THAILAND 2
PHANG NA BAY
The starter
motor is starting, the dinghy has been repaired, a few minor problems
resolved, and we are ready to explore this beautiful country. Things
can only get better right? They sure can!
Thailand,
formerly known as Siam, is the only south-east Asian country to
escape colonisation by a European Power, mainly because it was
politically relatively stable and managed to become a buffer between
the English and French.
The Kingdom
of Thailand as it is officially known, is mainly Buddhist, with a
population of 64 million people. They are the largest exporter of
rice in the world, and are a popular tourist destination. The most
popular being Phuket, the largest island in Thailand.
TSUNAMI SIGN
In 2004
Phuket was devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami, but despite
widespread damage the tourism industry was up and running a mere
matter of days later, within twelve months all damage had been
repaired, except for some very remote communities.
The cuisine
in Thailand is renowned, and we are busy working our way through the
food on offer.
YACHT HAVEN
We left
Yacht Haven Marina on Thursday afternoon and anchored just outside
for the night. After a leisurely start to the day, we ambled to our
first anchorage just 12 miles away.
KO PHANAK
ENTRANCE
STUNNING
WALLS
Koh Phanak,
like many other islands here, is made of limestone, and has many
passages and lagoons known locally as “hongs” (which literally
means room) and make for interesting exploring by dinghy.
Unfortunately everyone else thinks so too, and by day hordes of
tourists in inflatable canoes descend on the islands. The advantage
we have is that by late afternoon they have all returned to their
air-conditioned hotel rooms and we have the place to ourselves.
KO PHANAK
TUNNEL
After
exploring the hong, which is only accessible through a pitch black
tunnel at half tide, we up anchored and headed three miles further
north to Koh Hong.
This particular hong is a stunningly beautiful,
enclosed pool with a large chimney opening to the sky. Truly magical.
KO YANG
Our next
anchorage was Ko Yang, near “James Bond Island”. This is where
the movie “The man with the Golden Gun” was filmed and as a
consequence has become very commercialised and swamped by tourists.
There is a lot of concrete rubble at the base of the island, reminder
of the devastation caused by the Tsunami.
JAMES BOND
ISLAND
Anchored
outside the route to the island, this was a delightful, peaceful
spot, enticing us to stay an extra day. We packed a picnic lunch and
found a tiny secluded beach on an uninhabited island where we spent a
couple of lazy hours relaxing. It's called living the dream.
Our five day
National Park pass was up, so we headed back down to Ko Rang on our
way to Ao Chalong, the main anchorage on Phuket. We even managed to
sail a large amount which put the skipper in a good mood. We spent
five days at Ao Chalong catching up on chores, catching up with
friends and just chilling out. There was a great little restaurant on
the beach which served fabulous Thai food for great prices.
KO ROK NOK
After
checking out, a tedious procedure but a necessary one, we day hopped
our way to Ko Rok Nok. A tropical paradise with crystal clear water,
not too many tourists, another little restaurant and while the coral
wasn't much, the fish were many and colourful. After spending two
nights there we left with the promise to ourselves to return for
another visit.
After a
less than memorable night at Ko Bulon due to all the thunderstorm
activities, we arrived at Telaga Harbour at 3.30 pm on the fourth of
April.
Check in was
quick, easy and free. No problems!
Spent two
days at Langkawi, mainly to stock up on alcohol, as Langkawi has the
cheapest beer and spirits anywhere. Two fairly big days and one very
short day saw us back at Marina Island Pangkor, ready to haul out
(again) and tackle some major jobs.
But that is
another story.
