The day started off with breakfast provided by the hotel. They offer a fairly large selection of food - pancakes, eggs, sausage (hot-dog-like), bacon, breads, croissants, pastries, fruit.
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| My first dishes: Pad Thai and Hot & Sour Prawn Soup |
I was picked up at 9:00am for the cooking class with SmartCook. I was the only student, so it was a private class just for me. My teacher was "Bunny". She is young, and very nice, offering me encouragement when I chopped slow, and told me so many tidbits of information about the ingredients. I should not have eaten that much breakfast...I couldn't finish the dishes I made. The dishes: Pad Thai, hot & sour prawn soup, banana spring rolls, papaya salad, green curry paste, followed by green curry chicken. The banana spring rolls were particularly easy. Will have to make these when I get back home.
Next, I bought a longtail ticket to Ao Phra Nang, 100 THB each way. I only had to wait 5 minutes for the longtail to have enough people (6 person minimum). The ride was only 15 minutes or so, and I was not at all affected by the motions of the boat.
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| Ao Phra Nang |
As I stepped off the boat, the first thing I notice is the powder soft, fine sand. Almost as if I am walking on a comfortable tempurpedic mattress along the beach. The water near the shore did not look too clear, although the waters further out were an improvement. When I arrived around 1:30pm, there were a lot of tourists. But, that did not at all compare to the number of tourists within the next hour, when the large tour groups from Barracuda Tours came in. I spent my time sitting on the shore, where the waves just managed to reach and pass me. As I sat there watching the water, I couldn't help but think about the research I would have pursued. I saw the traveling waves come close to shore, some breaking, others smoothly rolling up the shore. Its a nice reminder of the power of mathematics.
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| Longtail selling food & beverages |
Along the beach, some longtails sell food, fruit, and beverages. I got a mango shake for 40 THB, freshly made. Yum. And a couple spring rolls for 40 THB also.
I walked to the end of Phra Nang, and reached the shrine...offerings were made to the drowned princess Phra Nang.
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| Shrine of offerings at Phra Nang... |
After a good two and a half hours at Phra Nang, I walked to Railay East. Actually, I thought I was heading to Railay West, so I guess the map I had in my head was all wrong. Railay East is not meant for swimming or snorkeling. The waters are rather murkey, and large mangroves grow here. Railay East is great for rock climbing, though. Despite the non-clear waters, the cliffs and rocks were still beautiful. Railay East's lack of tourist bombardment makes its natural setting very nice.
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| Railay East |
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| Monkeys! |
Eventually, I found a path that led to Railay West. Along the way, I passed a monkey tree...A giant tree with monkeys all over it. I was very fond of the babies, there were quite a few of them. Some young children were feeding the babies, and having the monkeys climb onto their arms. Not sure that's such a good idea.
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| Railay West |
Railay West is very beautiful. I arrived here around 4:30pm, so the huge crowds were no longer, and it was nice to see large stretches of white sand. There were not any boats selling food here, and many of the loungers had congregated on the far side of the beach. I did not stay very long here.
After taking the longtail boat back, I got dinner at Ao Nang Boat Noodle. It is located a bit further from the beach, around 10 minutes walk from the hotel. 60 THB for noodles, soup, and thai iced tea. The boat noodle dish consists of a spicy broth, and thin noodles. The layout of the restaurant is interesting, because a chef prepares meals from a longtail in the front.
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| Boat Noodle dinner from Ao Nang Boat Noodle |
Walking around the whole day has a toll on my feet...so I feel fully justified to get another massage. This time, I went to PU Body Scrub and Massage, a shop just near the hotel. 250 THB for an hour of foot reflexology, which included leg, shoulder and head. This place is not for those looking for a quiet, calming ambiance. It is strictly for the massage. The massage was good though, pressure was good. The techniques were similar to those from yesterday. I sat next to a bunch of Singaporeans, who I've seen at the same restaurant as me, and on the shuttle bus.
I close my day by treating myself to Swenson's ice cream. I'm not sure where Swenson's is from, but I haven't seen it in WA. Ice cream is wonderful.
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