Phang Nga Bay - An Emerald Jewel In Southern Thailand

The main thing I can remember as we cruised around Phang Nga Bay, was how green everything was. The backdrop of dense green trees and the calm emerald water which flickered specs of light onto the limestone foundations which rose from the ocean floor.

As you can see from these pictures, we arrived at Railay on a slightly overcrowded boat. This is something we're getting quite used to now....we've run out of hands to count the near death experiences on!

We have been extremely lucky with the weather so far in Thailand, however as we took our first steps on to Railay Beach, a thick grey cloud cover started to form & a cool breeze swept through the village. Moments before the rain belted down we managed to check into a simple bungalow for the night in East Railay. That night we ate dinner whilst listening to the rumbling sounds of the thunderous storm and breathing in the steamy air.

The following day we woke up to overcast skies. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise as our red noses & chests were on the verge of A&E care. After breakfast we walked the length of East Railay (which some refer to as the dodgy side, but we liked to think of it as chilled out, friendly & atmospheric). Here we watched beginner to experienced rock climbers claw their way up the vertical heights. Nathan's palms were sweating from just looking at them! The reason some put down East Railay is because it's lined with mangroves and therefore the water is quite muddy so you can't swim in it, however like I said, East Railay has the atmosphere (& is cheaper)! It's also only a few steps away from West Railay which has the long curved white sand beach and emerald water so really you get the best of both worlds.

East Railay
Strip of Bars & Restaurants along East Railay
Rockclimbers

We hired a kayak in the afternoon from West Railay and effortesly (nose is starting to grow now) paddled our way around the peninsula to Phra Nang Beach. We soon discovered that Phra Nang Beach was simply stunning & therefore spent the next couple of days there relaxing and reading our books under the slightly sunny/overcast
skies.

On Phra Nang Beach
Some friends we made along the way

Cave at Phra Nang Beach
Lunch stop at Phra Nang Beach

Each night we picked a different restaurant to eat at along East Railay. There are many budget options to choose from here. One of the best meals we've eaten so far was at the Lucky Restaurant. We dined on a mouth watering barbequed Red Snapper with a baked potato and a spicy papaya thai salad. It was AMAZING!

The natural environment around Railay is absolutely stunning. The giant limestone formations that jut out of the water are mindblowing, each shaped in their own individual style making the scenery even more fascinating. It has to be one of Thailand's most scenic locations.

We continued our journey around Phang Nga Bay travelling from Railay to Ko Yao Noi island. An Hawaiian lady we met several weeks ago had told us about this island & as it was in the direction we needed to head, we figured it was worth checking out. We left Railay on a speed boat & arrived in Ko Yao Noi 45 mins later. Like at most piers, we were swamped by a group of taxi & tuk tuk drivers. This time we knew where we staying so we jumped in a tuk tuk & spluttered our way along the East coast of the island.

Ko Yao Noi is quite a small island, maybe 15kms in length. It's main source of income is from fishing & rubber. Tourism is a very new thing to the locals here. There are only around 10 hotels/guesthouses to choose from on the entire island and about as many restaurants.

We hired a motorbike from our guesthouse to explore the island in full on our second day. The freedom & open views you get from a bike is fantastic.

pit stop at Ko Yao Noi town

The beaches on Ko Yao Noi have more of a yellow shade colour sand though the water is just as clear as any other island in Thailand. The tides change very quickly so there are only so many times in the day you can swim in the water without it being too shallow & rocky.

The interior of the island is a patchwork of rubber plantations & rice fields with water buffalos bathing in pools of mud in between villages.

The view from the West & East coastline is a scenic picture of Phang Nga Bay and the hundreds of limestone structures rising from the sea.

The guesthouse we stayed at for the 2 nights is called Sabai Corner, meaning Relax Corner. It was exactly that. It's run by a Thai husband & Italian wife team so we were in heaven with the food they served from their restaurant. The only had 10 bungalows so we were really looked after here.

Ko Yao Noi is the ideal place to kick back & enjoy the authentic thai lifestyle, yet untouched by tourism.