What an awesome day!
Our tour guide and friend Chon
For the past two or three weeks, myself and the three Australian friends I have here have been threatening to go on a day trip with a Thai guy who was in our class on our Teacher Training Course. The Thai guy – Chon, is a freelance tour guide and very kindly offered us a cheap day package to Phang Nga – obviously hoping that we would convey and relay his services by means of word of mouth, which after today – we most definitely will be obliging.
After weeks of procrastination brought on by the monsoon season and my trip to Singapore – we finally made plans for Phang Nga today.
We met Chon at the TTT Language School in Chalong at 8:30am and set off on the hour and a bit drive to Phang Nga (pronounced Pang Ga) where we were to embark on my maiden voyage on a longtail boat.
The homemade jetty.
The moment we (there were six of us) got to ‘the jetty’ where we were meant to be boarding our vessel – we each took one look at the ghetto fabulous pier that had been constructed VERY sketchily from old wooden beams and tree branches, that we were almost too afraid to even take that first extremely unsteady step to even getting on the boat. It was that bad, but also completely worth it in what we were about to feast our eyes on.
Having all survived the dock of doom, we set off – heading straight into Phang Nga Bay – which is now in the top 3 of my ‘Most beautiful places I have ever seen’ list (contending neck and neck with The Seychelles and Madagascar).
For what seems a space perpetual, Phang Nga Bay is an archipelago of approximately 1000 limestone islands jutting pre-eminently from the emerald Andaman Sea horizon. Some cascading as high as 400 metres. Possibly one of the few places one can still enjoy in Thailand that has not been over commercialised or westernised into a mass tourist hotspot– this Marine National Park remains a mostly uninhabited and unspoilt splendor.
Phang Nga Bay is a natural splendor.
Of the 400 square kilometers of Phang Nga Bay, only 40 islands covering 53 square kilometers form the Marine National Park which is crawling with Mangrove forests, caves, palm trees, crab eating monkeys, bats, kingfishers and horn-bills. To name a few.
This is a full environment, teaming fauna and flora innumerably together, bringing your perfect dream scenery to life before your very eyes.
In one of the hidden coves Chon took us to. there are many like it in the bay.
It’s also filled with surprises. Guide permitting – climb off your boat onto one of the limestone ledges under the weathered island bases and make your way through a low and short cave tunnel where you will be treated to a secret cove. Or rent a sea canoe and paddle your way through the small opening in Ko Phenak at low tide and find yourself in a hidden world of perfect beaches and lagoons.
Other must see attractions of Phang Nga splendor are Khao Khian which is a shallow cave with cave paintings – believed to be about 3000 years old and has images of dolphins, crocodiles, sharks and people strewn across its lithic canvas.
Then there’s Ko Panyi – which is the most popular choice of lunching venue and an interesting Muslim fishing village built on
Ko Panyi - a muslim fishing village built on stilts.
stilts, founded some 200 years ago by a small group of Muslim sea gypsies looking for a new place to call home. The settlement with a population of about 2000 people, has one school and a much talked about, yet muchly over rated Mosque. I have seen pictures of Ko Panyi before and the Mosque in the pictures I have seen is not the Mosque that stands there today. Well – it is – just minus the very beautiful looking top half. The rest of the village will provide with some decent photographic opportunity.
Another interesting fact about Ko Panyi is their homestay programme. Travellers and visitors can opt to stay in one of the stilted bungalows for about 500BAHT a night and have the locals take them under their wing for a few days and show them the ropes of fishing and mangrove farming – Ko Panyi style. It’s a more suitable option for those who enjoy really getting to know the culture and community of a place.
Ko Tapu also known as James Bond Island
Without a doubt – the most famous and most photographed of the Phang Nga islands and features is the 1974 shooting location of James Bond ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ starring Roger Moore.
You see this sea scape on postcards and in brochures and you think “great – that is a cool looking rock”. Truth is – postcards and brochures do no justice to what Khao Phingkan and Ko Tapu actually are to the naked eye. In pictures you only see Ko Tapu otherwise known as Nail Islet. You don’t ever see what is lying behind the camera man – and that for me is possibly even better than the big rock sticking out like a beautiful thumb. Khao Phingkan, the island, translated means ‘hills leaning against each other’ is literally two huge limestone hills joined together by a tiny strip of beach. The whole spot in general is decidedly picturesque.
If you circle round the island to the back end – you will find another completely unique geo formation and quite possibly the deciding factor in the naming of the island: one of the two hills is split in two and one half is leaning against the other half.
Apparently there is also Ko Khai, which we didn’t get to today, but may still be on the cards for the not to distant future as it’s only 35 minutes away from Phuket. Here you will find tranquility, white powdery sand and crystal clear waters – perfect for swimming and soaking up the sun.
Before we knew it, the sun had begun descending and it was time for our longtail to head back to the ghetto fabulous dock of doom for our ride back to Phuket, where we spent the better half of the trip home enquiring about our ‘next trip’ with Chon who has now found himself some very loyal customers.
The part of James Bond Island you don't see in brochures and postcards.
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Nicky Vermeulen