Just as it was foreseen, at the agreed time, a local transport arrived at the hotel to take me to the port on Ko Lanta. It was quite crowded, but I soon settled into a large speedboat that sailed directly to the town of Ao Nang on the mainland.
Since the journey takes a few hours, I occasionally got up to walk around and take photos.
On the way to Ao Nang
Large speedboat that connects Ko Lanta and Ao Nang
The boats that bring passengers from nearby islands actually do not dock directly in the town of Ao Nang. Instead, a pier on the bank of a nearby river, close to its mouth into the sea, is used for this purpose.
River near the town of Ao Nang
This transportation system from one popular seaside resort to another is very well organised in Thailand, as it not only includes pick-ups from the departure hotels, but also drop-offs at the destination hotels. When I disembarked from the boat, I asked the staff where I should go and they directed me to one of the local songthaews, trucks adapted for passenger transportation.
A local songthaew
By coincidence, I reached “my” songthaew first, but it quickly filled up.
Songthaew, before
Songthaew, after
As it was already getting relatively late, right after checking into the hotel, I rushed out onto the street and went to the shore because that was where they sold tickets for boats to the nearby Railay Beach. I had received some recommendations for this beach and when I read my guidebooks, it seemed like a place not to be missed. The problem is that you can only reach this beach by boats and they stop operating around sunset. Therefore, I didn’t have much time, so I hurried up.
However, it was low tide, so tickets were not being sold at the booth on the west side of Ao Nang Beach. They told me to go to the east side, where their colleagues were still working, as apparently, the situation with the boats and tide was better there.
Ao Nang Beach
Even though I was in a hurry, I still managed to take some photos along the way. Ao Nang is a typical tourist spot – the main street runs along the coast, with a promenade and beach on one side and an uninterrupted row of cafés, restaurants, shops, etc. on the other.
Ao Nang
When I reached the second booth where they were selling tickets for the boats to Railay Beach and bought the tickets, they told me I had to wait a bit. I used that time to capture the scenes on the beach and in the shallows where boats were bringing passengers who had to do the last part on foot, walking through the water, as the water level was too low for the boats to approach all the way to the beach.
Ao Nang Beach
Ao Nang Beach
Just as they reached the mainland through the shallows, I, along with a few other passengers, walked through the shallows to one of the long-tail boats. I was told it would take me to Railay Beach.
Boarding the boat on Ao Nang Beach
Soon we set off and the approximately 4 km boat ride was quite delightful. This whole area is known for its limestone formations, visible on the mainland, while the next day I saw them in the middle of the sea in the form of small islands, but more on that later. For now, I enjoyed the rocky hills on the mainland visible from the boat.
On the way to Railey Beach
On the way to Railey Beach
On the way to Railey Beach
On the way to Railey Beach
On the way to Railey Beach
Railay Beach is quite well-known and popular, especially among the younger crowd, those who feel young and/or people who enjoy rock climbing. The beauty of the beaches – in the plural, as it is possible to reach a few more beaches near this main one – is often highlighted.
Later, when I looked at some pictures on the internet, these beaches can indeed look wonderful when the weather is good and the tide is high. In my case, I was shocked and wondered what people were talking about and why anyone would even come here.
During the boarding in Ao Nang, the passage through that shallows was extremely unpleasant as it seemed like I was walking through a muddy swamp. I understood that it was dark sand, but it still looked like muddy water where I couldn’t see anything. The same situation was on Railay Beach – completely murky and dark water. It may not be evident from my photos since the water surface reflects the blue sky, but when I reached the shore, it was clear how much the water had receded.
Railey Beach during low tide
For a moment, my attention was caught by a scene I stumbled upon – a young woman in a long dress, the trailing part of which brushed the beach, was carrying a child, while another girl with a camera walked in front of her, taking photos. It was interesting, but it didn’t seem natural at all.
“Spontaneous” walk on the beach
As she continued along the beach, I also captured the view in that direction. I still wasn’t impressed.
Railey Beach during low tide
I tried to take a couple of photos that would add some allure to the entire scene, but the muddy and murky water just wouldn’t leave any room for me to relax and convince myself that this was a fantastic place and that it was ideal that I managed to get here on time to enjoy it.
Railey Beach during low tide
Railey Beach during low tide
My overall impression, certainly due to the fact that I arrived during low tide, was that this place is highly hyped and somehow “sold” to the younger crowd and those who enjoy climbing on rocks in interesting locations. However, if you’re not particularly young or into rock climbing, I really don’t know why anyone would bother coming here.
Later, as I looked at Ao Nang Beach, I would conclude that Railay Beach wasn’t a total disaster compared to this city beach, but at the time, everything seemed that way to me. Without realising at this moment that a significant part of the “problem” was caused by the extensive low tide, I wondered why people even stay in such places. Granted, I understood that a part of it was because I’m older and not interested in a “wild partying” on exotic beaches and their surroundings. I’m probably spoiled too, having had the fortune to stay on genuinely beautiful beaches, with some of them being among the most beautiful ones in the world. So, high temperatures, tropical regions, air humidity and reasonable (relatively low) prices aren’t sufficient criteria for me to like a place.
But let me go back to my stay at Railay Beach. Since I was already here and had about half an hour before returning to Ao Nang, I decided to stroll through the “settlement” that had formed here in order to reach East Railay Beach. Everything was dedicated to tourism and commercialism.
“Main street” near Railey Beach
“Main street” near Railey Beach
“Main street” near Railey Beach
At one point, I finally spotted something I liked – a beautiful bird. It was an Asian brown flycatcher.
Asian brown flycatcher
During this stroll, I also passed by one of the several hotels located here.
Railey Beach, a detail
But if the hotel and its surroundings from the previous picture seemed interesting and appealing, the situation at East Railay Beach was, to put it mildly, depressing once again.
East Railey Beach
After this, I felt like there was nothing more to explore or see here, so I returned to the western part where the main beach was, from which I was soon supposed to start my journey back to Ao Nang. While waiting to depart, I took the opportunity to take a few photos. The situation was similar to before, only the sun was a bit lower and closer to the horizon now.
Railey Beach at the end of the day
Railey Beach at the end of the day
Return to Ao Nang
Return to Ao Nang
Upon my return to Ao Nang, I started to head back towards the hotel, but first, I made a short video clip capturing the beginning of the promenade.
A little later, I also took photos of both the beach and the main street. While looking at the beach, which appears more beautiful in my photo than in reality and occasionally hearing the traffic noise coming from the main street, I found myself contemplating once again about the popularity of Thailand as a tourist destination.
Beach in Ao Nang
Main street in Ao Nang
The fact is that I am no longer young and I am not interested in the kind of entertainment that Thailand might offer. It is also a fact that a few months before coming to Thailand, I was on Zanzibar, which seemed like paradise to me with its dazzling white beaches and turquoise water compared to the muddy and murky appearance of the beaches I visited on this day, which are advertised as fantastic.
On the other hand, the uninterrupted chain of restaurants, cafés, hotels, shops and places offering various forms of entertainment, not only along the main street, but also spreading deep into this town, as well as the large number of foreign tourists even during what is considered the low season, clearly show that Thailand is an extremely popular destination among foreigners. I wondered why?
I’m not sure if my thoughts are entirely correct, but I tried to analyse in my head why this is the case. Thailand is undoubtedly located in a tropical region with a large number of sandy beaches and islands, and it’s always warm here. However, this could be said for many other places in the world, some of which are undoubtedly popular, as well, so, I began mentally travelling around the world, comparing different destinations.
The first eastern neighbours with tropical beaches, Cambodia and Vietnam, have only relatively recently started opening up to tourism and they have also gone through long periods of wars and instability. They still need to develop the infrastructure comparable to what exists in Thailand.
On the western side, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India have their specificities, while political circumstances, natural characteristics or religious constraints hinder significant development of foreign tourism. This holds true for other countries south and east of Thailand as well.
Moving further west leads to Africa, which, with its traditional political instability and various exotic diseases, with very few exceptions, is not commonly seen as a desirable tourist destination for seaside lovers.
Further west, we reach Latin America, where there is already a greater variety of places that are particularly popular among tourists. However, there’s a specific combination of safety concerns in some countries and high prices in those that are safe, but also quite expensive due to their proximity to the United States. This again cannot lead to the level of popularity and the number of visitors seen in Thailand.
I’ve mentioned earlier that Thailand managed to avoid being a colony of Western powers during the 19th and 20th centuries. Additionally, there were no wars fought here in the second half of the 20th century, unlike some neighbouring countries. Moreover, the presence of American military bases during the Vietnam War contributed to the country’s stability, infrastructure development and the popularity of the destination. This, among other factors, also contributed to the popularity of Thai women, as well as men.
Thai people have a very gentle nature and are always smiling, creating a welcoming atmosphere for visitors. However, over time, especially since the Vietnam War, prostitution has become widespread in Thailand, making it one of the world’s most popular destinations in this regard.
Finally, Thailand is known to be a relatively inexpensive destination – on one hand, it is ideal for shopping and, on the other, there is wonderful, tasty and exotic food that can be bought at a very low price, especially compared to Western Europe and the USA.
Therefore, I believe it’s the combination of all these factors that has contributed to Thailand’s immense popularity. Beautiful beaches can be found in other parts of the world, but it is challenging to find the same level of safety and affordability as in Thailand.
On the other hand, during my travel here, a friend asked me if Thailand was “still as cheap as it used to be” (she visited here about 20 years ago). I couldn’t really provide her with an answer. One reason is that I’m not interested in shopping, so I have no idea about prices, and therefore I can’t compare anything. As regards the accommodation, I chose places that, in my opinion, were of a “middle” standard, which is highly subjective and I don’t want to make any comparisons.
As for the food, I realised this a long time ago when I travelled through Central America. Compared to food prices anywhere in Western Europe and the USA, the cost of food in Thailand, as well as in Central America, which is of good quality, but bought in small local shops rather than at high-end restaurants, is negligible, making everything seem cheap. On the other hand, I come from a country where I know I can eat more, in terms of calories, than in Thailand, for the same or even less money. I also know some countries within the European Union, but more to the east, where you can eat quality, calorie-rich food cheaper than in Thailand. So, as usual – everything is relative.
And since I’m already talking about food, upon returning to Ao Nang, I stopped at one of the many restaurants where I ordered green papaya salad, traditionally extremely spicy. I could barely eat it.
Green papaya salad in Ao Nang
After returning home, I made my own version of an exotic salad, but it is a green mango salad. It is spicy too, but much less, so I can enjoy it immensely. Here is the recipe for those who would like to try it:
Green mango salad
GREEN MANGO SALAD
- 1 larger firm mango (it doesn’t have to be completely unripe, but should not be fully ripe either)
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 carrot
- 100 grams of fresh cabbage
- hot peppers to taste
- 50 grams of peanuts
- coriander leaves
- dressing ingredients: 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of hot sauce
Grate the mango and carrot coarsely. Slice the red onion and cabbage into thin strips. Finely chop the hot peppers. Mix everything together and season with the dressing that has been previously mixed to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle with peanuts and coriander leaves.