Railay - World Class Climbing

Sorry about the long delay in posts! It has been a wild few days! I also Can't talk too long because as of now I am in a very expensive touristy area that charges a lot for Internet. :( I've found where Thailand isn't neccessarily cheap. Not bad though.

After I got back from Sangkla buri, I spent a day in Bangkok. We then bussed our way up to Buriram to a small town called nong boat (sp?). It was a fun little place, but we didn't get to spend much time there. We stayed at a Cabbages and Condoms resort right across the street from the school we were visiting. This School was NOTHING like the ones we saw in Sangkhla buri. It had power, well built, and many seperate grades. Over 500 students really. They were really nice. There was a "garbage band" there that played a bunch of instruments made out of old trash, and they were really good. Their songs were about how recycling is really important and we all need to save the earth, so the message was good too!

After that show, they sat us down in front of all the students, and two old ladies prayed for us. They prayed that we should have safe travels and a wonderful time. Then a whole bunch of teachers lined up and wished us luck in our future travels. One by one, they came up and tied a single piece of string to our wrists. I now have about 80 peices around my wrist. I'm supposed to leave them on for at least three days, but I think I would like the luck to stick around with me for longer than that!

Well, I then jumped on a bus, and had a long ride back to bangkok. I only had about 2 hours in Bangkok before my train left to Surat Thani. I got on the train at 6:30pm, and after watching kareoke in the "party" car with some Hollanders, I slept, until the train arrived in Surat Thani at 6:30am. 12 hours there. Then I hopped on a 3 hour bus ride to Krabi, and took a long boat to Railay, which is the only way to get here. Way fun, and it's nice to get away from the cars! Regardless, I was traveling for like 28 hours straight! Long days!

So now I'm in Railay, sitting next to Jim who I've met through rockclimbing.com. Jim and I just got done with our first day climbing and it is FABULOUS here! There are weird stalactites everywhere that are great for hanging off of and playing around on. There are three beaches within walking distance, with climbing on all of them. No shortage of climbing whatsoever. Anyway, Jim got a great room, and he is letting me stay with him. I only have to pay 500 baht a night for a fantastic place. Still a little expensive for my tastes, but the place is booked solid, and it's really all I can get. (500 baht is about 15 dollars or so.)

So with that said, I have another fantastic day of climbing waiting for me tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to it! Sorry about no pictures for this post, but like I said, it's expensive. I don't really want to take the time to upload etc. . .

Love you all!