We Packed up this morning and got a ride a few miles into a small port called Ao Nammao. We got on a longtail boat destined for the unnoficial #1 rock climber's paradise in the world. It's Called Railay, which is a small beach town on a penninsula South of Krabi. Massive limestone cliffs make building a road to Railay impossible, so everything is sent in by boat. It's also too small to have room for any roads, so with just foot paths, it works out well and gives the place a nice relaxed feel. As we walked through central Railay and out to the Western shore, we stopped and looked at each other-- knowing we had found a vital peace to our travel puzzle. We planned on just 2 days, but we now thought we were gonna be here for a while longer. We dropped off our bags after booking 3 nights at the YaYa Resort, which is a low budget backpacker guesthouse. Looking out from our second floor patio, it's like living in a treehouse village. It was only $7/night, but we got what we paid for. There wasn't even a sink in the bathroom and it stank. Gaps in the wood planked walls were duct taped shut and of course no A/C. We wasted no time getting our swim trunks on and rushing to the beach. Sitting at a cafe on the beach, you can get a great meal for 5-10 bucks. My guess is that there are less than 500 people in Railay. During low tide, it's possible to walk down the beach to a separate section of beach called Tonsai. That area is a more chill low-budget climber's village. We decided to check it out. 10min of navigating slick rock got us to a laid-back beachside bar. We had at our fingertips a pool table, cold beer, and the ubiquitous & delicous Thai pancakes with mango & pineapple with cocunut milk. We were in heaven! I brought my ipod and small travel speakers we played since the bar wasn't yet playing music, being only 5pm. One thing led to another and next thing I know, I'm special guest DJ for the night. From the booth at the back of the bar, I blasted tracks from my ipod to the cheering crowds. 3 hours went by of shooting pool, lounging, meeting other travelers, and spinning tracks. We decided to make our way back, but since it was high tide, the locals said we needed to take the "monkey trail" up and over a ridge in the jungle. We bought a small flashlight and began our trek through the dark jungle on a moonless night. Luckily we all had a few beers in us because this hike was going to take some real courage! It wasn't a trail at all. It ended up being a cross between scrambling up boulders and rock climbing-- in near pitch black. We had to feel our way over the trail. After an hour of crawling on our hands & knees, we emerged onto the other shore alive. Looking back at it, it was pretty exciting as much as it was frightening.
At 9pm, the night was still young as we made our way towards a strip of beachfront bars and restaurants on the East end. We got a beer at a nearly empty bar called Chok Dee's. "Chok Dee" means "cheers" in Thai. On a small central stage was a drum set, bongos, 2 guitars, caracas, and tamourines. A lone guitarist sat on stage singing Beatles covers and many popular tunes with the help of his acoustic guitar. We were surprised that this 50yr old Thai had such good English and musical skill. I think Matt immediately was drawn to an empty bar full of beer and instruments. The ingredients were there for a jam session.
It all began with Chris sweet-talking the bar tender to play some rock music while the guitarist was on a break. Next thing I know, I'm on stage with Matt singing along to Guns & Roses. At one point we both sang into the mic, then we each gave the other a strange look as we simultaneously realized it was a hot mic! We'd just created a kareoke bar and we were on a roll! Several people walked by and a few girls came in for a few drinks and some laughs...well lots of laughs. 10 minutes later, the guitarist began jamming with Matt. There were Beatles tunes, random classics, and a bit of vocals mixed in. I was tearing it up on the bongos and caracas. After an hour, I moved up to the big time-- the drum set. I've spent maybe 10min on drums in my entire life, but that didn't slow me down tonight. I blame the Thai whiskey. We rocked the house until 2am and set up a time to play the next night. We officially had a gig in Thailand!
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