I can, however, make scant comments on the geography: Rayleigh is not an island but is only accessible by longtail boat from either Krabi or Koh Phi Phi Don. Because there are no inroads, there are no local police, no busloads of tourists and no sense of the chaos we experienced on the rest of Thailand's islands. Thus, Rayleigh is a haven for laid back bars, pot smoking thai hippies and very dark star filled evenings.
The German guy on our Chiang Mai trek drew us a very 'The Beach'esque map of what to do/see with our time there. And what a map it was. Walking from Railay East to Railay West took us in the direct path of roughly 14 bars equipped with cushions and low tables, one path guarded with sentry-style wild monkeys, two very steep jungle paths and a cave full of phalluses.
Pictures from day one:
More to come!