If you are following along, you know that
last month was Ramadan in the Muslim world (see last post). What you might not know
however, is that a holiday known as Idul Firti (the Indonesian name for it, AKA
Eid al-Fitr) follows Ramadan. Idul Fitri is basically a festival celebrating
the breaking of the fasting associated with Ramadan and therefore marks the end
of Ramadan. Break out the snacks!
It’s officially a one-day thing like our
Christmas, but like our Christmas holiday season, everyone converts it into at
least a week, and it’s pretty much a week of holiday chaos for 95% of the 250
million Indonesian Muslims on this archipelago. So ya, best comparison is our
Christmas week where no rational person would expect anyone to be working or
anything official to get done. Adding to the chaos is the Indonesian custom of
“mudik” which basically means “homecoming”, and is the tradition of returning
to your hometown for the holidays (“I’ll be home for Christmas” kinda thing). Literally
a week of utter chaos where every road, every bus station, every airport, comes
to a grinding halt of humanity, and anything remotely related to holidays and
time off (restaurants, hotels, shops) is bursting at the seams. So what is a
Canadian couple living in Indonesia to do with a week off in the midst of holiday
chaos? Well, how about Thailand!
Oh, speaking of “couple”, the really big
news is that AMY’S HERE! She arrived, for good, a couple weeks ago. Not one to
stand still for long, Amy insisted we get outta Dodge for the week, which
suited me fine of course. As mentioned in a previous post, the true value of
where we live is being within taxi range of the Jakarta airport. From an 18-dollar
Uber ride to the airport, we’re within a 2 to 4-hr flight radius of every
country in southeast Asia. 
So, Thailand. Neither of us had ever been,
and it’s just one of those “must-do” countries. With only a week, we
specifically set our sights on Railay, the rock-climbing Mecca. Being
Nelsonites we knew of Railay from the endless Railay talk at potlucks among our
climbing friends. A perfect one-week target. So we packed up our rope and set
out to see what all the fuss is about.
To be completely honest, the climbing angle
was just an excuse for us. Basically we brought our gear in case some climbing
broke out. The real draw for us was simply the lure of tropical beaches, Thai
food, and watching the sun set over the ocean. Amy’s internet sleuthing skills
found us, what in our opinion, is the only desirable place to stay in Railay:
the Railay Beach Club. Pricey for sure, but given the alternatives, definitely
the best value for money in the area. The best way to describe it is “a house
in the jungle”. Centrally located, quiet, self-contained with kitchens and beer
fridges and covered patios, and on by far the best section of beach, it was the
perfect base. A major highlight was the outdoor bathroom/shower. Nice! You
know, you just can’t beat a hot shower in the rain J
Railay is a world-class rock-climbing
destination in southern Thailand, known for its endless limestone cliffs
projecting out of the surrounding turquoise waters and beaches of the Andaman
Sea (Indian Ocean). The topography is technically known as “karst” or karst
formations, which are common across southeast Asia. Karst is formed by water
flowing over and through the rock and dissolving it as it goes, which is the
reason for the very cool rock formations which include the standard caves,
stalagmites, and stalactites that cover the pages of National Geographic. To
climbers, it turns everything into one huge outdoor climbing gym (complete with
sand beach and ocean view!). Just miles and miles of vertical to over-hanging
rock with outrageously huge jugs (climbing talk there). If you’ve ever wondered
where climbing gyms get the ideas for the pre-fab holds that are bolted to the
wall, this is it! It all makes sense now J
We actually did get some good climbing in,
which was fun. Although being “low season” (AKA monsoon season), we had to fit
it in between the downpours, so it definitely wasn’t perfect climbing weather. Of
ridiculous coincidence, and firm proof that the world is indeed a small place,
we randomly ran into our Nelson friends Ico and Aga, who were on a family
reunion trip of sorts. What the??!! I know, insane, but true. So, that was fun,
and especially because they are kick-ass climbers who could rope-gun for us (to
the non-climbers: “rope-gun” means climbing a route first to get the rope to
the top, so other less-worthy people like us can climb on “top-rope”). |
| Rob: top-rope courage |
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| Amy: killing it at Railay |
So, Railay, the review: definitely a
beautiful place, surrounded by the iconic symbols of tropical paradise we
imagine, i.e., sand, turquoise water, palm trees, but, as is usual for such a
place, are we loving it to death? There is little doubt that 30 years ago, this
was paradise lost. However, 30 years of unchecked unregulated development has
turned Railay into a somewhat chaotic unregulated mix of luxury hotels adjacent
to backpacker slums, interlaced by mud trails leading to an army of “guys with
boats” shuttling the hundreds/thousands of daily camera-touting tourists to
their next hour’s destination.
The biggest thing one needs to realize, is
that Railay is not "authentic" pristine Thailand. If you're looking for Thai culture, keep going. Like other tourist havens such as Banff
and Whistler Village, Railay is a tourist area in the middle of paradise,
entirely created and catering to tourists. If yer looking for that perfect Thai
street-food experience, or want to experience Thailand waking up in the morning
over the rice paddies, this ain’t it. But, if you want to buy a “I love
Thailand” tank top, go on a snorkeling tour, work on your tan, and get 2 for 1 cocktails at
sunset, this is your place. (full disclosure: I bought the tank top J)
Now, don’t get me wrong. It's a fun place with tons to do. The climbing is,
as it was, and that is world-class (with a bit more polished rock). From
a climbing perspective, this is the place. My question is: what are all the
non-climbers doing here?
 |
| In case you thought it was all deserted beaches |
