Beasts in Jungle

March 10th: Climbing in Ton Sai

Mar 15, 2014

Day 148

Many climbers we met along the way raved about the scenery in Ton Sai, while complained about everything else. Everyone had had “Ton Sai Tummy” caused by the lack of refrigeration and sanitation. While others complained that the beach is too polluted to swim in, causing infections in open cuts, because the many cheap accommodations in Ton Sai can’t afford a waste disposal system. A major complaint was that many of the routes below 7a, or in areas with easy access are polished. After they finished their tirade they would always add, “Don’t let that turn you off, you should still go.” And so we did.

From Krabi Town there are long-tail boats to Railey beach for 150 Baht per person, one way. You won’t miss the captains yelling “Railey beach” at tourists in front of the Pack-Up Hostel and they will lead you to Chao Fah Park Pier near the customs house. Make sure to go early and be patient as boats only depart once they have 10 passengers.

We got up early enough to catch low tide at Railey, so we can walk from Railey west to Ton Sai along the shore. The walk around the outcrop which separates the two beaches was passable with some scrambling over slippery rocks during low tide, but I don’t think attempting the passage during high tide with a bag full of climbing equipment would be a good idea. We dodged the Ton Sai tummy and pollution by staying in Krabi Town with my parents. However, we couldn’t avoid the polished routes, and hot weather.

Chopper can lead up to 7a, and I would be happy to red point 6b. Unfortunately even climbs as high as 6C+ were highly polished with every single hand and foot hold having been lovingly rubbed. The tropical afternoon heat and the extra meat we put on during our R&R didn’t help either. Five routes later, we reached the mutual understanding that we would be happy to mail the climbing equipment to Australia tomorrow and move on. Climbing in Ton Sai is only feasible if you stay in Ton Sai or Railay. Food and accommodation costs twice as much in Railay as Krabi and although Ton Sai isn’t environmentally friendly, it is the place we would stay for climbing.

For all its negatives, it is still a unique spot with its own character and mini-culture. On the beach we saw locals playing Frisbee with foreigners, middle-aged climbers and twenty something backpackers, chatting with the local bartenders, all taking it easy. If we did stay we would of course buy a large 5 liter bottle of water and refill a reusable water bottle and make sure to pack out our plastic trash. Many places just burn the trash instead of paying to have it shipped off the island. Even though we entertained the idea of staying in Ton Sai with my parents it would be unfair to trap them in this scruffy climber/ backpacker’s paradise. Besides, we have been enjoying the tours, air conditioning and burgers that Krabi has to offer.

We took the long walk way through the jungle back to Railey, which was an easy 20 minutes of hike on a well-marked trail. Along the way, behind resorts and in the jungle we saw piles of garbage and water bottles. The last boat from Railey back to Krabi Town leaves at 5pm, and they are not joking about leaving on time, because the wind picks up at dusk and the sea gets choppy. But stranded passengers can still charter after-hour long-tail boats. A boat back to Krabi Town costs 2000 baht, and at 5:20 we were lucky enough to find another 9 passengers to share the boat so we ended up paying the same as the way in.