It rained for the entire final 48 hours we spent in Thailand. It was supposed to be our beach time, but instead we gazed out over the beach from the shelter of various waterfront bars and restaurants. The rain brought out the slight stench of mold in our bungalow and washed out the paths between East and West Railay. On one travese between the beaches, we took off our shoes and waded through ankle-deep mud to get to the other side. Despite the never-ending rain, we still enjoyed our time at the beach. Of course, it was not quite what we envisioned, but still enjoyable. Instead we filled our days with massages, books, and hot chocolate with baileys.

Returning to Krabi was an interesting experience for me. A scant 4 years have passed since I last visited, but in that time the place has become almost unrecognizable. Railay East was a bit trash-covered and there was construction all around; apparently it was hit by the tsunami and I am assuming that this was some of the aftermath of all that. Maybe they kind of just gave up on the clean-up effort somewhere along the line. Other than that, the main change was just the massive development. resorts and guesthouses have popped up everywhere and it is no longer the remote get-away that it used to be. Prices have skyrocketed and tourists flood onto the many beaches (mostly Europeans), demanding sun and service. It seems that the area must be going through an economic boom, which is good of course, though I do regret the loss of what used to be a "paradise" and what is now only one of the many beach resorts around the world.