The longboat dropped us off at the debris-riddled Tonsai coast. The beach was covered in sharp coral, sand bags, garbage and wood pieces from the Tsunami destruction ten years ago. We climbed out of the boat with all our luggage on our backs and waded through the water to get to dry land. The four star treatment stops here, in southern Thailand.
I discovered that our bungalow has no electricity (before 5pm), no wifi – and this morning, no hot water in town for coffee. I set my boundaries with Sue Ann on my three travel absolutes: coffee, wifi, and electricity.
Aside from the debris, Tonsai is raw and beautiful. It’s the ugliest of the three beaches on this peninsula. If your child was this ugly – she’d be a prom queen.
When we first arrived we booked a guide for tomorrow’s rock climbing excursion. I’m a novice and Sue Ann is an out-of-practice expert, so i’m a little nervous. We walked from the climbers’ camp to see Railay beach – a magic place from Sue Ann’s memory bank of yesteryear. The guide pointed us to the forest. Unbeknownst to me, my first jungle trek was about to begin. In flip flops. I have this thing that happens when I’m tense. My shoulders creep up to my ear lobes and my hips lock. This posture doesn’t make hiking or trekking so easy. There were power lines dangling everywhere, even strewn on the ground. There were monkeys in the trees and a cacophony of loud bug squeaks, chirps and squawks. At times, I think my shoulders crept as high as my cheekbones.
Oh, did I mention the millipedes?
Near the end of the trek, there was no more dry land. We had to wade through a creek for a least a half mile. I was surprised and impressed at how long I could hold my breath. When we finally arrived in Railay, it changed quite a bit from Sue Ann’s memory bank. No longer the hidden paradise for the world’s best climbers, it’s now covered with high-end resorts, built up to the lip of the ocean. Still beautiful, and striking to my eyes.
Watch our video click on the photo above.
You can follow Cynthia’s stories, and become a “fan” at The Huffington Post.
She is also writing for Amnplify – the Australian Musician Network.
Leave a Reply