Rei Lah

Rock climbing, rock climbing, rock climbing! Oh my! But wait, there’s so much more! Let’s see if I can recall everything we accomplished.

Well, this time change is both a blessing and a curse. Once again I woke up at 530. Luckily, the wifi is the fastest, first thing in the morning. I finally had the chance to finish my last post.

Before breakfast, Kristina and I took the kayaks out. We headed back to the mangrove lagoon by where we anchored. The water was so tranquil, making our paddle so peaceful. Surrounded by water, hearing nothing but nature.

We spotted a lot of colorful birds, some fish and a decent size lizard! What more could I ask for before breakfast!?

The breakfast bell rings, before we depart for Reilay.

We had the same combination as the previous day, scrambled, with croissants and toast. Fresh fruit is always a given!

After we sailed away for about an hour, we dropped anchor around Ko Hong. We are in the clearest water. Snorkel time!

The biggest “stressor” I have experienced this whole journey is the damn jelly fish! Without much hesitation, Sarah and Eric dive in. Max and I soon followed. We swam towards a small beach, where small rock crevices stood under water.

We saw quite a bit! Red fish, blue fish, yellow fish, green fish! Some were long, some striped.. I saw Sarah snorkeling down to the bottom, so I joined. I have not gone down below the surface before. The pressure down under was well worth it. You could see so much more! We saw sea urchins, a few starfish, nemos (clown fish) in between rocks and even a clam opening and closing! I learned later in the trip, it’s similar to diving. Plugging your nose will release the pressure, just like when flying. Thanks Karsten!

When swimming back towards the boat, I was thinking, “wow.. what was I even worried about with these jelly fish?”

Maybe I should stop jinxing myself. Right before the boat, a decent sized jelly is nearly in front of my face! Thank goodness I could actually see! I went far around to stay clear of those dangly tentacles! They are neat to see up close. A light purple color, just bouncing up and down through the water.

Ice did it again! I can barely snap a photo before people dig in! Shrimp fried rice, chicken wings, and squid salad containing tomatoes, red onion, and a spicy light sauce.

Off the Reilay! I can already see the sheer sided, limestone mountains. We did not have any wind, so unfortunately we had to motor the whole way.

Evi decided to join me, so we were dropped off first. We met the men at the Rock Adventure shop and headed to the rocks!

It was a short walk down a couple dirt paths to make it to our climbing spot. There were groups set up along the entire wall. My paradise.

I climbed all the routes set up, and even lead an easy route! First outdoor lead! Their grading scale differed from the US, but the guides reassured, I would be fine. Then again, every route they repeated to me was “easy.” Debatable.

I was so proud of Evi. She needs to give herself more credit. It was very brave for her to come along, and finished two routes!

She was so grateful for me pushing her to finish, and not give up! She was within reach of finishing, and the sense of accomplishment is well worth it at the end. Work hard, play hard!

After climbing, we went and had a well deserved coffee and waited for the rest of the group.

We took the dingy back, and “freshened”up to head back to land for dinner. By freshened up, I mean jump in the water, and use some natural soap. All of the drains lead to the ocean except one, so we had to be cautious if we were swimming!

We head back to the island for dinner. It was a little place with mainly Thai, Indian, and fish.

Everything was so fresh!

It was on a beach path so only a couple people wore shoes. Well, when going to the bathroom, I realized this was a mistake. The bathroom was flooded with water, frogs and who knows what else was hanging/floating around. Thank you Ciaran for sharing your shoes!