Thailand: Tonsai Beach

Well, it is now Friday...over a whole week since I flew out of L.A. and into Asia. I am finally where I feel most comfortable: Tonsai Beach. It is actually just a twenty-minute walk from Railay, but way less touristy. Most of the travelers staying here are climbers, so the vibe is extremely laid-back...plus, I am probably one of the fattest cows here, as most of the people are completely ripped out and tanned...aaaaahhhh...soon enough!

So on Wednesday morning I finally coaxed my climbing partner Andrew into leaving Railay for good. We took a boat over to Tonsai, and on the way we met another Aussie named Kalu. We began chatting it up, and after lunch, decided to all share a large bungalow. We checked into the room, then Andrew and I loaded ourselves up with our climbing gear, and took a longboat taxi to nearby Eagle Wall.

Andrew was feeling quite sore, so he simply belayed me as I climbed three routes. Unfortunately, by the third route, my hardest yet, my arms were turning to jelly as the sun was setting. Knowing that I only had a wee bit of daylight left, I switched over to an easier route, finally belaying down to the ground in the pitch black darkness of nightfall.

Coming as no surprise, I am sure, I had left my headlamp in the room. Therefore, Andrew and I slid through the jungle on our bums, trying to avoid falling off ledges or slamming into rocks. We found a trail that finally led us to a large clearing, wherupon we became completely lost. Using my little Indiglo watch as our only guide (despite the recent full moon, it can be quite dark in the middle of a very thick jungle!), we finally found the trail and soon were happy to be on the beach. After a short hike over soupy rocks (thank Heavens for low tide!), we finally arrived back in Tonsai Beach around 9:30 pm, tired, bruised, bleeding, sweaty, and most of all, famished!

Yesterday my arms were still feeling rather sore, so Kalu and I settled on a lovely day at the beach. It was extremely hot, so week took many dips in the lukewarm water to refresh ourselves. After we could stand it no longer, she went to shower while I treated myself to a lovely $7 oil massage.

After the massage, Kalu and I plopped ourselves into lounge chairs at a beachside bar and watched the sunset. All around us, other climbers were unwinding from their day by juggling on the beach, tossing around frisbees, or lounging in hammocks...we were even amused by a fellow base-jumping from atop a nearby cliff!

Today we all slept in before heading over to Railay for some easy climbing. Andrew and I served as not-so-perfect climbing instructors for our friend Kalu. I climbed about three routes before I let the heat get the best of me...I am thinking a long hard day of climbing tomorrow is in order!