Tuesday, September 16, 2008

We had an early wake up call from the front desk this morning (06:45) as we had to catch our transfers to the far Northeastern corner of Phuket island for the sailing trip to Ao Phang Nga.

Click for larger map.

The trip was arranged through the resort and the operator was Asian Oasis. We would be taking a junk by the name of the June Bahtra from the Yacht Haven Marina to Phang Nga Bay. The junk style of ship is of Chinese origin but beautifully fits in with the rock-formations and other scenery of Thailand's Phang Nga Bay.

After showering we decided we didn't have enough time for the breakfast buffet at the resort and I was craving another Birdy so we opted to walk down to the shops bordering the front of the resort and grab such a drink there. Unfortunately, my plans were squelched as Phuket must not be an early rising town and we found all of the shops closed. Even the "24 Hour Market."

We grabbed some cash from a nearby ATM and then headed back to the Marina to wait for our transfers. We had run into our driver at the resort entrance before heading off to look for coffee and we told him we needed to get some cash. He said that would be fine and he would meet us back here in a few minutes. He soon returned and we were loaded into a mini-bus and off heading North on the islands small highways.

The Thai population's median age is significantly younger than that of the population of the United States and one could easily notice that by spending any length of time in the country. It was especially evident this morning on the packed streets of Phuket island. The early morning hour meant adults heading off to work and school children heading off to school. The public buses were jammed with kids and many rode on the back of mopeds and motorcycles through the streets. Some, who looked older though by no means would be considered an "adult" here in the U.S., drove the motorcycles with one or two siblings seated behind them.

The driver of the bus made a couple stops and at one picked up a woman who would turn out to be our guide for the June Bahtra trip. In speaking with her later on in the day it turns out she's one of the many guides on the island that is fluent in English but one of the few guides that also speaks French and Spanish in a fluent capacity.

We arrived at the marina about 40 minutes later and were shown down a steep embankment to a storefront at the water's edge. Inside our guide gave us stickers indicating we were on the tour, little images of the June, and various merchandise was offered for sale. We joined the others outside as we all waited for a fourth, and final, couple.

Soon after their arrival we were led along the docks to the June and boarded the ship. With only the eight guests and, perhaps, five crew and our guide, the ship was going to be quite quiet. In fact, our guide suggested that each trip usually takes 30 to 35 people rather than eight. As the trip progressed we determined that we were the only U.S. citizens on board. The other guests included a couple from France, a couple from the United Kingdom, and a couple from Australia.

The June Bahtra
Image © 2006-2008 Asian Oasis Co., Ltd.

As the trip got underway we were offered coffee or tea and a selection of fresh fruit as the guide began to detail some history and general information about the bay and this part of southern Thailand. She also used a marine map and pointed out the various areas we would see on today's voyage. The area's main industry has become tourism but prior to this the area was an important fishing center and still provides much fish and seafood to Thailand to this day. Filming of the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun played a large part in transforming this once thriving fishing community into a global vacationing spot. In fact, the guide mentioned that the Thailand government, with growing concern about the impact of tourism on the area, designated all of Phang Nga Bay a national park to better protect it.

Heading out of the marina and toward Phang Nga Bay

Fresh cut rambutan fruit.

The tour guide informed us that once we reached the shallow waters of the inner bay we would have to transfer from the June to a smaller long boat for the voyage onto "James Bond Island" and onto the Koh Pannyi village. We were also asked our preference for the lunch to be served and, surprisingly, there were several other vegetarians on the ship that day and, as such, the majority of the meal would be vegetarian with only one fish dish.

As the June continued to sail toward the mouth of the bay the giant limestone formations, the signature element of the bay, began to rise out of the turquoise waters and appear on the horizon in all directions. As we crept ever closer to the limestone outcroppings they began to change color from a muted gray to alternating hues of rust, white, dark midnight blues, and various shades of gray, each capped with a bright green top of vegetation. Detail became more apparent too and one could easily see where caves and tunnel systems opened up under some of the formations and where others had been whittled away by the water currents to collapse in on themselves or out into the bay.

In the long boat heading further into the bay. (This picture is actually looking back toward the aft of the boat, with the captain, and back toward the mouth of Phang Nga Bay.)

Looking toward the front of our long boat (and our guide) as we head through a cave underneath one of the massive limestone formations.

We soon reached our transfer spot and were off-loaded from the June to a long boat. The transfer only took a few minutes, considering they're were only eight of us, and we were then on our way in the long boat. These boats moved at a speedier clip through the shallow waters and could get us closer to some of the rock formations. We ventured fully through one of the tunnels that cut through one of the formations and were told that in many similar caves in the area the birds nests were harvested within for the infamous birds nest soup. (We had seen several shops specializing in this delicacy in Bangkok. Mainly in Chinatown.)

The rock formations were much more imposing at these close quarters and seemed like giant icebergs gently floating by. As we continued further north into the bay the water morphed from its previous turquoise clarity into a gray-green pot of ever churning silt.

We briefly passed James Bond island and our guide told us we wouldn't be stopping at this point but would rather pay a visit to the island after we explored the floating village of Koh Pannyi. In preparation for the island the guide again went into the history of the location and informed us that it was a Muslim community, through a few other religions had mingled in, and had originally survived off the sea. Now, again, tourism was a huge industry and had become the trade of many within the village. She also informed us that 99% of the village was built on stilts directly over the waters of the bay. The only dry land was taken up by the community mosque and a small, adjacent burial ground. One last bit of advice from our guide concerned women and Gibbons. It turns out that these women will let you snap a picture with their Gibbons and then demand $10 (or more) from you. Our guide thought this was a shitty deal and advised us to offer no more than 35 or 50 Bhat ($1-1.75) if we really wanted such a souvenir.

Approaching Koh Pannyi. Note the mosque located directly in front of the limestone formation.

Another shot of the village.

We landed at a dock situated directly in front of a large restaurant and were informed that the owner of the restaurant was the most wealthy family on the island. As with almost everything else in Thailand, it was all open air, but was made unique by the fact that between the floorboards one could see the water gently lapping across the surface of the bay. Some of the best seafood in Thailand served here per the guide.

We were given a tour of the village which included visits to the community school, the mosque, and the main shopping market, and then turned loose on our own for about 15 to 20 minutes. During the guided portion of the visit to the village the French couple kept wandering off and the guide was having a hard time finding and keeping tabs on them. The narrow walkways of the village did seem like a maze and it probably wouldn't be difficult to become lost within them. Of course, eventually you would find your way out given the small size of the place overall.

After the tour we meandered through the shopping area and purchased a couple magnets. Travis was had by one merchant who demanded BHT 100 (Roughly $3) for a magnet and he paid it. I got a near-exact copy for BHT 25 ($0.75).

Travis also had a run-in with a Gibbon woman. Well, actually, it was a Gibbon Ladyboy. (Considered as a third gender in Thailand, Ladyboys are men who live as women. Sexual orientation wise they fall into both categories of gay and straight. Culturally they're considered, as stated, a third gender and are treated no differently than the female or male gender.) Shortly after working our way through the restaurant and into the main market area of the village a Ladyboy with a Gibbon pushed it up against Travis and said something about a picture. I had seen several women headed in our direction and just kept walking knowing the slowest in our pack would get picked off. That designation just happened to fall to Travis. I'm not sure how things ended but he didn't snap any pictures.

Pictures from around the village. Click to enlarge.

After our guide rounded up the French couple and we were all accounted for and back in the long boat we headed out to James Bond Island, or, more formally, Tapoo Island.

The navigable portion of the island is, perhaps, as large as a football field. And that's probably being generous. Little is actually there aside from a few vendors selling various "James Bond Island" souvenirs, a cave off to the western portion of the island, and, of course, the view of the now famous rock formation.

Scarimanga's deadly rock (left) and various merchants selling wares and souvenirs (right) near Scarimanga's deadly rock.
(Click to enlarge).

We were given about 25 minutes or so to snap pictures here and check out the various merchandise stands. It was then back onto the long boat for the return trip to the June and our awaiting lunch. As we re-boarded the June the crew were putting the finishing touches on lunch and it smelled wonderful. Having had nothing since the night before we were both famished and were thankful for the delightful looking spread in front of us.

There was bean curd soup, salad, pasta, baked fish (right from the bay), and beer. Afterward there was more fresh fruit and coffee or tea. We ate and then munched for length of the return trip and the crew had just finished clearing the food when we pulled into a little cove for our "swimming time." Anchor was dropped and the crew extended a ladder down into the water. Our guide warned us that it was monsoon season and currents were strong and not to venture too far from the June. We both contemplated a swim, just to say we've had a swim in the Andaman Sea but decided against it. All of the others did as well and soon the crew was pulling up anchor and ladder and turning back to our home port.

The remainder of the trip was just spent lounging and talking politics with our guide and the couple from Australia. The political upheaval in Thailand was of much discussion and our guide was taken aback that we knew quite a bit about the recent events and the history behind them. (Given that we were closely keeping an eye on the events before we departed for Thailand we had learned a bit about the politics behind the upheaval.) Our guide also asked us about Hillary, Obama and the presidential elections.)

Upon reaching the Yacht Haven Marina and pier we debarked from the June and headed back toward the store front. We perused the t-shirts once again and wanted to purchase one but the only sizes they had were huge and extra-huge so we had to forgo any such parting gift. Tired from the sun, saltwater, and trip the two of us piled into the van and waited for our guide. Soon we were back on the road heading to the Marina Phuket.

Arriving back at the resort we headed to the "Around the Clock" and picked up a couple of Birdys, dropped off our bags in the room and then headed down to the pool for a swim.

The multi-layered pool was beautifully landscaped but a bit cold. Still, it was an enjoyable swim aside from the loud, and rather childish, Russian group that insisted on harassing a giant iguana that was simply out looking for dinner. (Not to worry, no harm came of the iguana. I think they were more scared of it than he/she was of them.)

We swam for a good hour or so and then showered back at the room before heading out to dinner. We found a nice restaurant on the main road with terrace seating so that our table faced outward, and looked down on the street below. I enjoyed a magnificent Pad Thai with shrimp wrapped in an egg omelet and lots of Thai spice and Travis had a vegetable stir fry. We enjoyed a bruschetta (Thai style) which was quite good as an appetizer and had Chang all around.

Near the end of the meal Travis spotted Kirsch on the menu and had a great idea of starting a new tradition regarding our vacations. As you may recall, from the Switzerland Trip Report, we enjoyed Kirsch in Zermatt, Switzerland in March. We figured we could have a Kirsch here in Thailand as sort of a tribute to the last vacation and as a way of honoring both the country we visited last time around and our new country of exploration. We thought it would be great and something we could carry on in future voyages. Alas! It wasn't to be as the restaurant had no Kirsch!

We finished dinner and spent about an hour walking the adjacent streets and market areas around the Marina. We had another early flight tomorrow AM to head to Chiang Mai and so, after purchasing a magnet, headed back to the room for another show and a great nights sleep.