I don't know how it is possible, but this place just keeps getting better.  And I didn't even do anything new today.  I just had fun and adventure basically repeating my footsteps from yesterday.  So today I got up and had my usual breakfast.  After breakfast I spent the morning on the internet researching my next move after Malaysia.  I then got the free shuttle to Ao Nang so I could take pictures of the pathway I discovered yestersday.  As you can see the weather today started out a bit cloudy with a light drizzle.



The water was definitely a little rougher today.  Despite the threats of rain I continued on to the path to Centara (I'll explain the name later).  The path starts along the coast.



But then quickly heads up the mountain and into the forest a little bit.



You are treated to some spectacular views along the way, but what you come to at the end is the biggest surprise of all if you don't know what is coming.  As you get to the end you come upon this.



Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you to Centara Grand Resort and Spa (hence the name path to Centara).  This resort is surrounded by very tall karst mountains on 3 sides and a private beach on the 4th side.



The only way into this resort is by foot along the path I took (which takes about 10 minutes) or by boat to their makeshift dock.



In the above picture I was able to get a shot of the resort employees unloading a supply boat.  Like I said there are no roads here.  It is either the pathway or by boat.  I would love to stay at this resort one day.  I am sure it is very luxurious and the staff is probably very friendly.  I just think it would be neat to stay in such a remote location (especially since you are not really all that remote.  I am sure if you are staying there you can easliy forget there is an outside world.  However, I would not stay there long because my loyalty in this area belongs to Krabi Tropical Beach Resort.  I just prefer the intimate and family style atmosphere at this place.  Plus I am very fond of the staff on a more personal level.  I think I have had and will continue to have interactions that you cannot have at any fancy resort not matter how luxurious it is.  Anyways, along my journey today I found what may be the world's greatest soccer field on Centara's private beach.



Just looking at it made me want to play even if it was starting to rain more now.  So as the rain starting come down more and more I decided I better head back because there were still more pictures I wanted to take along the way and my camera was getting wet here and there.  So as I headed back I was afraid I was not going to get pictures of the best part of the path.  Well I was wrong.  This is the best thing you come across on the path.



MONKEYS!!!  And they are everywhere along the path.  There are lots and lots of monkeys.  If you hear a tree shaking it is probably a monkey moving around.  For whatever reason they seem to come out later in the afternoon (I only saw them yesterday on the way back too).  They like to walk on the railing and they walk in a single line like so.



They will stop and rest for a little bit then they will walk some more.  Eventually making there way down to the beach.  It is such an amazing sight and it's free.  So this is when the adventure begins.  It is now raining semi-heavy, my camera is getting wet, and I just want to take pictures.  So I decided to risk my camera's future to get the pictures and videos, but I did so with a little bit of a hurried step.  Here I am surrounded by monkeys within a few feet of me and I am looking for cover to take pictures and videos when I can.  I then hurry off to the next semi-dry spot and repeat the process of picture taking and videotaping.  I am so tempted to touch one of the monkeys, but you never know how it will react.  So then I think about just touching its tail, but still you just never know how it will react.  I make a few weak attempts at touching a tail, but I have no success.  Now it is raining very heavy and I am completely surrounded by monkeys and more are coming out of the trees.  It is just an endless stream of monkeys passing me by.  Keep in the mind the path is not very wide so they are within a foot of me.  They could easily reach out and grab me or my bag.  It was so cool walking the path with the monkeys walking right next to me in the same direction.  It was like we were all going to the beach together.  Oh and they are curious too.  As I go by they just look at me.  They are not really afraid of me, but they are a little cautious.  Although if I had food they would be all over me.  Yesterday someone left a ton of bananas along the pathway and the monkeys were tearing them apart.  They were fightin each other for them.  They were chasing each other.  I saw one monkey yesterday with a banana in each hand and a banana in its mouth.  Anyways, I finally approach the downhill section that takes you down towards the beach and it is still raining heavy.

You can't really tell by the pictures, but the path is actually quite steap in the up and down sections at the ends.  As you can see in the picture above the monkeys are using the railings so I don't want to use the railings.  I don't want to block there path or get bitten or scratched because I was in the way.  In addition, I am holding my camera taking pictures the whole way.  So as I walk down the stairs I am being very careful to not slip as I am wearing sandals.  Well needless to say 3 or 4 steps down my foot slips and I start to fall.  I hold my camera up with one hand to protect it and I reach out for the railing with my other hand.  Luckily I grab the support beam for the railing and pull myself in preventing myself from falling, but here I am sitting on my butt in the middle of the stairs.  No damage done though.  It could have been horrible.  I could have broke my camera and rolled all the way down to the beach or into the rocks and possibly hurt myself.  After that I decide maybe I should use the railing a little more.  I still don't want to use it because there are still monkeys passing me by, but I don't want to slip again either.  So my hand is right next to the railing just waiting for the first sign of slipping.  Then all of a sudden I feel something hairy against my arm.  I look to my side and there is a monkey just passing me by brushing its body against my arm along the way.  How cool is that?  I got to touch a wild monkey (actually it touched me).  I finally made it to the flat portion of the path down by the beach.  There were tons of monkeys sitting down there.  No bananas today and it was raining so they were just sitting there.  I stopped along the path to get some more photos when a monkey came and sat right next to my bare foot.  It had to be within a few inches of my foot.  I stood there very still and videotaped how close the monkey was when all of a sudden monkeys start walking by my feet on the other side.  So now I have a video of my bare feet with a monkey practically sitting on my bare feet and other monkeys practically brushing up against my legs.  After a few minutes of standing there getting soaked in the rain (my camera too) I decide to head back and find somewhere dry to wait for the free hotel shuttle to pick me up and take me back.  What an adventure!  I definitely need to go back there before I leave.  Like I said earlier I think this place is amazing and yet somehow it just gets better and better each day.  And I still haven't even finished the day yet.  I can't wait to see what tonight and tomorrow has in store for me.  This place is definitely without a doubt the greatest place I have visited on this trip and possibly the greatest place I have ever visited in my entire life.

PS - I had Thai Satay (chicken) with peanut sauce, rice, cucumber salad, and a mixed fruit lassi for dinner.  It was fantastic.  I will have to get it again so I can take a picture for you to see.  I didn't take my camera to dinner tonight because I figured it was abused enough today with the rain and all.