Krabi and Penang (Malaysia): March 2006

Our climbing correspondent, Rocky Roper, follows Nikki & Ray rock climbing in Krabi, on the beaches of Ko Phi Phi, across the border into Malaysia, and on the overnight train to Bangkok.

The map below will help you recall Ray and Nikki's journey so far. The red circle around Ko Samui was their starting point in November last year and Surat Thani (shown on the map) is where they took part in the 10 day retreat (Silence is Golden).

This phase of their journey sees them headed for Phuket and Krabi (shown in red) and then south across the border into Malaysia (Penang) for visa renewals, prior to re-entry by train and the long journery north to Bangkok in central Thailand.

Following a very brief and uneventful overnight stay in Phuket, to allow Ray time for a medical check at the International hospital, our travelling duo decided to abort travelling by road for a while and opted instead to take a boat across the bay and head straight for Krabi - home to some of the most beautiful coastlines and best rock climbing in the world.

Above: The journey by boat from Phuket to Krabi (right) takes about 3 hours.  Ray and Nikki chose Rai Lay (East) beach for their base as it is a haven for rock climbers and meant that Nikki had plenty of great climbs within easy reach.  You will also see that Ko Phi Phi islands (bottom right) are south of Krabi - and were on the "must see" list for Ray and Nikki

"We got up very early to take the boat from Phuket as we were being collected from our guest house at 7.45am for an 8.30am departure, so we were definitely a bit grouchy" recalls Ray. "It all changed very quickly as we approached the Krabi coastline, and we could suddenly see why everyone we had met had raved on about how gorgeous a place it was" added Ray.

The beautiful rock formations take Ray and Nikki's breath away as they approach Rai Lay beach in Krabi by boat

"I think we are going to like it here" says Ray

An aerial view of the bay at Rai Lay and the surrounding cliffs - beautiful!

Rock climbing in Krabi is well established. Around 600 routes have been mapped, graded and bolted around Rai Lay and Ton Sai Beach. It is generally considered to be the rock climbing capital of South East Asia. With its thousands of sheer limestone cliff faces, overhangs, and caves, there is something to challenge everyone, from the professional solo climber to the complete beginner. If you can take your concentration off the rock face, climbing in Krabi presents some of the best views a climber will ever see.

Once they were onshore, Ray and Nikki quickly established some accommodation for the next few days. After getting settled in, Nikki was itching to get her ropes and harness on and get climbing.

Nikki re-united with her harness and equipment, prepares for a day's climbing

Prior to her arrival in Krabi, Nikki had not climbed for almost a year and a half, and was keen to climb with an experienced guide who could grade her according to her present experience, i.e. zero!  Before getting a chance to climb, she was first asked to pair up with and belay one of the more experienced climbers in her group. Climbers generally work in pairs - one climbs and the other one 'belays' the climber.  This means the person climbing is attached to their partner on the ground by a rope. The person on the ground is responsible for ensuring the climbers safety and making sure they have enough slack on the rope as they need it. Should the climber accidentally fall,  their partner uses a device that literally puts a brake on the rope.  It also acts as a winch once the climber has reached the end of the route. The climber abseilsdown the rock as the belayer slowly releases the rope. 

"Belaying is an extremely important job and in some ways more stressful than attempting to climb" said Nikki. "All went well when I was belaying my partner Andrew up the rock, but as he was almost twice my weight I had to be physically tied down to the floor to prevent me from shooting up in the air whilst lowering him down!"

"Take the strain!" - Nikki keeps her partner Andrew in check by managing his safety rope whilst her climb leader looks on

Once Nikki's climb leader was satisfied that her belaying technique was up to scratch, he suggested a nice easy route to re-introduce her to the rock. The climb, called King Cobra, was to be Nikki's first on Krabi Limestone.  I asked her what it was like: "As it was only 12 metres in length, with some fairly easy moves, it felt great to be back on the rock. However, the heat meant it took a lot more of my energy than I had imagined, and my climbing muscles had all but disappeared during the last year, so I was huffing a lot and hauling myself up with very little grace!" she told me. 

Just better check my head won't fall off when I am up there!

By far the most exciting climb of the day for Nikki was called "Wee Sad". This is a 25 metre route that begins by scaling a stalactite! The first move, to get onto the rock requires the climber to grip with their fingers and literally haul themselves up using only the strength of their arms.  "I have to confess, I didn't even attempt this and happily took the offer of a leg up from the boys" admits Nikki.

Give us a leg up chaps!

"Once on the rock,  I scaled the stalactite, and finished the 25 metre climb to be rewarded by a ledge that enabled me to look down in awe - a stunning view across the perfect beach and azure waters of the Andaman Sea. All that effort was worth it for this one perfect moment" recalls Nikki.

Nikki showing her moves on the rock face (left) and reaching for the chalk (right) - she makes it look so easy!

Nikki half way up Wee Sad, contemplating her next move

Nikki manages to look gorgeous even in her climbing gear!

Whilst Nikki was busy climbing, Ray was also trying his hand too, albeit on a much easier type of climb, called a 'scramble' as it does not require you to be attached to a rope, or the safety of a partner . He had heard there was a "secret" lagoon at the bottom of a completely enclosed chamber of rock, and he was very interested in attempting this. "To reach the lagoon, you had to climb up a faily steep rockface covered in trees and foliage, to a height of about 150 metres. This was quite tricky because of the gradient but there were plenty of safe footholds and tree roots to assist, as well as a number of ropes that had been purposefully tied on to some of the rocks to help people reach the top" said Ray.

On the way up - beginners like Ray can use the tree roots and ropes to help them reach the top safely

Ray took about 25 minutes to reach the 150 metre high point and admits to feeling quite nervous at certain moments.  "I had to get to the high point without anyone around to help me and did not always know if I was making the best move in terms of making progress up the slope, but I made it OK!  It was baking hot so I worked up quite a sweat on the way up.  Next, there was the descent from the high point down another steep rockface to reach the lagoon.  I watched a couple of people in front of me to see how they were negotiating certain ledges and crevaces. There was a moment about half way down where I was just a bit too scared to continue, as it was such a sheer drop if anything went wrong.  The frustrating thing was this was only about 50 metres from the lagoon at ground level so I felt I could not really turn back without completing the climb!  I rested for a few minutes and decided to go for it and tocutalong storyshort, I made it safely to the bottom.  It was truly worth it - inside the chamber was a beautiful lagoon, absolutely silent and tranquil and you really got the feeling that you were one of only a few people who get to see it, let alone hear about it.  I will remember that climb for a very long time to come" said Ray.

Ray makes it to the tranquil "secret" lagoon (above and below)

The rocks in Krabi that excite climbers so much also make great backdrops for sunset's as they change colour during the last couple of hours of daylight. "I never get tired of watching the sun go down and the views from the beach at Rai Lay were really stunning" said Nikki.

Chicken Island (centre of picture) seen at sunset from Phra Nang beach - it gets it's name because of the little neck sticking out at the left hand side

A view of the Princess cave on Phra Nang beach (above)

Whilst rock climbing provided Ray and Nikki with the physical exercise that they had been craving, the island of Ko Phi Phi provided the sight seeing aspect to this part of Thailand.  "We were advised that the best way to see the island would be a day trip from Rai Lay" said Ray. 

There were two reasons why Ray wanted to visit the island.  One was to experience the damage done by the Tsunami first hand and get a sense of how things had changed here.  The other was much more superficial; "I am not someone who usually gets starstruck, but I must admit that the chance to go to the place where they filmed The Beach was quite exciting!" confessed Ray.

Ko Phi Phi (pronounced ko-pee-pee) is actually two islands: Dramatically beautiful Phi Phi Don, with its long, soft-sand beaches and limestone cliffs rising from the sea, has grown into a resort offering both simple bungalows and larger hotels. Phi Phi Le, no less beautiful and only a short boat ride from its larger sister island, has no accommodations at all.

While Ton Sai Bay, the main area on Phi Phi Don, was affected by the tsunami and is still under reconstruction; the other side of the island, sheltered from the worst effects remains undisturbed. Along the north-east coast the famed soft sand beaches, fringed by swaying coconut palms and vibrant coral reefs nearby, look better than ever. Day trips have resumed and the hotels are welcoming guests.

The two islands of Ko Phi Phi - Maya Bay, on Pi-Leh (to the South) is where they filmed The Beach; The Ton Sai Bay area on Phi-Don (the larger island to the North) was devastated by the Tsunami in December 2004

Nikki and Ray were taken around the two islands for the day by speedboat and stopped in a variety of different bays. "We loved Maya Bay" said Ray and Nikki. "As there are no hotels on the island and you can only get there by boat, it is easy to imagine the kind of life as depicted in the movie and the beach that was used really is as beautiful as it appears in the film" added Nikki.

Maya Bay, looking out to sea from the enclosed bay; it really is just as beautiful as it appears in the movie

The sand on the beach at Maya Bay is white and very soft

After a stop for lunch on Phi Phi Don, Ray and Nikki were able to inspect the Tsunami damage at Ton Sai Bay. "We looked around at what had happened and it sent shivers up our spine.  During those frantic few days, over 5,000 people died on this beach" said Ray.  You can see from the map (above) that Ton Sai is located on a spit and the waves hit it from both sides. "It must have been really scary for anyone who was here" added Ray.

Posters and placards still remain at the site of the devastation at Ton Sai Bay - this one is saying that none of the government promises to re-build and restore the area have been kept

Life in the resort is slowly but surely getting back to normal and tourists have started to return there as facilities improve, although there is clearly a long way to go.  The sounds of construction can be heard all over the bay area and it is likely to be as popular as ever in a relatively short while.

Re-construction of several hotels is taking place following the Tsunami - here is an example of one that is nearly finished

Leaving Rai Lay by minibus, Ray an Nikki headed south for the Malaysian border, and the small island of Penang which is home to Georgetown, the commercial capital of the country. "The only reason we were going to Penang was to apply for double entry visa's at the Thai consulate" said Ray.  The immigration rules in Thailand meant that our pair had to leave Thailand as their visa's were about to expire.  Once over the border, it is possible to secure multiple entry visa's with the right help, so Ray and Nikki headed for The Love Lane Inn, which had been recommended to them by the proprieter of Nikki's climbing school in Krabi.

Ray outside the Love Lane Inn - perfect for a visa stop

"Sandy had told us about the Love Lane Inn, saying it was clean, cheap and they made sure you got your visa's because their relatives work in the consulate! We took it on trust and handed over our passports and cash to Amy, who runs the guest house. She was a really colourful, energetic character and she secured double entry visa's for both of us.  This means we only have to go to the border twice in the next 4 months which will save us a lot of time and money" said a very happy Nikki.

The rooms at the Love Lane Inn are very basic - all rooms have fans and shared bathrooms - luxury!

Whilst Ray and Nikki had no plans in Georgetown other than catching up with emails, resting and booking their train to Bangkok, they did take time to explore the town and sample one or two of the local bars and restaurants. "We went into a bar one evening and met a wonderful group of chaps who worked for DHL, the delivery company" Nikki told us. "They were all account managers for one of the company's largest global clients and they had got together for a couple of days to discuss their account strategy .  We bumped into them on the first night of their trip so they were all in very high spirits and made us feel very welcome with their great hospitality" added Ray.

Aussie account manager Paul Dillon (second from right) and his colleagues from DHL, with Nikki in one of Georgetown's bars

With visa'a all sorted, emails checked and Ray and Nikki fully rested, they left Penang by overnight train for the 22 hour journey to Bangkok. "This was the first time I had ever slept on a train overnight, anywhere in the world and I got very excited about it" said Ray.

"I am not travelling on a dirty train" says Nikki as she gives it a wipe clean at the station in Georgetown prior to departure to Bangkok

Ray prepares to board the train at Georgetown for the 22 hour journey to Bangkok

Amy at the Love Lane Inn had advised Ray and Nikki to book the lower bunks on the train as these were bigger than the upper bunks.  However, the train was heavily booked and they were only able to get upper bunks on the day they wanted to travel. "It was not the end of the world" said Ray. "Actually, compared to the bed at the Love Lane Inn, I felt very comfortable and slept very well indeed" said Ray.

Ray takes up temporary residence in the upper bunk on the overnight train

Ray may have slept well, but it did not stop him from catching another 40 winks the following morning!

Arriving in Bangkok around 11am on 26th February, Ray and Nikki stepped off the train and prepared themselves for the heat, humidity and madness of one of the world's most vibrant cities.

Despite the constraints with their accommodation on the train, Nikki still manages to look like a goddess as she enters Bangkok!

Editors Note: Great article Rocky. Amber and I will be bringing you full coverage of Ray and Nikki's adventures in Bangkok in future issues of The Daily Lama. In the meantime, if you want to make any comment about this or any other article published in The Daily Lama, please send us your ideas by email.   MOZZIE BYTE

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