Railay is an incredibly beautiful place tucked away in a small peninsula in Krabi, Thailand. My reaction the first time I saw it was, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this was real.” Everyone else I’ve been there with has said the same thing. The way the limestone cliffs jut into the air seem to defy gravity.

You can’t get to Railay by car; there are no cars on Railay, and it’s small enough to walk everywhere. You’ve got to take a boat, most likely a longtail. If you’re coming from the east, you get to hop onto a pier. I was coming from the west, which meant I had to hop into knee-high water, with everything I own in this world strapped to my back! (This was when I felt my decision to get a bag that not only rolled but could convert into a backpack was truly vindicated.)

Visiting Friends

This leg of the journey was extra special as friends from back home were along, my “bro” Dave, and his girlfriend Jen. They’d been planning a ten day trip to Railay, Phi Phi and Phuket, and the three of us met up for their Railay leg, before I moved on to Lanta for a couple of months.

It was aawesome to get to hang out with folks I’ve known a long time- Dave and I met when we were thirteen- right at the beginning of embarking into parts unknown.

Dave and I had stopped by Railay before when he visited me in HK, while it was Jen’s first time there. Both Dave and I got a vicarious kick out of seeing Jen react to all the incredible sights for the first time.

The Beach

Of the three beaches in Railay, the one to the south is the most stunning, next to a limestone cliff that soars hundreds of feet into the air. The water is warm, and the sand is soft.

Planet of the Monkeys?

On a trip to Railay you can expect to see all sorts of creatures. Monitor lizards. Crabs. And- especially- monkeys.

The monkeys are cute, and fascinating to watch. They’re also bold and brazen. We watched one stroll across the lawn like he owned the place, and grab a guys breakfast plate and launch the food everywhere. The guy hit it in the head with another plate and finally it ran off (with some of his breakfast in hand.)

We sometimes saw them prowling the balconies. Needless to say, leaving the balcony door locked is important if you want to keep uninvited guests from snooping through all your stuff.

Goodness Gracious, Great Bars and Fire

Railay’s got no cars, but it does have bars, of all shapes and sizes. My favorite is The Black Pearl- it’s kind of decked out pirate-style… but if Bob Marley was a pirate. The folks that work there have a bunch of fun catchphrases, you may find yourself picking them up as well… “Railay! Really?” “I don’t like it… I love it” “Hit that shit”

Very chill atmosphere to enjoy your cocktail or beer (or “happy brownie” or “happy shake,” which are also offered on the menu.) Also live music, whcih seems to get a bit better each time.

It’s easy to book tours going to Phi Phi or the various islands / snorkeling spots around. This time we opted for the Hong Island tour.

As always, Railay was a blast. This was, of course, just vacation. Next onto Ko Lanta, where I’ll stay through most of December and actually get to work.