Monday, March 28, 2018, a new day and a new week on our travel calendar. After a speedy day on a speed boat the day before, we had decided to take it nice a slow. We had contacted Jeed and made sure she booked us on a cruise boat. Why hurry while we can cruise and enjoy panoramic views of the Andaman Sea and its picturesque islands. Same as the day before, early breakfast, Jeed called, got into the van straight to one of Phuket piers. After we boarded the boat, we were welcomed by the crew who briefed us on our sea adventure for the day in Phang Nga National Park.
This Post is part of a 7-day trip to some of Thailand’s best island destinations. Use the links at the end of the post for more insights about the day-to-day activities and destinations.
Sitting on the upper level while the boat is cruising in between hundreds of small islands made a huge difference compared to the speed boat. It was so quiet and peaceful listening to the sound of the wind and waves splashes on the bow softly. 40 minutes had passed before we reached our first stop Koh Panak. A dozen of kayaks approached the boat and in pairs we embarked on a guided paddle tour into the Bat Cave. The moment we entered the cave was like entering a black hole that gave access to a parallel world. It was dark and humid, and we could hear the bats squeaking from all direction. When our guide turned his light to the rocky ceiling, thousands of bats appeared hanging upside down. In some places the cave got narrow we needed to lay down so that we could pass through.
Our second stop was at Hong Island known as one of the greatest sea kayaking destinations of Phuket. Guided by one of the paddlers we explored the emerald green lagoons and the numerous caves across this heritage park. Phang Nga National Park got us overwhelmed by its unique views of spectacular surrounding nature.
Our next stop was somehow unique. We visited the floating island of Kho Panyi island also known as the Muslim Island. Ko Panyi is a fishing village in Phang Nga Province, Thailand, notable for being built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen. The population consists of 360 families or 1,685 people descended from two seafaring Muslim families from Java. (source: Wikipedia). We were transported by a long-tail boat for almost half an hour before we got off on the floating pier of this village. In this small village hundreds of huts, shacks, restaurants and houses were built on stilts over the surrounding shallow sea. Seeing all these villagers living the simple life on a floating island adjacent to huge almost vertical limestone cliffs in the middle of the sea was a one of a kind experience. During our walk into the narrow alleys between the bamboo houses we were lucky to witness a wedding ceremony.
Around noon we came back to the boat and enjoyed a seafood and deep fried chicken buffet lunch before we headed to the popular “James Bond Island.” James Bond Island is a famous landmark in Phang Nga Bay. It first found its way onto the international tourist map through its starring role in the James Bond movie ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’. A distinctive feature of this famous bay is the number of sheer limestone cliffs that vertically jut out of the emerald-green water. (Source: Phuket.com)
After contemplating the main sheer limestone projected vertically out of the emerald-green water we took a short hike out of the beaten track in an attempt to escape the piles of tourists that were being dropped off by the long tail boats trooping in and out of the bay. Shortly we found ourselves peaking towards a cave half emerged in water. We slid down carefully until we reached a beach located on the other side of the limestone island. It is captivating how nature take shapes and forms through the years and ages. Probably these formations have been in a continuous change since millions of years. The time has come to head back towards our boat, so we followed the trails of dozens of tourists. We tried to capture a visual memory of the fascinating scenery with our bare eyes and took some photos to document the beauty and remember our trip when we come back home.
We reached the hotel around 6 pm. Instead of going out for dinner we decided to consume the quantities of exotic fruits we bought the evening before. After our exotic fruity dinner we headed to Karon beachside for a sunset walk on the sand and that was where we were approached by street peddlers who were selling heart shaped sky lantern. As they say “there is never a better time to do great things”. What could be a better opportunity for expressing some romantic love to my lovely wife Chantal. So we lit it up and sent it to the sky with a wish. later that night we walked to Karon Bazar where Chantal shopped around for bargains.
On our way back, we stumbled upon a crowded kiosk selling “Fried Ice Cream”. Well that was something we don’t usually come across and we had to try it. It was not actually fried in boiling oil! After watching the lady for almost 5 minutes mixing the flavors and adding some milk and other syrups she poured the ingredients on an ice pan, spread and chopped them systematically until they were frozen, then she rolled them into 5 delicious ice cream rolls in a paper cup ready to be blissfully consumed.
Read more about our 7-day trip to 3 of the best island destinations in Thailand (Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Tao)
- Exploring Phuket
- Phuket Speedy Island Hopping
- Phuket Island Cruise
- Kho Samui: Simply Unforgettable
- Koh Samui and the “Treasure Island Map”
- A day Well Spent at Mu Koh Ang Thong National Park islands
- Koh Samui little sister island Kho Tao
- The True Essence of Kho Tao
- The “Risky” Journey Back Home
Checkout LawaynNext Facebook Page and Instagram for more photos. Use the Hashtag #LawaynNext for related travel posts.
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