Eating Massaman Curry on Railay Beach
I enjoy going with the flow when backpacking through Southeast Asia, but I try to plan my accommodations at least a day in advance. On the bus ride from Krabi to Ao Nang however, I had not yet booked a hostel for that night. Fortunately, I got talking to a guy from Bolivia who told me he was staying at a hostel called Slumber Party. Once we arrived in Ao Nang I followed him to the hostel and to my relief they still had bunks available.
Ao Nang is a town near Railay Beach, the most famous beach in all of Thailand. If you know anyone that’s been to Thailand on vacation, they’ve most likely gone there. The beach is located in a peninsula surrounded by massive limestone cliffs, making it only accessible by boat. So if you’re planning to visit, you have to stay in either Krabi town or Ao Nang.
Unfortunately, Ao Nang is pretty boring. Like Ko Phi Phi and Phuket, it is overdeveloped and incredibly touristy. While it’s still popular with backpackers, Ao Nang is now filled with Western-style shops and restaurants for vacationers. It has its own beach, but it’s small compared to Railay’s.
The Slumber Party hostel ended up being great and I highly recommend you stay here as long as you’re okay with a party vibe. They even had their own pub crawl which I did that night. It was fun and allowed me to mingle with the other people staying at the hostel.
The next day was my day trip to Railay Beach. On the boat ride I met a couple from California who I ended up meeting up with later. Once I arrived I was starving so I grabbed some lunch at a restaurant on the beach. It ended up being the best massaman curry I’ve ever had!
After lunch I started to explore the beach, which is when I ran into the Californian couple from the boat. They were about to check out the other side of the peninsula and asked if I wanted to join. On the way we passed through Phra Nang Beach which features some of the coolest cliffs I’ve ever seen. We also went inside Princess Cave to see the fertility shrine filled with hundreds of wooden phalluses.
The other side of the peninsula was less crowded, but the beach was much smaller and there wasn’t really much to do there. The view was still beautiful though.
When we were done exploring we went back to Railay Beach to soak up the sun for the rest of the day. It’s a great beach that I wish wasn’t as crowded as it was but hey, it’s popular for a reason.
Once the sun started to set we headed back to Ao Nang. That night I took a bus back to Surat Thani and then an overnight bus back to Bangkok. I was heading back to Bangkok to catch a flight to the next country of my trip. But now I had another thing to do there: purchase a new phone.
Next: Quest for a New Phone in Siam
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