Thailand has always been a place dear to my heart. I was lucky enough to be able to travel there with my parents throughout my whole childhood.
However, this was my first solo adult trip there. I decided we should go to Thailand on the verge of a mental breakdown. Nothing was going well for me, and I just said, fuck it. Thailand was the first thing that came to mind because it feels like home. And since I was tired I was in no mood for an adventure, I wanted something familiar but far. Since it was my first trip without my family there, I decided to do something fun which my parents would never have done. We booked a yoga retreat hah.
I must say it was one of my favourite trips so far. Mainly because of the yoga part. We did a 4-day retreat, with yoga 3 times per day. My body was burning, but you know…in a good way! We had veggie food, and the program was so intense I was in bed by 8PM. But I never felt better.
The secret cave viewpoint at Railay
To get there, go to the end (or right if looking at the water) until you reach what seems like the end. Towards the end when you look right, you will shrubs/trees, go into them. When in the shrubs turn left until you reach a steeper muddy climb. Go up and from there, head left. You’ll reach the big cave which you need to enter, head up and whenever you see something that looks like small entryways head in through (you should see two with hanging ropes). From that point, you will need a pretty strong torch. When inside turn towards your left and you should see a ladder. Follow through to the top (and two more ladders), and you will reach this tiny viewpoint. Ps. It’s completely dark inside, so not kidding about the torch
Pai Plong Beach
In search of peace and lack of families with kids, we headed up the monkey trail from Ao Nang (sorry to disappoint but there are no actual monkeys). At the end of the trail, you’ll find a beach, just like any other beach but wholly enclosed within the tall rocks. The sand is nicer, the water is nicer, and it’s actually peaceful in comparison to Ao Nang.
Koh Hong
Since Kuba is a diver (and I’m a snorkeler), we took a trip to Koh Hong. Our long-tail boat broke halfway, but we saw the beautiful Koh Long Laguna, which was super shallow at the time.
The Last Bar
Railay overall is terrible when it comes to food. Everything is tasteless, frozen and reeks of fish sauce. Our favourite spot to eat at Railay was by a boxing ring (and of course had pink tables). One of the few places where they understood what „vegan” means. I was obsessed with their veggie soup, and pad see ew!
YOGA
We booked via bookyogaretreats.com
Taken with Olympus mju- II & expired Kodak film