The full moon which followed us on the long train ride to Krabi Province also brings followers of the full moon parties down south. We notice a younger crowd of party goers unloading from the packed buses after a tiring 5 hour journey following the sleeper train. We decided to find a quiet hide away in town rather than traveling another leg to the islands. We find ourselves in a lavender room at P. Guesthouse. Bella notices a cute little boy playing Jenga at the table. They enjoy a game together. He turns out to be P., of P Guesthouse and before we know it Bella is doubled up with him on the motorbike and zooming off to Krabi Kindergarten. No helmet, just a big wide grin and a wave to mom and dad at the table.Over the course of our time here, Bella and P become great playmates.They paint with watercolors, dance around and laugh hysterically at Talking Tom the Cat on the iPad. P Guesthouse becomes our base here. One morning we head down to the pier to catch a long tail boat to Hat Rai Leh, a popular beach for climbers and kayakers. We sit on the wooden planks and wait for the long tail to be filled up with enough passengers for the 45 minute journey. We play rock, paper scissors and make up names for the limestone islands emerging from the sea in the distance..Turtle Island, Turkey Island, Tiger Island.It turns out that one is actually named Chicken Island. Approaching the beach at Rai Leh, we notice the sea has turned a beautiful emerald green and the massive rock face of limestone. Peering closer we make out the silhouette of climbers scaling the walls. Bella is ready to attempt her first ascent. She is hugely disappointed when the first outfitter doesn't have climbing shoes her size. We walk by fancy resorts that line West Rai Leh. They tease us with papaya scrubs and fancy pools. The East end is a little more affordable. No Limits, another climbing shop, has friendly staff and shoe that fits. We sign up for an afternoon class. We fuel up with muesli, yogurt and fruit. We meet Tom at high noon and head for the rocks. It happens also to be high tide and we negotiate the incoming waves that splash along the boardwalk. Tom carries Bella in one arm and gear on the other. He teaches us the figure 8 knot and we practice. We are now ready for our first ascent up a route called Continued, rated at 5.0. We head to higher ground and Mama climbs on. The rockface is dotted with grooves to grasp but it is harder than it looks. I reach the top with beads of sweat but a sense of accomplishment. Bella is keen to climb. Climb on! she declares, dust her hands with chalk and starts her scramble up the rock face. She is definitely more flexible and bendy than mama and is excited to point her feet like a ballerina in the grooves. Unlike the indoor wall at the YMCA back home, she looks for natural hand holds and indentations. I am impressed and a little nervous as she gains height. She beams with pride at her first ascent. The tide is now out and a sandy beach is exposed below. We climb route 123, a small outcrop of limestone down by the water. It is a nice view from the top. Tom gives me some pointers to keep my legs straight, to scout the route before the climb and to point my toes. I finish my last climb, a personal best of 5.8. I am exhausted but exhilarated at the top. By this time, the stretch of sand is filled with climbers keen to climb. Dangles of ropes hang from the different routes. We thank Tom for the lesson. He has been a great teacher, patient and kind. He presents Bella with one of his carbiners. She proudly clicks it on to her backpack. We have only a short time left before our longtail heads back for Krabi Town. We take a refreshing dip in the Andaman Sea. We float easily in the salty waters. Bella does not want to leave. We promise to return the next day. The roots of the mangroove trees are exposed with the outgoing tide. They look like gnarly fingers stretching for treasures in the sand. Looking closer, the boatmen are lounging in hammocks in the mangrooves. We have to walk out into the waters and board the boat. We enjoy some rice and noodles at the night market back in Krabi Town. We return the next morning to enjoy the beach. It is all about sand castles and swimming today. Lining the stone path to the sandy stretch of beach is a band of monkeys on a bamboo fence, contentedly grooming one another. The karst topography is filled with stalagtites, dangling from the ceiling. Occasionally, the sacred ones are garnished with colourful ribbons. The dark caverns by the beach are decorated with shrines which brighten their shadows with splashes of colour. We swim into a lagoon when a fellow traveller warns us of the jellyfish in our midst. We climb onto the rocks and get a glimpse at the translucent blobs floating about. We are glad to escape. It is a happy do nothing kind of day. We feel the salty ocean spray on our faces as we head back on the longtail boat. Bella reads Geronimo Stilton in A Fabumouse Vacation for Geromino. We hear broken record chant of the Pinky Picks tune I know a song that drives mice wild, but I don't care cause it makes me smile. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah! But unlike Geronimo who ends up at Catstinko eating june bugs and moldy mozzarella, we enjoy emerald seas, sip tropical fruit shakes and scale limestone walls. Climb on, girl!
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