When I booked our holiday to Railey Beach, Krabi, Thailand on-line and clicked on the option to pay in advance for a transfer from Krabi Airport to Railey Beach I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. The experience was confusing, slightly scary for a bit, but altogether thrilling and beautiful. I think you know the routine of arriving at an airport at night and not knowing exactly where you have to go, all you have is an address and some local currency. So I was pleased to see a friendly Thai man, clad in colourful shirt, standing across from the automatic doors holding a sign with our name on it. A stress free trip to our resort. We boarded a mini bus and drove in the dark for around forty minutes. It seemed to be getting darker and there were fewer and fewer and buildings and street lights as we headed for...actually I had no idea where we were going.
The bus stopped and we were ushered off from the side door while our bags were unloaded and placed upon a tuk tuk which had appeared as if by magic. There was nothing around us and we were stood on a grass verge by a tiny track in the dark as the mini bus drove one way and the red lights of the tuk tuk went the other. Just for a second I wondered what was happening as there was no explanation from the trusty mini bus driver apart from a cheery "Bye". The track seemed to turn into a bridge with railings at either side and as that was the way the tuk tuk went with all our possessions it seemed prudent to follow although it was so dark in the distance we couldn't tell where we were headed. After about 100 meters the bridge was no bridge at all, it was a pier and waiting for us at the end was a long tail boat and a boatman.
Amazingly we all climbed down on to the wooden boat and then watched in the darkness as our luggage was past down from the pier to join us, all staying dry. Then the tranquility of the night was broken as the engine throbbed and we putted off, again into darkness but this time on the sea. Silhouettes of craggy hills on one side and the reflection of the moon on the water on the other.
Still no explanation but by this time we were having such a good time we had completely relaxed and were just enjoying the ride. We approached the twinkling lights of Railey Beach and the water began to get very shallow. Long tail boats are particularly good at getting into shallow water so it was able to get really close to the beach, not close enough given that we still had to get ourselves and our luggage from the boat to shore. Another part of the transfer deal appeared out of the darkness, a tractor with a trailer on the back had reversed into the sea to meet us. We disembarked from the boat to the trailer and the luggage was placed at the back. We were then pulled onto the beach and as close to a pavement as possible where another kindly chap waited with a trolley for the bags. We then followed him through a dimly lit garden to the reception.
Amazingly no one got even so much as a wet sock.
This was the routine for every tourist staying at Railey Beach if we wanted to leave for a spot of shopping in Au Nang we paddled through the water onto a long tail boat and back again. Sometimes it was just wet feet and sometimes it was wet trousers but, hey, we were relaxed and on holiday, what's a bit of sea water in yer knickers?
The pictures above show the view from the beach as the sun went down. Each evening was a different light show. The long tail boats I became a dab hand and boarding plus the deafening engine. Alex and Lucy making art on the beach. Volleyball lady boy style.
The photos below are the ever lovely and continuously beautiful Sykes family of Holmfirth and Japan. Good to see you folks!
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