The Rook Islands of Far Cry 3

We got up and it looked like another overcast day, so I suggested we attempt to make it to secret lagoon before the skies open up again, at which point it would become the waterslide of death. I remember it being a little dodgy and somewhat unsafe, but I figured we should give it a try and see how it goes, proceeding slowly and cautiously. It was hot and muggy as we started up.






But we made it to the top and enjoyed the view from what they call “Viewpoint”.




We then started making our way back down in to the depths of the peninsula.






When we got to the second to last drop a sinking feeling came over me as I remembered how much I struggled to get back up this part last time I was here. I spent a lot of time weighing the trade-offs between a great and safe vacation verses rolling the dice on someone getting hurt and stuck. I decided that we should enjoy the view of the lagoon but not swim in it. I know Riley was bummed but at least we would all make it to Phi Phi without injury.


We worked our way back through the now wet muddy terrain, having enjoyed the hike and views but not the swim. So we headed to the ocean to make up for it.


The skies were clearing as if you say I made the right call, but I'm still am second guessing myself.




We passed a few more monkeys on our way to the other side of the peninsula, but still no monks.










We then finally headed back in to the ocean for some fun body surfing. Kim and Riley are way out there.






Riley was really fitting in to Thailand and he clearly started to look like he belonged here.


And once the sun came out I too was checking the real estate pages looking for a place to settle down, preferably someplace without wifi. But for now, poolside would suffice.


That was until this creature came along, and then I was out of here.


That little guy was enough to get us moving again and we headed to the northern beaches for a dip.






We started back to our hotel when Riley saw a sign for a “shooting range”. This was not so much a shooting range but rather a young couple who had an alarming number of guns. And for a price you could shoot them in their backyard shed. I’m not a gun guy, but I like opportunities that are not available in the U.S. I have no idea if this is true or not as my only source is a 12 year old boy. But apparently in the U.S. you can only have a semi-automatic gun with up to a three round burst for hunting. What you are hurting that you need a three round bust I have no idea. But Riley informed me that this would be a once in a lifetime chance to shoot a fully automatic M4 assault rifle, and that was good enough for me to start handing over baht(s).


Uncle Chris better check this out first to make sure it is safe. Riley’s mood quickly sadden knowing his Mom would never approved.


The sights were incredible accurate and this was just like a video game. Hey Riley you got to try this.


Riley quickly formed a devilish smile while Kim shot me a look that I’m still recovering from. No pun intended.


Riley picked up the gun, which was illegal in the U.S. and squeezed off a few rounds.




This would prove to be more like a video game then we would have known, with each of us playing our own style. Our target was a human outline with a bullseye radiating out from their heart. I assumed the bullseye to be our target and held down the trigger, first nailing the target and then slowly drifting to the lower right as a result of the gun continuing to fire. When it was Riley’s turn he just picked up the gun, ignoring the target and it’s “X” center point, and proceeded to land two kill shots to the head. It should not take too many guesses to figure out which bullet holes are mine and which are Riley’s


Hey Riley, what do you think? Another great topic to add to your “What I did this summer” paper that I’m sure you’ll have to write once school starts up again.


Actually, for your “What I did this summer” paper, let’s say due to the government coup in Thailand we ran in to a little trouble on Railay Beach and some local rebels taught us how to shoot fully automatic M4 assault rifles to help their cause.


OK Riley, with that out of your system let’s respect your Mom’s wishes and not talk about this again. We then experienced another brief downpour containing large quantities of water.


Hey Riley, weren’t those sights incredibly accurate?


Hey Riley, I bet there is a place we can get dinner near the “range” and go shooting afterwards.


We headed back to the hotel to change so that we could take one last swim at Phranang Beach, and then watch the sunset.






Riley going for an evening dip and enjoying the waves.




There are few places where you can swim in this kind of beauty, so we took the time to enjoy where we were and what we were doing.




Yeah, Riley looked like he belonged.


The sun began to fall from the sky and even the best poets would struggle to find the words to describe this. We were captivated by the beauty of something as simple as a sunset.










On the way back to our hotel I spotted a familiar inviting sign, I hope I have 275 Baht....


VIDEO: Thailand Day 2