Love this day the best!!~
Had our Phang Nga Bay day tour booked at Phuket airport.
Prior to this, we had absolutely nothing planned for the trip because we've been bogged down with work.
It's almost unimaginable fer us to do so as we loved to plan for holidays to make the most of our trips!
Still, being the usual meticulous planner Alvin is, he
die die live live also have to purchase a Phuket guide book before we're good to go. (browsed thru it on plane)
That's when we came across this wonderful, awesome leisurely trip!
Dragged ourselves outta bed at 6am and we're off to embark on this paradise seeking journey which was almost a 2hr drive from Patong Beach area!
Was still bleary eyed when we boarded the boat.
The chief guide welcomed us with breakfast (my eyes widened at the free flow of pineapple tarts[!], other snacks and drinks) and briefly mentioned the places that we're going to visit with the aid of a large map held by 2 other men.
We'd be visiting 4 places, and would have to depend on the tides to enter the caves.
It's a half moon that day, so it meant that the tide was just right!
The first island we visited was James Bond Island or Ko Tapu as the locals called it.
James Bond because the movie was filmed here in 1974.
(Apparently James Bond hid atop the now famous rock formation and an helicopter crashed at the beach in the movie)
The boat anchored near the island and we were each assigned a canoe guide.
Guess wot, the chief guide was our guide for the day! =D
The other tourists onboard the same boat were served by his other minions. Hahaha.
(tipped him generously for his exceptional service afterwards)
Well, upon arriving at the beach, thousands and millions of (mostly broken) shells welcomed us
Thought it was my 'lucky' day to have spotted a pretty looking shell, intact.
I meant to have brought it home when moments later I let out a squeal.
Something had brushed against my fingers.
Crap - In it was a hermit crab!
Had half a mind to yank it out from its home cause I certainly do not wish to bring the crab back. Heh.
An up close picture of the hermit.
Was gutted that I couldn't take it home. I promptly dumped it at the edge of a cave after taking photos with/of it.
Good riddance. Hur hur hur, Hurrrr.
We'd to climb through some carved out steps on the side of a rocky terrain to get over to the other opening.
Midway, our guide stopped to take a shot of the signature rocky formation of James Bond island.
Now there, the photo turned out impressive!
A splitting image of the one pictured on my fridge magnet which I bought for keepsake!
Our guide must have took hundreds of these shots for tourist that he now knows exactly where to take the best angle of the rock.
Here's the other side - A once idyllic beach thronging with tourists and rows of souvenier stalls.
Our guide!
(What does that hand sign means? Call me? LOL)
Hadn't much time to explore around this island.
Another of its attraction here is the leaning rocks.
The enclosed space which was flooded with natural lighting reminded me of the interior of Moshe Safdie's Holocaust History Museum in Israel! (
Click here to see)
For our next stop, we're given an hour to either canoe by ourselves, frolic in the sea or just
relac at a secluded beach at one particular island.
Our canoes were upturned near the shore for us tourists to jump from one canoe to another to showoff our stability prowess.
Alvin and I didn't join in the fun as we didn't bring a change of clothes!
And in all that commotion of cheering for the rest, I forgot to take photos!
Lunch time was a sumptous Thai buffet spread!!
Heh heh. Was famished like anything and it was a challenge to continue eating after the boat started cruising off again.
(think flying noodles splattered on your cheeks)
What's more, I had to eat with a wet butt thanks to Alvin's incredible paddling.
Should have sat at the back mon.
Post lunch - Our first cave expedition!
Came across peculiar looking rock formations along the way.
They resembled:
A ferocious looking Pirannah..
(orange eye with jaggered spiky teeth)
and a Monkey (face) going 'ooo'.
There's one more - Scooby Doo!
Seriously, "
Where Are You now!"
Can neither make head nor tail of the photo now. =(
Let me stare at it fer a while more perhaps.
Had to lie down to go through this tunnel.
This photo here showed where we emerged from.
The only way to get into the tidal lagoons or hongs (rooms in Thai) was though a tunnel that had eroded from the limestone walls!
These hongs are sea caves whose tops had long collapsed resulting in a sanctuary of their own with sky high ceiling, lush foliage wall and an emerald green flooring.
As we continued our day's adventure, the guides started calling out for the kings of the sky - the sea eagles, with high pitched whistles and throwing of food out into the open sea.
The last cave of the day:
Our guide promised us this last stop would be exiting!
It's getting a lil bit crowded in this small cave here.
We're greeted by a stalactite chandelier when we entered the cave and figurine in a form of a person
That makes it a grand living room!
Except for the fact that it houses bats too.
I'm not afraid of them. Rather, it's their droppings!
(paddle faster mr canoe guide!)
As we proceeded further in, we're shrouded in total darkness.
Hadn't a clue of what to expect for besides waiting fer what it seemed like eternity in here.
Fortunately, the guides gave us a torch each, which I presumed, to self entertain by shining light everywhere.
The guides also started deflating the canoes.
The air went "psst! psst psst psssssst!", a pregnant pause, then "psst psst!", "psst psst!"
I thought they're trying to be funny in the midst of boredom.
Then, ours got deflated too. Not funny anymore, folks! I don't want to sink in hereeee.
At this point of time, the initial excitement died down and the whispers amongst us turned almost inaudible (think we're all restless due to the holdup)..
Was relishing in all that silence (surprisingly not eery, but peaceful) when some claustrophobic kid started breaking into sobs.
She backed out.
Thereafter, another couple had to back out.
The male partner suffered from serious leg muscle cramp.
All this while, our guide had mysteriously disappeared!
He must have had disappeared fer quite some time cause I remembered hearing a splash a long while ago but it didn't occur to me that it's OUR guide who quietly swam away!
The worst thing was, we didn't even realise he disappeared till one of his minions asked cheekily, "Where's your guide?"
Turned around, omg, "I don't know?"
Turned to Alvin, "Aye, did you know our guide's missing?"
(of course he didn't, he was napping)
Gawd, we're literally in our own world in this cave of darknesssssssss.
But I must add that we're having fun!
Alvin's just lying and enjoying all this darkness shiat whilst I had to make sure we're still with the rest of the canoes.
Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..........
If only I could take a photo when we're going though the seemingly impermeable tunnel!!
Now I knew why the other guides were deflating the canoes back in the caves and where our guide had disappeared too!
Our canoes were too big to squeeze through the tiny mouth and we'd to lie real flat in the canoe when the guides pushed and pulled us out of the tunnel. Had the tide been a few inches higher, I'd be defaced from the rocky ceiling.
I cannot fathom how the XXL (and larger) angmohs made it through.
Hurhurhur.
2 (a father and young son) swam though the tunnel. Yes they're of XL size but they did it because the son was afraid to squeeze through the tunnel.
Thank God I needn't (aiyah, talk cock. thin like bamboo of course don't need
la.. hahaha) as I wouldn't have dared to swim in total darkness..
This photo showed a typical deflated canoe which emerged victorious out of the narrow tunnel.
As for our guide, he had swam all the way to the mouth of the tunnel (from where we were at the cave) to assist in pulling canoes after canoes out!
I momentarily fergot he was the chief guide and thus this was part of his job.
Our HERO! =)
He grazed his knees against some rocks and they started to bleed when he's back on the canoe.
Despite that, he gallantly brushed it off saying it's part and parcel of his job and he likes it!
Ahhh.. it's rare to find someone who's so in love with his job!
Hm. In the first photo, the thin black line (can't figure out which hole it was) was where we emerged from.
What an eye opener and astonishing view when we emerged from all that darkness!
It's better than the previous hong! (of course they saved the best fer the last)
It's like a lost world out there, so peaceful and serene.
Amidst all the heat outside, the hong here is surprisingly cool as it is surrounded by towering limestone walls that opens out to the sky.
Definitely some kinda paradise out there..
Wished we could have stayed longer and even have a picnic on the canoe..
Sadly, we haven't got any.
This ass was still lying down all this while.
Sheesh.
Dusk time - back to our hotel!
Walked to Jung Ceylon again to try out the Japanese Restaurant with a snaking queue which we saw the previous night.
Long queue doesn't mean it's good. What were the customers thinking.
Classic case of the blind following the blind. Sorely disappointed. - bad service & food.
Albeit, our sleep was sweet that night. =)
