be better. The experience didn’t let us down.

Monica enjoying the snorkelling.

The crystal clear waters around the Phi Phi Islands were excellent for snorkelling. The amount of fish swimming around you was incredible. At times it became a little claustrophobic as a massive shoal of exotic fish swam directly at you. At times it was impossible not to bump into them.

Beautiful colours.

I have no idea what fish species we were looking at but the common one was a little yellow and black stripped creature. The colours were amazing. Another favourite was a large fish, which was a blue colour, at times difficult to see as they were a bit more shy and stayed close to the coral.

So many fish!

A shy blue one.

The common ones.

Day 7 - Speedboat to Phi Phi

Today was an early start for our speedboat trip to Phi Phi Islands, the setting for the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo Di Caprio. An early start needed a good caffeine boost. Sadly, the Dragon Bar wasn’t much cop so we reverted to type and headed for Starbucks. A little on the expensive side but great coffee. We waited in the hotel reception for our pick-up. The ever likeable Pok was there re-assuring us that the van would arrive, even though he seemed to forget all about our trip and where we were going and made a few secretive calls, laughing to himself as usual. The van arrived 30 minutes later to take us the whole two minutes down the road to the beach.

Our transport for the day.

Here we climbed on to our speedboat for the day with a bunch of kids, clearly we were the old fogies of the trip. The first group who clambered aboard sped up to the front of the boat onto the small deck area. We were content to sit in the back with the other kids who were to hung-over to fight for places at the front. We soon sped off at warp factor 9 towards Phi Phi. The ride was not exactly smooth. The boat leapt over the waves and the boys at the back nursing hangovers turned a shade greener. It must have been worse up front, the captain soon stopped the boat so that a young girl could throw up over the side. She moved towards the relative comfort of the back of the boat.

Glad I was sat at the back!

Our first stop of the day was at Bamboo Island. This was a quick 40-minute stop to basically lie on the white sandy beach and have the first dip of the day. This seemed to set a precedent for the day where each stop was too short as the crew were eager to continue with their whirlwind tour.

Beautiful beach at Bamboo Island.

The next stop was to see the Viking Cave at Ko Phi Phi Leh. Not that the Vikings ever reached this point, its name is derived from 400 year old graffiti made by passing Chinese fishermen. We never made it either. I was expecting a tour inside, climbing the bamboo scaffolding and exploring a little. Not today, probably take too long for our lightning tour, so we had to be content with taking a few snaps from the boat.

The Viking Cave.

Our captain sped us off to the first lagoon on Ko Phi Phi Leh, Pilah. There were other speedboats and Long-tail boats anchored in this beautiful lagoon. The occupants were snorkelling near their boats. The few braver souls who ventured a bit further away had to contend with the increasing traffic that was pouring into the lagoon. A few near misses were seen. So it was with a little relief that the captain decided that we were not snorkelling here.

The next lagoon was the famous Ao Maya, the main setting for "The Beach". Again, this lagoon was packed with boats, some anchored offshore but most on the beach. Not exactly how Leonardo would have seen it. We stopped first for a little snorkelling before heading to the beach. After taking a few snap-shots and nearly being crushed by two speedboats as I tried to get an unobstructed view of the lagoon, we headed into the wooded area to see what was there. Just more tourists, snack bar and another small cove with stagnant water. Hardly Idyllic.

Ao Maya Bay.

It wasn’t long before we were back on board and heading for our lunch stop at Tonsai Bay on the main island of Ko Phi Phi Don. Here we would have a whopping hour and a quarter to eat lunch and explore the town. This part of Ko Phi Phi Don is very similar to Railay. It’s a 5-minute walk from the beach at Tonsai to the other side of the island to the beach as Ao Lo Dalam. Most postcards of Ko Phi Phi Don show both beaches from an impressive aerial view. After a quick buffet style lunch we wanted to see this view from high ground. Monica had read about a viewing point that was a bit of a hike but worth the effort. After lunch we had 45 minutes to do it. Finding the viewpoint proved trickier than we thought.

Steps to viewing point.

We ended up walking through the maze of streets in the town and ending up at the other beach. Not one sign for the viewpoint. We asked a helpful street vendor for directions. He gladly pointed out the way. How long? 20 minutes was the reply. We had just over half an hour left. We found the stairway climb up to the viewing point. This is a sheer 1000-foot climb up hundreds of steep steps. A short way up we passed a couple coming down who informed us that there were two viewing points and it was best to take the right turn ahead to see both. The first viewing point shows the dramatic postcard view. Monica was happy with this being conscious of the time and not wanting to be left behind. We still had 20 minutes left. I didn’t want to leave without seeing the top, "Podemos!".

View from first point.

We continued up the pathway. Monica was falling behind, convinced we would miss the boat. People passing by making their way down gave us encouragement, "Nearly there! Its worth it!". But Monica couldn’t any more. I was determined to make it. A half sprinted the way to the top, sweat dripping off me, chest pounding and all I could think of was that I hadn’t brought my asthma spray. The view from the top was spectacular but I had no time to enjoy it. I jumped on to a rock and took a few snaps. An Italian couple at the top looked at me as if I was some lunatic that had just escaped. They kindly took a photo for me and then I was racing back down the steps. We made it back to Tonsai Beach 15 minutes late. One of the crew was scouring the streets for us. We told him that we went to the viewpoint. "You crazy. No time for that". Definitely not on this tour.

At the final viewpoint.

Back on the boat and a few evil glances from our fellow passengers soon changed to compassion as we must have looked a sight. Our shirts were dripping wet, our faces redder than a Guiri’s first day tan and I was struggling to get my breath. "It was worth it" was all I could say in my defence. There was still time in our itinerary for two more snorkel stops before we raced back to Ao Nang. At this point the captain was clearly enjoying himself. Making a few sharp turns and doing a "drive by" of an Island that included heading straight for a cliff face. Surely he is going to perform one of his sharp turn manoeuvres any second? It too late! It turns out that the cliff was an overhang and we thundered underneath. The roar of the engine mixed with the screams of the passengers echoed off the cliff roof along with the laughter of the crew.

Day 6 - First evening in Ao Nang

After the Elephant trekking trip we headed down to the beach to have a look around. Ao Nang beach is not the greatest beach in the world. It acts more like a port for the many Long-tail boats that operate to Railay and other local Islands. However, many people laze about on the eastern end of the beach. If you walk down the road that runs parallel to the beach you will be stopped every two seconds by locals asking if you would like a massage. This end of the beach is home to dozens of massage huts. It also hosts the "Last Fisherman’s Bar", a nice spot for a drink and observe the Long-tail boats sailing to and from Railay.

Monkey at Ao Nang.

It seems that the Monkeys enjoy this beach to. On the cliff there is a walkway that connects the beach to a resort behind the rocks. The monkeys live in the trees around this walkway. A local woman spends her day selling food to the tourists who then entice the monkeys on to the beach. You need to be careful, as the monkeys are not just interested in the food on offer. Anything that attracts their attention and they will make a grab for.

Eastern end of Ao Nang beach.

In the evening we headed to the western end of the beach to try out one of the several restaurants set alongside the beach. It would have been a great place to watch the sun go down. However, seeing that you would need to be there at 6pm and the weather was not that great we decided to eat at the more reasonable time of 8pm. The only things we could see were the occasional sky lantern drifting out to sea.

Monica's meal.

Day 6 - Elephant Trekking

Ao Nang was going to be our base for the several trips that Monica had selected for us. We booked all the trips with Pok who gave us at least 150-200 Baht discount on all of them, but of course it was to be our little secret. Speaking to the French Lady later we found out that she to had received discounts on trips, 20 Baht off each one.

Our first trip was the afternoon trek in the jungle by Elephant. We were picked up at the hotel and driven about 30 minutes inland to the elephant trekking base. We were in luck apparently. The weather had improved and we had clear blue skies. It had been chucking it down just an hour ago we were informed. It had been lovely all day at Ao Nang.

We were led to a wooden tower in order to board the elephant. We sat in the basket on top of the elephant whilst the guide was perched up front wielding a menacing looking cane with a big hook on the end. The elephant lurched forward and we were off heading across the river into the jungle.


Elephant trekking across the river.


Riding an elephant is very strange. The sheer size of the animal commands your respect instantly. You wonder why the guide has a sharp metal hook, surely you wouldn’t want to piss-off a 3 tonne beast. It soon becomes clear that the elephant is in charge of the trek. It would move 3 or 4 steps then stop for a bite to eat, before another 2-3 steps and finding something to eat. This stop-start walk would continue for the hour’s trek through the jungle. In ever increasing intervals the elephant would stop, and its whole body would shake. The call of nature is a long process for an elephant, it must have gone through this process 6 or 7 times before anything was produced.



Controlling the beast.


Monica riding the elephant.

The power of the animal was demonstrated whilst it was picking a path through the dense jungle. At one point there was no obvious path through. A massive tree trunk was leaning across our path at a 45-degree angle. We couldn’t go around it, over it or under it. No problem the elephant gently nudged it with her head and timber, the giant tree was felled. Not long after this point our guide asked if we would like a photo. What I didn’t know was that he intended to take it from the ground. He jumped off the elephant and left us stranded on top. He then asked me to climb forward on to the elephant’s head. Sure why not as I fearfully moved forward, trying not to upset the elephant. Monica had a go too but this time the elephant decided that it wanted to walk. A moment of shear panic for us and a good laugh for our guide.


Feeding time!

Back at the base camp and our ride was over. Now it was time to feed the elephant. I had no idea what you fed a 3 tonne elephant. Hadn’t she eaten half the jungle on our trek around? Must be desert time as we fed her bananas. There was still time for our guides to scare us with the sight of a huge spider which I wouldn’t go within 20 feet of, leaving Monica to get a close up shot of it.
The programme for the trip included a refreshing swim in the river. I had visions of crystal blue water in an idyllic plunge pool. The swimming area was on the bend of the fast flowing river with a piece of rope tied across both banks for you to grip hold of to stop you from being swept away. It was freezing cold and fighting against the current was too much. We were the only ones daft enough to give it a try. We soon gave up and headed back to base.


In the freezing cold river.

Day 6 - Off to Ao Nang

On the road again. This time a short trip to the nearby resort of Ao Nang. Backpacks on and we headed to the crossroads to find transport. This would be in the form of a Sawgthaew, a pick up truck with two benches bolted down on each side of the truck. At the corner of the street we met up with our old friends the boatmen. Whilst shouting "Railay Railay" at passing tourists they were eager to chat to us about football. The allegiances amongst the group were towards the London clubs Chelsea and Arsenal. One boatman supported Man City and was confident they would finish in the top 4 next season. Not one amongst the group supported Man Utd. I like Krabi Boatmen!

Sawgthaew to Ao Nang.

Our lift soon arrived and looked worryingly full. The Thai lad at the back of the truck assured us there was room and threw our rucksacks onto the roof. The other locals and tourists shifted down the truck as much as they could and made just enough room for the two of us. The young Thai lad had to stand on the step at the back, clinging on to the ladder as we sped off towards Ao Nang.

Monica enjoying the trip.

Twenty minutes later and 100 Baht lighter we arrived at Ao Nang. Luckily its not a complicated town and there are basically three roads that join together to make a u-bend. We got off at the eastern end of town and walked up the road in search of a new hotel.

Ao Nang Beach.

This time we headed for our first choice hotel from the guidebook, the J Mansion. In Ao Nang the custom seems to be to leave all footwear outside before entering any hotel. So, barefoot and weighed down with backpacks we checked out the first room. Not bad but Monica thought it was a bit pricey at 1100 Baht. We were going to stay in Ao Nang 6-7 nights so we tried getting a discount. Nothing doing as we were approaching the high season and prices were going to go up further. In deed, we would only be allowed to stay for 4 nights, as the hotel was fully booked after then.

We played the game and went to look at a few more places. The same story elsewhere but the rooms were not as good as the J Mansion. I wanted to take the deal at the J Mansion but Monica was determined to find a better option. So we headed up the road to the sister hotel, the J Hotel.
Here we met the instantly likeable Pok, the hotel manager. We arrived at the same time as a French couple and Pok tried to deal with us at the same time. He had to contend with the very fussy French lady who wanted a twin bedroom, south facing, not too close to the reception or ground floor because of the noise but not too high. At the same time Monica was into his ribs for a discount for staying 7 nights. His handling of the situation sums up the phrase "Sanuk" which we had read about. "Sanuk" is the Thai word for "Fun", and Thai’s love to do everything, even backbreaking manual labour, with an element of Sanuk. Pok would check his reservations book, try to juggle bookings to accommodate us, all whilst giggling uncontrollable to himself.

Pok found us a place, but we would have to move to another room after the 4th day. A Dutch couple was moving out early and heading to Ko Lanta for a more relaxing break. Pok was busy arranging their travel plans as well as agreeing a discount for us, 900 Baht per night but its our secret he winked. Still chuckling to himself, he dealt with the French lady who wanted to see another room as she could still hear us chatting at reception with the door closed.

We spent nearly an hour relaxing at the hotel reception waiting for our room, looking at all the trips we would be booking, and watching the ever increasingly busy Pok deal with everything with a smile and the frequent giggling fit. His finest moment came when two groups of backpackers arrived. The German couple was attempting to haggle with Pok, who had stated the room rate was 1000 Baht, firing a quick wink at us. The American couple had apparently been to see Pok earlier but wanted to check out further hotel rooms. They had come to take up the offer of the room at 1000 Baht. Sensing real danger the German guy quickly stepped in and announced that he would take the room for 1100 Baht. Pok informed the Americans with a smile on his face that the room had been taken, pocketed the Germans money and couldn’t stop the giggles as he wrote the details down in his book. Sanuk indeed.

Day 5 - Loy Krathong

Tonight is the night for the national celebration of Loy Krathong. It is celebrated throughout Thailand on the canals, rivers and the sea and is held on the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar, which is normally November.

People make their special Krathong, which is a floating boat made from sections of a banana tree trunk and decorated with banana leaves, flowers, joss sticks and candles. Everyone gathers at the waters edge, lights the joss sticks and candles and makes a wish. They then careful place the Krathong in the water and watch it float away. The belief is that all their sins and bad luck are taken away by the Krathong, whilst it also contains their wishes for the start of the New Year. It makes for a spectacular sight as hundreds of small Krathongs float away into the dark night.


People getting ready to lauch their Krathongs.


Krathongs in the water.

Unfortunately, the weather had not been too kind for this year’s event. It had rained heavily before and the threat of more rain hung ominously above, obscuring the full moon. The street market along the front and the special fairground area were still busy but it was extremely muddy under foot.


Krathong in the Competition.

They were holding a competition for the best decorated Krathong. The table was filled with large offerings that were way larger than anything we had seen being launched by the river. I think they were more for show than the practical use of being put to sea. Further along the road and they had the traditional fairground stalls such as the coconut shy and my favourite the shooting range. I was pretty pleased with my efforts but alas did not win a prize.


I think he would be dead.

We left the fair behind and began to explore the back streets of Krabi Town. The road running parallel with the sea road appeared to be the main hive of activity for the locals. Indeed, it was home to the rather English sounding "Crazy Bar" which was packed with locals enjoying the loud disco music. The place had the air con on to the max and it was freezing cold. Too cold for a beer so we left them to it. We continued along the road back towards our hotel to find the strangest of crossroads junction. Large monkey statues were holding the traffic lights. They appeared menacing in the dark night sky.


Gorillas in the mist!

We headed back to the Old West bar to have a nightcap. A great bar playing decent music rather than the techo pop crap being played in the Crazy bar. The insides of the bar were decorated with various "Wild West" images and we had become used to lounging on the deck, lying on the floor cushions and drinking bottles of Heineken housed in an insulating holder. The place was a wooden shack built between two large trees that sprouted out of the roof. It all created a great atmosphere.


Relaxing in the Old West Bar.

On our way home and a few locals were launching another "Loy Krathong" special, a sky lantern. This is basically a cylindrical frame built with bamboo strips and covered in a natural fibre mulberry paper. At the base a kerosene soaked rag is attached and set alight. The lantern is held down until sufficient heat is generated for it to ascend into the night sky. The sky was dotted with several sky lanterns as they floated away on the breeze, with the belief that they were carrying all the problems and worries away of the people who launch them.


Sky Lantern launched.

Day 5 - Hat Phra Nang

Having spent a relaxing morning on the beach it was time to explore Railay. We took the path back to Hat Rai Ley East and went to search for the other beach, Hat Phra Nang, and the view point to see the hidden lagoon.


The muddy beach at Hat Rai Ley East was now clearly visible as the tide had gone out at least 100 metres. This left some of the boats anchored high and dry. At the south end of the beach we found a path that led through the forest, presumably to the other beach. We past a young couple who were attempting to clean themselves up. They were caked in thick clumps of red mud. What the hell have they been up to?

Along the path there are various small caves in the limestone cliffs. At about the halfway point there was a hut and several benches pointing towards the cliff face. It seemed an odd spot for it until we saw the path to the view point. It was up a sheer vertical cliff, covered in thick red mud. At least that answers one question today. There was a rope hanging down to aid the climber and a few signs that seemed to indicate that you needed hiking boots or at least covered shoes to climb the route. We were only wearing flip-flops and had no change of clothes so we decided against it.


Way to View Point.


A few minutes walk along the path brings you to another beautiful beach, Hat Phra Nang. If anything, this beach had more spectacular views than Hat Rai Ley West. Two limestone karsts formed islands just off the shore, Happy Island and Ko Rung Nok also known as Birds nest island. An easy swim across and a number of people were on the other side exploring the island.


Hat Phra Nang.


At the eastern end of the beach is Tham Phra Nang, the Princess cave. The legend is that an Indian princess drowned here in the 3rd century BC during a storm. Her spirit remains in the cave and it is believed that she will grant favours to all that come and pay respect. The local fisherman took to placing offerings to the princess in the form of sculpted penises in the hope that the princess would provide them with a good days catch.


Penis offerings at the Princess cave.


View of Happy and Birds Nest Islands from the Cave.

Hat Phra Nang is also the location of the most exclusive resort in the area, the Rayavadee. This five star retreat along the beach is seriously expensive at between 42,000 and 55,000 Baht per night (£840 to £1100). Unfortunately, they wouldn’t show us a room as the security guard informed us "Sorry full".

We decided to spend the rest of the day lazing on the western end of the beach. Here, a series of rocks formed a barrier, but with the tide going out it looked possible to walk around to see what was on the other side. A few minutes of exploration later and we found our own secret beach, now known as Mon Ka Dea Beach.


Discovering the secret beach.

The scene across the water to the Birds Nest island was becoming surreal. You had a Long-tail boat anchored just off the beach serving cold drinks. The odd kayak or two were paddling between the straits. Some people were swimming to and from the island. And then there was this bloke who appeared to be walking across. How deep was it? I had to find out so I waded in to cross for myself. The deepest the water got was waist high but I realised why so many people had swum across. The sea bed was covered with broken coral that made it painful to walk. Still I managed to get across without swimming. There wasn’t much on the Island to explore without having any shoes to climb across the rocks. So with mission accomplished I headed back to the other side, this time I swam!



Mission to Birds Nest Island.

The weather looked like it was going to turn nasty. It was approaching 4pm and Mr Doy said he would be back to pick us up at 5pm. We decided not to wait and headed back to catch the next available boat. The start of the path back was now the playground of the local monkeys. They enjoyed jumping off the cliff on to the tree tops, making a crashing sound as the branches buckled under their weight. I am sure they did it to scare the unsuspecting tourists walking underneath. Back at Hat Rai Ley East and we found a boatman to take us back, after a German couple with two kids and a baby managed to successfully haggle the price down. We arrived back in Krabi Town at around 4:30pm. Perfect timing as no sooner had we stepped into the hotel the heavens opened and it lashed it down.


Older monkey watches on.

Day 5 - Railay Railay

Woke up fearing the worst this morning. I had consumed at least double the amount of alcohol than the other nights in Thailand. However, I felt great with no headache whatsoever. The local brew Chang will remain off the menu from now on for sure. A peek outside at the weather, blue skies. Looks like were off to see Mr Doy and a Long-tail boat to Railay.

Our Captain Mr Doy.

Walking down to the pier and several Thai boatmen are posted on the cross roads. "Railay, Railay" they shout to any foreigner they see. At the pier and Mr Doy is chatting with a group of girls haggling over the price. The trip would cost 150 Baht. I pointed out to Mr Doy that the guide book says it should cost 100 Baht. The German girls agreed and demanded the price be 100 Baht. Mr Doy just smiled and replied "Fuel cost up up". Rather than waste valuable sunning time over a quid I agreed but the Germans were not having it. Another Thai boatman came over and explained that the price is written on the board at Railay and if it didn’t say 150 Baht, we ride for free. The Germans still complained but they soon came running across as we had already climbed aboard and Mr Doy was revving the engine.

My first trip in a long-tail boat and it’s a bit of a shaky start. Firstly, you climb on board and immediately the boat rocks and it feels like its going to capsize. Then you find a seat across two planks of wood, hardly comfy. All aboard and its time to manoeuvre out of the pier, again the boat verges on tipping point before Mr Doy puts the propeller under water and off we go.

Hat Rai Ley East.

Its about a 30 minute journey to Railay from Krabi Town. Railay is a remote peninsular that is cut off from the mainland by mountainous limestone cliffs. The only way to and from Railay is by boat unless you fancy getting your climbing gear on and tackling the cliffs. The views are spectacular, the mangrove forests, the craggy cliffs on the mainland and several giant limestone karsts that jut out of the sea, some making small islands.


First dip in the Anadaman Sea.

We landed on Hat Rai Ley East, where sure enough there was a board stating the cost from Krabi Town was 150 Baht. The "5" having been clearly added over the top of a "0" but it looked like it had been done some months before. The guide says that this is a muddy beach and is generally not for bathing. However, a short 5 minute stroll and you are across the peninsular on Hat Rai Ley West, a stunning beach. Magnificent white sand, crystal blue sea and dramatic limestone karst cliffs frame the location. Walking along the beach barefoot is a pleasure that Burriana Beach simply cannot match. We set up base camp and headed for the sea. You normally dip your toe in and inch out into the freezing cold Mediterranean at home but the Andaman sea is different, its lovely and warm. A truly wonderful experience. A great way to relax and enjoy the sun for the day.

Hat Rai Leh West.

After a long spell of lazing on the beach we headed for the Flame Tree Inn for some refreshment. The boast of Black Canyon coffee on the boards was too much for me to resist. Monica felt more tropical and went for the young coconut milk, served in the coconut. We sat enjoying our drinks and watching life on the beach. A perfect setting and would soon become my favourite place of the trip.

Monica enjoying a Young Coconut.

Day 4 - Bolero's

A quick aperitif at the Old West bar across from the hotel before heading down town for something to eat. The bar had floor cushions scattered around on a raised deck. You had to take your shoes off before getting on the deck. It was advertised as happy hour but we soon realised that this only means that cocktails are priced at 100 Baht, not buy one get one free. Still a couple of Heinekens and the first signs of a Thai food rebellion. Monica demands that we go eat a pizza!

At the Old West Bar.

We found Bolero’s, an attractive looking Italian restaurant on the main road close to the hotel. It had the added benefit of live music, the local band already playing as we entered. They were playing a good mix of old rock and roll, blues and the occasional pop song. The band were excellent so we will forgive them the aberration of following up Pink Floyds’s "Wish you were here" with the truly awful "When you say nothing at all" by Ronan Keating.

The band at Bolero's.

The food soon arrived and it was surprisingly good. More towards Bella Roma standards than that of Jimenez. We decided to stay on and have a few more Heinekens and listen to the band. Most of the tables had cleared off as it approached midnight. A local guy sat near the front decided to get involved, he grabbed a guitar off the wall and joined in the fun.

A change from Thai food already!

We were soon the only people in the restaurant and the lead singer asked what song we would like to close the night. A little U2 perhaps? Sorry, they had already performed the only one they knew, an excellent rendition of "With or without you". What about another Pink Floyd? The band launches into playing "The Wall" which was fantastic. So good, passers by stopped and came in to have a beer. The place was full again so the band carried on. Monica had early said we should tip the band, now she was asking for commission. We decided on another round of beers and enjoyed the rest of the show.

The Band keeps on playing.