Each time I come back to Thailand, I am swept off my feet. I whole heartedly love this place and all the adventures it brings with it.
The last time I left Haad Yuan, I had a longing to explore the rest of the Southern beaches of Thailand. It was beautiful and I’m glad we saw it, but there is no place like Koh Phangnan, my spiritual centre.
First we started off in Koh Phi Phi where we got caught up in a rainstorm during dinner. We snuck off into the Irish bar next door, where we met some new friends from Philadelphia. The next night we played a full evening of slap jack and just got hammered. This is our morning after brunch. These guys even bought me a new deck of cards because they felt bad for my mangled, booze soaked cards. ha ha – how sweet!
After that, we took the Koh Phi Phi tour to see the beach where The Beach was filmed. It was breath taking even though it’s really touristy.
There is a big wavy swim involved, and you have to climb up a rope with these super sharp rocks to get onto the path.
One of the major perks, was that the guys on the tour, are so organized that they take everyone’s cameras and put it in this Tupperware container and then into a water proof bag so you don’t have to worry about destroying your camera.
Right now we are sitting in my favorite guest house, the Secret Garden in Bangkok. This place is like my sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of this busy city. It’s also a great place to reflect – this is the third time I’ve been here and there is something that is so comforting in being in a friendly, familiar place.
Tomorrow night we fly to Hong Kong. I’m a little bit nervous about going there, just the thought of Hong Kong brings about a bit of anxiety because the last time I was there, it was really overwhelming for me. The craziness, the dense population, the loud aggressive voices. Hopefully I will be able to channel my inner calmness and just enjoy it for what it is.
After Koh Phi Phi, we headed to Tonsai, the rock climbing Mecca just off of Raleigh beach. This was one of the first things we saw when we landed on the beach. These scurrying little crabs, dig in the sand creating these little balls and making unique, symmetrical designs. The beach was full of these beautiful creations.
Right away, we met this lovely couple from Germany. They were super sweet, and we found some interesting parallels in our relationships. For example, Sonia the girl on the right is my activity twin. We both are constantly wanting to do exercise, or exploring while our partners Kirsten and Sebastien just love to curl up on the beach and read a book. So during our time together, it was perfect because Seb and Kirsten would hang out, and Sonia and I would be planning the next adventure.
The first thing we did was go on the four island tour. This included Poda Island, Top Island, Chicken Island (pictured on the left because it looks like a chicken!) and Pranang beach.
It was a beautiful day, and we had loads of fun!
The picture above is Pranang cave, which is also known as the princess cave. Legend has it that once there was a beautiful princess who was so gorgeous that all the men wanted here. She had refused one of her suitors who was this arrogant prince. She was rescued by this hermit that lived in a cave, who cast a spell and turned them into the surrounding beaches and caves. Since then, this cave is where fisherman would leave offerings of phallic symbols to bring them abundance and wealth and good catches I suppose.
The next day, we decided to go deep water solo climbing with Base Camp.
I have never tried deep water solo, and neither had Sonia but we both knew we wanted to do it. Deep water solo is basically climbing over deep water, without any ropes to hold you in, and then jumping into deep water. It’s really beautiful and definitely something to get your adrenalin pumping.
What a rush!
I started at 5 meters, then went up to 10 meters. Some of the guys went up to 30 meters, and they compared the feeling to “being punched really hard in the face!”
We also did a couple mornings of regular climbing on the 123 wall and the Muay Thai wall. We had both never tried outdoor rock climbing before, and I’ve gotta say I LOVE it. We even took our guide out for lunch and a couple beers after the climb. It was an absolutely lovely afternoon.
It’s really interesting to see the different pockets of people that different places attract. In Haad Thien, the place is a lot about spirituality, there are so many yoga classes, massage, pilates, tarot card reading, energy work going on which I really love. Then over in Tonsai, it’s all about climbing and a little bit about fire dancing.
Well, I’m off to shop on Koh Sanh road. It’s a shame I don’t have more space in my back pack – the shopping is great here. Can’t wait!
xoxo
