Paradise...

15 minutes away from Ao Nang is my favourite place in the world.

Railey Beach can only be accessed by a long-tail boat from Ao Nang and is the most uncommercial place I've been to. There are a handful of hotels and bars and that is pretty much it. The beach is set with the jungle in the background and surrounded by large limestone cliffs. There are two beaches; East and West side that can be accessed between via a sort walk through one of the hotels or - as I found out by accident - a long 45 minute walk through the jungle.

Although the area is quite small compared to the surrounding towns, with the large jungle coverage, there is a lot of nature. During the walk through the jungle, the first thing I encountered was hidden quite well within the trees until it moved and created a large rustle sound. Turning around fairly tentatively I was staring at a rather large Monitor Lizard. It didn't seem too bothered about my presence and having stared at me briefly turned and carried along the path; thankfully in the opposite direction. Next on the list were a handful of smaller lizards, fearlessly sitting in the middle of the path and only moving once I'd thrown several sticks at them. Lastly, and the most exciting is my favourite animal in the world; monkeys!! Walking through, all that can be heard are monkeys calls echoing around, however I was never able to spot then in the trees. There was one particular part on the trail were the tree coverage was fairly low and dense and this must be their playful spot, because as I walked beneath all of sudden large leaves and pieces of fruit fell all around me and when looking up there were several small monkeys staring back at me and ready to throw more ammunition my way!!

The main beach at Railey is amazing beyond belief. The and is pure white and extremely fine, and the water is crystal clear and the most perfect turquoise colour. There are no sun loungers, no deck chair, no massage places, nobody trying to sell things on the beach... Nothing!! It is so tranquil and the absolutely perfect weather makes it even better.

It is my complete picture of paradise and if I could spend the rest of my life in one place, this would be it.

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