Taking less and doing more in Neverland: Lightweight Travel in Southern Thailand

When you arrive on the Phi Phi island chain, you leave your shirt behind, and keep your eyes wide open. You'll find that the harsh island heat and humidity brings out colors in the sky and sea you wouldn't think possible . You'll find mischievous monkeys, speedy longboats, deep lagoons and sunburned tourists from all over the world; happy to be alive and in awe of the emerald-green sea.

When you arrive in Railay, you stuff your watch deep, deep down in your bag and you forget about keeping time and keeping schedule. You'll find that the jungle has its own rhythm. One capable of simultaneously lulling you to sleep in the evening and awakening you in the morning with vibrant life. You find caves, fresh coconut, white sand beaches, spicy Pad Thai and maybe even a new tattoo, all on Railay time.

When you drop in to Tonsai, you leave every bit of your ego behind the wall that seperates private resort property from the village streets. You'll find that it's not needed there, like air conditioning and hot showers. You find yourself humbled by the grandeur of the Earth and sea. The limestone rock begs to be climbed as it hovers above a sea of green shines as bright in the afternoon sun as the generosity of Tonsai locals.

Yes, indeed, Southern Thailand is Peter Pan's Neverland in true form. In the short but sweet 7 days we spent here, we grew deeper into our understanding of what it means to Take Less and Do More.

*Writer's Note : We also witnessed the harsh truth of human impact on places as beautiful as this. Life in Tonsai may never be the same, with new hotels and resorts seeming to drift ashore from the Andaman Sea every year. As the trash piles up, traveling light and leaving a minimal impact becomes more and more important in places like Tonsai

For more information on climbing in Tonsai, check out Basecamp Tonsai. For a quick history of the development of Tonsai, read this.

Until next time, Thailand!

Written by: @travperk_photo

Photos by: @travperk_photo @joshrgarza