Thailand Trip (Day 16)

Day 16:
I woke up hot after a night in the bungalow.The mosquito netting that covered the bed protected us from that insects, but also seemed to block the air from the fan a bit. At 11 we gathered for breakfast/ lunch and ate at a restaurant high in the jungle covered cliffs. The view towards the sea was amazing. Following lunch we headed to the rock climbing area to inquire about lessons. Since the cliffs are so daunting it would have taken a few hours for lessons, so we just chatted with the rock climbing instructor instead. He was a Thai man entirely covered in tattoos and dreadlocks. Oddly enough, the Thais at Railay act and talk a bit like Jamaicans. He was the first person that I met so far in Thailand that had been in the Tsunami. He described fleeing the waters and jumping to a balcony "like Jacky Chan, ya know?". After the flood all he had was his tattered cloths and 17 Baht. The international community sent aid, but he did not get that much. I have felt that most Thais are quite welcoming to people from the USA (compared to other countries) because of the help that followed the tsunami. He asked if we had been to Railay Beach West and we told him yes. I said "it was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen." He replied "you think that is beautiful, walk to the beach at the end of the rocks, that is f*cking beautiful man." We took his advice and headed to the beach. It was indeed "f*cking beautiful." The beach was similar to the other but with caves and less people. There were only a few tourists and some vendors selling food next to no selling food signs. In the late afternoon we took a long tail boat to Krabi in a very rough sea. The German family on the boat even began putting on life jackets at one point. After a hour minivan ride we were back in Ao Luk at the GVI base. In the evening we had a group meeting and watched a movie.