Monkey Business

NWe watched the most funny thing today, a monkey dropped from the tree and grabbed a lady's grocery bag as she walked to the beach. It grabbed the Pringles container inside the bag and jumped back on the tree branch and proceeded to open the container and started eating the chips. I think this particular monkey had stolen before. He knew what to look for. The other younger monkeys were looking on with envy. 

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera to capture this moment. Borrowed Google image is similar.

They look so cute, but you must always keep your eyes on them. 

They can not be trusted. Guard your bags at all times.

Mario playing with of a local boy. One vendor got angry because the ball was hitting his merchandise, and told them to go play on the beach.

Things to do in Railay

Things to do in Railay.

Eating is a good start to the day, and bringing food back for the resident cat.

Playing with the many cats.

Playing peek-a-boo

Eating some more from beach boats

Watching sea snakes

Watching this guy taking some punishment from this tough broad

Rock climbing or best yet, watching

Visit to the caves

Beach walks

Nov 24 Railay Beach

Nov 24 Railay Beach

This isolated peninsula is only accessible by boat with two fantastic beaches and surrounded by lush forests and incredible rock formations. There are no cars in Railay but there are narrow walkways where goods are moved by manual and electric carts. The Railay town (if you can call it a town) are mostly shacks on the shore and inland, not what we're used to seeing in developed countries. There are places to eat in each resort and there's also cheaper street-food. Railay attracts many young people, who are probably more adaptable with this adventurous life-style. We are surrounded by rock formations that are beautiful to visit, which also attracts rock climbers. And there are monkeys visible in the tree tops, with many "do-not-feed" warnings. It's been reported that monkeys will steal bags.

Travel Adventure to Krabi

Nov 23 Travel Day Adventure 

I was not looking forward to today's trip to Railay Bay Resort- taxi, bus, taxi and water taxi. I did my research and wanted to ensure we were taken to the Krabi pier. The tour agent at the hotel wrote the name of the pier we were to catch the water taxi and he helped me pronounce the name correctly. But all the planning was for not, and even though people reassured us we were going to the correct location to catch the water taxi, we did not go to the Krabi Nammao pier. Instead we had to take the water taxi from the Krabi beach, and it was not easy with two suitcases to wade crotch-high through the water to reach the long tail boat. Lucky for us that a kind young man offered to take one of the suitcases. And what a crazy ride to our resort. This skinny boat racing through the water bouncing off the waves, with water splashing on our bodies. We reached our resort, but to our surprise and shock, there was no pier to get off the boat. Thank goodness this nice young man stepped forward again to help us. We were relieved when we arrived, soaking wet from the ride but pleasantly surprised with the beautiful resort and spacious room. But our joy was short lived, as it started to rain. We de-stressed for about 30 minutes, but the rain was not going to stop anytime soon, so we ventured out of the resort. Umbrellas come standard with each room. And what a surprise, we found the pier at the other side of the resort. It truly does exist, and it proves there is a conspiracy with the taxi drivers and long tail boat operators. There must be some kick-backs or they must get a kick watching tourists struggle with their bags. I'm sure some people fall into the water, which I almost did. We did make our way along the shoreline and found a number of bars and restaurants, where we enjoyed a spicy Thai dinner.

Phuket Around Town

Nov 19 Around Town

The motorcycle is king of the road (and sometimes sidewalks) and used by many families to commute and also operate a business. They are so versatile, being able to squeeze through narrow spaces and bypass lineups of cars during rush hour traffic. We saw a scooter with two adults and two children on board, and helmets are rarely worn.

There are no gas stations in town, but lots of gasoline to buy.

Scooter ice cream vehicle 

For a country that is religious there are many sinful pleasures available- massage parlours, tattoo parlours, bars, shooting galleries and Thai boxing events, all of which greatly out-number the religious temples.

Shoes off at the mosque 

"Hey pappa, come for a massage"

A fish foot massage

Phuket by Night

Nov 18 Phuket by Night

Phuket at night is exciting. Yes, there are many pleasures that can be satisfied without guilt. The street lights are intense, as are the beautiful Thai ladies trying to entice young men into their bar. Also, there are many restaurants prepared to deliver the optimum gastronomic experience, and everyone leaves fully satisfied. Yes, nights in Phuket are exciting, even for a senior who still enjoys life's sinful pleasures. Yes, of course it's all about the food!

Visit to neighbouring Phi Phi Islands

Nov 17 Phi Phi Islands

What an awesome day! We along with 28 others boarded a high speed boat to explore four islands near Phuket. Some of these island locations a backdrop for some movies - most noteworthy being James Bond and Jurassic Park. And tourism is keeping many islands afloat (excuse the pun). What was interesting and surprising is that many of these islands have resident cats, which explains why rodents are never seen. The cats kept Julie interested, since she was not swimming nor snorkelling. And what beautiful beaches and sheer cliffs. On one island Red Bull hosts an annual cliff diving competition.

However there is an evident downside to this beauty - many of these islands are heavily visited by tourists. Each day many large high speed boats appear, which is eroding the environment. On one island farming was abandoned, supposedly due to global warming changing growing conditions, but I suspect there's greater value in attracting tourists.

Restaurant supplies being delivered

Monkeys came close to the boat looking for food. 

One monkey jumped onboard.

The beaches were awesome!