Taking a “man day” in Thailand

We came up with a plan to give the ladies and men their own day to spend as they choose. The ladies went first and chose spa treatments and general relaxation, and the guys went next, choosing climbing and riding quads offroad. While they enjoyed their day, they couldn’t stay away for long and by the late morning were back with their children.

“Man day” started early with a 7am pick up at the hotel and a drive to a small cove near Ao Nang. A long tail boat took us around the corner to Railay Bay and King Climbing, our hosts for our half day of climbing.

Approaching Railay Bay was inspiring. Sheer cliffs rise from both sides of the strip of land that forms the peninsula. Its as though some of the most beautiful of Thailand’s islands and mountains are all crowded into one small area. The town itself, however, wasn’t nearly as nice. This appeared to be an older tourist area and things seemed a bit dirty and run down, with trash on the streets and, for the first time since we arrived, lots of flies. For climbing, however, there isn’t much better than Railay Bay.

Climb on

The climbing took place in a spot that was ten minute’s walk from the climbing shop. We crossed the from the East Bay where we landed to the West Bay, which had the advantage of being in the shade during the heat of the day. The climbing area, without fail, started with a particularly challenging move to get above the “shelf” that is formed by the interaction of the limestone and the sea. This shelf is what also gives the islands in the area their top heavy look, as each is narrower at the water than above. But for climbing, this was often the toughest move of each route.

The group was almost entirely made up of beginners and the instructions were over very quickly. For the skill level of the group, the climbs were difficult and not made any easier by the instruction and guidance in broken English. The guides definitely knew their stuff, but communicating was another matter. Back when I learned to climb, instruction started on easier rocks, often on boulders, and the focus was on techniques that make climbing easier and more fun. For anyone to actually learn at Railay Bay requires private instruction with a local that speaks English well. This starts at about $100 and is worth the cost.

There were about ten routes and we took turns climbing with the thirty or so other people that were milling about. Some climbs were very difficult with moves that required taking three or four shots at particular stretch. This stopping and starting meant our arms and legs were burning long before the time was up. In all, we climbed between four and five routes each before heading back to the climbing shop and the ride to the next “man” adventure.

Quads in the jungle

The shuttle van back to the hotel dropped us at the Buddy Safari Camp, a place that offers the odd combination of quads and elephant rides. We were there for the quads, however, and within just a few minutes had signed the waivers and read the rules. The one sign that caught my attention first, however, was in large print at the payment window:

If you are here to ride fast, you are in the wrong place

Because we ride off road motorcycles regularly back in California, this sign was an unwelcome warning. But from the moment we took turns on the practice track, it was clear that our guide hadn’t read that particular sign. He was riding fast and it was all I could do to keep up with him.

Once we left the facility, our guide only became even more aggressive on the narrow and rocky trails through the jungle. He rode at full throttle most of the time and I was having a fantastic time. Laurent, on the other hand, had less experience off road and wasn’t as comfortable with sliding turns and letting the machine take the abuse.

Paying the price

We were about fifteen minutes into the ride and on a particularly steep section when we “lost” Laurent. The guide and I retraced our path and found the second guide, the one who rode behind us, in a ravine with Laurent, trying to get his quad back up to the trail. He had failed to negotiate the turn and dropped about three meters off the trail into the bushes.

Minutes later as I came down the same hill, my left front wheel suddenly locked up and my quad slid sideways. I had broken the axle, probably on any one of the many large rocks that were unavoidable at high speeds.

Remarkably, the guide pulled out his cell phone and called back to the shop. Within five minutes another quad showed up with two riders and tools. With just a hammer and rope the three were able to lash the axle together in a way that allowed the quad to be driven out of the jungle, albeit at slow speed. I had a new quad to ride and we were immediately off again at high speed.

Man day turned out to be great fun.