Still at the beach...

...and still loving it. This place (Ao Nang) seriously has everything that one could want, as far as experiencing the best of Thailand--phenomenal beaches, lush, rugose jungle landscapes, delicious food, hospitable hosts, and of course $6 hour-long massages! Though our lifestyle here has been a far cry from the intense backpacking I am used to (except for Rio), this slow pace is a welcomed transition from the hustle and bustle of touring Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. Today the weather is a bit shabbier than it's been in a few days, hence my taking the time to finally update this blog.

Since my last post, we took a short longboat trip over to Ao Railay, a very scenic beach at the tip of the peninsula near Ao Nang only reachable by boat, due to the dense surrounding forest. When we first arrived on the east side beach, we were a little bit disappointed. While this was a beautiful area by any standard, it reminded us of the beach near our hotel, defeating the purpose of taking the boat trip altogether. Brian and I decided to rectify this supposed mistake and went on foot to find other beaches in the area. After talking to a few passing European tourists, we were directed to the southwest part of the peninsula, where there was apparently a cavernous beach area. They weren't lying, and after a 15 minute walk we found the most beautiful beach we've seen yet. We immediately went back the the east beach to get Jessica and Staci.


Once we returned with our full party to the pristine cave beach, we decided it was time to sit down and prepare some tuna sandwiches with the food we packed (the cheapest way to eat lunch here), when we were ambushed by a local dog and a troupe of wild monkeys! Luckily, all they were interested in was food (of course), so Jess fed the dog our leftover tuna--he was quite grateful as the picture above indicates, and Brian and I fed the monkeys some corn on the cob (see the video below).


We spent the rest of the day laying out and walking the beach--it was so peaceful (the picture below gives you an idea of the scenery but still doesn't do it justice). We left just before dark via bumpy longboat ride. What a day!


Tomorrow we plan to finally leave the area and head to Phi Phi Island, perhaps the only place in Thailand with a nicer backdrop than what we have here in Ao Nang. But our primary reason for going is scuba diving. I can't wait to swim with some Asian marine life! Today we will likely all catch up on emails and maybe do a little shopping, since we've become so adept at haggling!

Expect some insane beach shots from Phi Phi soon, weather permitting of course.


-Mike