Finally we have arrived in Thailand's South Islands and met up with Simon & Becky. We were really looking forwarded to catching up with them and spending the next few weeks chilling in the sunshine! We'd arranged to spend a night in Ao Nang before catching the longtail boat over to Railay the following morning. We hadn't heard of Ao Nang before we arrived but it was a nice chilled holiday town right on the beach. After checking into some reasonably priced accommodation (although it was a big increase from Laos & Cambodia), the four of us set off for the beach. We spent a nice couple of hours drinking cocktails & catching up on each other's travel experiences. Then the rain started to pour and pour and pour…quickly back to the guesthouse, jumping in puddles to wet each other along the way. That night we had a beaut Indian, almost as good as Cuisine of India, few relaxed drinks & couple of games of cards.

When we arrived on Railay it was gorgeous…beautiful white sand, turquoise waters & towering limestone cliffs, with lush jungle covering the centre. It's one of the few places in South Thailand that hasn't succumb to high-rise buildings & neon lights…and I really hope it stays that way. The boys sent Beck & I off to find accommodation to no avail, as we soon realised that the cheaper backpacker part was Tonsai Beach on the other side of the peninsula which was only accessible by boat when the tide was in. We found a basic but cheap bungalow 2mins from the beach that came with complementary toads in the bathroom and porch (our mosquito killer guards). The family who ran the bungalow & restaurant were really friendly, loving practising their English at every opportunity.

We were woken early the next morning by rustling on our tin roofs and when we went to investigate there were 100's of cheeky monkey's jumping through the jungle all around us. We'd decided to hire kayaks for the day to explore the other beaches. I'm sure the boys will sure say that they did all the work but Beck & I certainly did our fair share of rowing. It was a lovely day soaking up the sun, playing bat & ball & snorkelling…all of us certainly topped up our tan, closing the gap on Simon's colour! Luckily we were only 5mins from shore when the heavens opened again (as they did every afternoon about 3pm) so we got back in one piece. That night we had a few Chang's (local Thai beer) at the Reggae Bar & listened to some live music and watched the fire throwers. I love this chilled hippy vibe…I've even got a braid put in my hair. So did East but his fell out the next day when he took his T-shirt off…good job it only cost £1!

Railay is famous for rock climbing so I thought it'd be rude not to give it a try, especially as exercise has not been top of priority for over 4 months. I loved it!! It was bloody hard work, and my arms felt like they were going to drop off afterwards but it was an amazing feeling when you make it to the top, especially as from the ground there looks like there is no clear route up the rock face. Our group had an opportunity to do 4 different climbs but only another English guy & I managed them all. However for me the best bit was the abseiling down!! Although East, Simon & Becky didn't come rock climbing with me they did tackle some rocky terrain themselves and climbed through the jungle from our beach to the main beach…think East got a couple of war wounds enroute…bless him! Railay is defiantly a place I'd recommend; it has such a chilled, relaxed atmosphere very different from many of Thailand's other tourist destinations. However partying and dancing isn't something that's big here so next we're off to Koh Phi Phi to celebrate my baby's B-day!!