Phuket, Coral Island, and the magical Phang Nga bay

Sorry for the lack of entries during the second half of our adventure.  The hole in the internet caused by the sub-Pacific earthquake, combined with some places lacking convenient internet access, ( not to mention having too much fun to spend time in front of a computer! ) made entering journal entries difficult.  I'll give a brief overview here, and will add details and photos when I return home, so be sure to check back in the future!

After Chiang Dao we flew to Phuket, which is an island on the south central coast of Thailand.  This is the sun and fun area - Thailand's equivalent to the French Riviera.  We started out in Kamala Bay, which is a fairly quiet beach compared to the nearby hub of Patong Beach.  We enjoyed several days of swimming and beach chair lounging.

all of us agreed that this would be a place worthy of a return visit

We then went to Coral Island, just off the southern coast of Phuket.  We stayed at the Coral Island Resort and in addition to beach time, this location had a coral reef for snorkeling.  I even got a scuba dive in one day, swimming along the outer edge of the coral reef.  We were there for New Year's Eve, and the "compulsory" gala will require more description later.

After Coral Island we hooked up with our guide from Paddle Asia to start our 3 day kayaking adventure.  This was certainly one of the highlights of the trip, and all of us agreed that this would be a place worthy of a return visit.  The scenery and experiences were fantastic.  I'm afraid the photos will not do it justice, but I will add some later.

We had one night back on Phuket Island, staying at a resort near the airport.  The next day, Friday Jan. 5, we said goodbye to Charlie and Randy who were heading home and Annie and I flew to Viet Nam.  We had a 5 hour layover in the Bangkok airport, so the memorable moment of that travel day was the 90 minute-long foot, neck, and back massage we got in the Bangkok airport.  Such a civilized way to travel!

I'll enter some brief notes on our time in Viet Nam in the next entry.

Added after our return home:

Wednesday, Dec. 27.  When we arrived at the Phuket airport, we stopped at one of the many tourist desks to book our lodging for last night in Phuket - the only night in Thailand not reserved prior to leaving the States.  ( Annie and I often only book our first and last nights in a country when traveling and then "wing it" the rest of the time, but being high season and a popular tourist destination, we found a lot of places in Thailand were booked months in advance. )

A half-hour taxi ride took us to the Benjamin Resort in Kamala Beach.  "Resort" is really using the term loosely.  It was really a small run-down hotel.  The conditions were rough enough that Randy and Charlie booked their second and third nights in Kamala Beach at the nearby Kamala Beach Resort, a nicer and pricer place.  That evening we ate in an open-air restaurant just a few doors down from our hotel.  Later we walked the streets and shops, ending our evening with ice cream sundaes at an open-air coffee shop.

Kamala Beach was one of the beach towns in Thailand hardest hit by the Tsunami of 2004.  We arrived there the day after the second anniversary of that terrible event, and there had been memorial services honoring those who had died.  We couldn't help but think about what that must have been like - a 30-foot wall of water crashing through town.  It was amazing to us just how few signs there were of the damage done.  Recovery has been amazing.  There are prominent evacuation signs and sirens now, but mostly it feels like a fairly quiet beach town.

On Thursday, Dec. 28 we had our complementary egg breakfast overlooking the bay at our hotel.  After Charlie and Randy checked into their new digs we rented beach chairs and umbrellas with them.  From the comfort of these chairs we lazed away the afternoon swimming, reading, and people watching.  Around 5:00 dark clouds approached from the northeast, chasing the sunbathers from the beach.  After showers ( outdoors and indoors ) we had dinner with Randy and Charlie at their resort's restaurant.

Friday, Dec. 29 Looking for something other than eggs for breakfast ( we were egged-out! ) we ended up at the coffee shop where we'd had ice-cream on the first night, this time enjoying a nice bowl of museli (sp?) and fruit.  We spent the afternoon again enjoying the sun and fun on the beach.  That evening we took a taxi with C & R to Patong Beach, the tourist hot spot.  Very busy, crowded, and commercial.  We had dinner in a nice restaurant, most of us ordering Italian food.  Afterwards we shopped in the street shops.  When the rain started, Annie and I took a red truck back to our hotel.  Sudoku and a crossword puzzle rounded out our evening.

Saturday, Dec. 30 was a travel day, moving to the Coral Island Resort.  The resort's van picked us up at our hotels and took us to Chalong Bay on the southeast corner of Phuket Island.  From there we were taken by speedboat to Coral Island, also known as Ko Hae.  Reception at the resort included tropical drinks and we were shown to our adjoining bungalows, which were nice.  After a late lunch we hung out on the beach and did a bit of snorkeling.  Dinner was a buffet of Thai food served in the same open-air space where we had earlier had our late lunch.  At the end of the evening, we sat and visited with Charlie and Randy on our shared front patio.

Sunday, Dec. 31  Buffet breakfast in the thatch-roofed patio behind the reception area.  Around 10:00 I went scuba diving with a group of three others and a dive guide.  They took us by longtail boat to the next bay over ( Banana Bay ) and we swam back to the resort along the outer edge of coral reef, at a depth of about 30 to 40 feet.  The coral was nice, but I've seen much better in the Caribbean.  The others had hiked the pleasant cliff-side path to Banana Bay, where the snorkeling was a bit better than by our resort.  They visited there with Margaret and Mike from Truro Beach ( on Cape Cod ).  After my dive I joined them there for lunch.  Back at the resort it was time for the hornbill birds.  Each day during our stay at Coral Island we were entertained from 3 to 5 pm by the hornbill birds.  At this time they would come into the pool area of the resort, land in the trees, make a few squawks, then move off into the jungle.  Their visits are so regular they're in the guide books.

This was New Years Eve, so we prepared for our "compulsory dinner" ( you had to attend - or at least pay for - the dinner if staying at the resort on that date ).  The feast was well worth the price, with an unbelievable buffet spread including fresh fish, meats, fruit, Thai dishes and desserts.  The entertainment was a bit lacking, with the children among the guests dancing and playing musical chairs as the highlight.  The evening, though, was quite enjoyable, with the staff making great efforts to make this a special occasion.  However, Annie and I did not make it to the midnight New Years moment before retiring for the night.

Monday, New Years Day 2007  We spent a good part of the day snorkeling and hanging out at Banana Bay.  Back at the resort we swam in and hung out by the swimming pool, enjoying the hornbills in the late afternoon.  Charlie had met a Nepalese man, so later he, Randy, and Annie visited and danced with them at a beach-side celebration.  Looking for a quieter scene, I hiked over to Banana Bay and found some trails that led to the uninhabited other side of the island.  A Banana Bay dog accompanied me on my hike.  When I returned I found the rest of the crew at a table in the restaurant, having drinks with Margaret and Mike.  This led to dinner, over which we discovered that Margaret is the interior designer for our friend Kenny's father - a "small world" experience!

Tuesday, Jan. 2 This was a travel day, which started with an early morning speedboat ride back to Phuket.  After some trouble connecting with the Paddle Asia person in the crowds at the pier, we took a van ride to the docks at Bang Rong.  There we met our kayaking guide, Bao, and boarded our longtail boat for a two hour ride across Phang Nga Bay.  Our first stop was Tha Len, not far from Krabi. There we were joined by a Japanese family: Taro & Yumiko Mikuriya and their two children Yui and Jo ( young girl and infant boy ).  We got in our kayaks and paddled first to a sand bar and then up a river canyon where we saw monkeys and a monitor lizard and beautiful scenery.  The longtail boat then took us to Ko Lao Lading, which I believe was where we saw what was described as a 3000 year old petroglyph ( I have my doubts, doubting thomas that I am! ).  We paddled across to a small neighboring island where we met the longtail boat in a cove.  A half-dozen boats were there, and we were dismayed to see a group of snorkelers walking all over the coral.  The longtail boat then took us to the east side of Ko Yao Noi, landing at a long concrete dock.  A red truck took us the short distance to the bungalows where we were to spend the night.  First adventure was a red truck ride into town for a beer run.  Dinner at the bungalow was great Thai food.  We met our second guide, Kai.  ( Guide names pronounced like "bow" of a ship and "guy". )

Wednesday, Jan. 3  We set off in the longtail boat in the morning.  There is a video of us crossing the bay at http://www.caulkinsfamily.net/video/Phang_Nga_Bay.htm.  The longtail first brought us to Lum Than where we paddled up two beautiful canyons.  The first was more open and wide.  The second was entered via a small somewhat hidden opening, and was truly spectacular.  We took turns going into a small narrow cave near the canyon entrance.  Further into the canyon, I broke away from the pack, enjoying some quiet solo time.  On the return out of the canyon I waited for the rest of the crew under a ledge and was treated to a sighting of half a dozen or so of the reclusive black monkeys, chattering and swinging in the trees in the high canyon walls across the river.  All activity stopped at the sounds of the approaching kayakers.  Our next stop was Ko Phak Bia where we had lunch ( a marvelous Thai feast! ) on the beach in a small cove.  Here I found an urchin shell - a beautiful, delicate light green treasure.  Like an ornate flattened egg shell, only thinner.  ( Amazingly it survived the trip to Vietnam and home and now sits on my keyboard at work, where it reminds me daily of our wonderful adventure. )  Charlie and Randy circumnavigated this island while Annie and I dozed on the beach.  After hearing their description, Annie and I paddled the short distance to a beautiful small lagoon part way around the island.  Our last stop of the day was Ko Hong, which we paddled to from a small neighboring island.  We paddled part way around this island, then strolled around waiting for high tide so we could kayak through a channel that passes through the island.  Back at the bungalows we had another great dinner.

Thursday, Jan. 4  On our last day of kayaking we started at Ko Ku Du Lek and Ko Ku Du Yai. ( Big and small or north and south, I can't remember. )  After this we went to Ko Roi, north of Ko Yao Noi where we had been spending our nights.  The cove we stopped in had an amazing stone tower at its entrance.  After having a wonderful lunch on the beach, we paddled around this island then across to a neighboring island.  This paddle was especially strenuous and made me glad that the kayaking was over, but still sad to leave this beautiful area.  Our last stop, on the island we had paddled to, was a wonderful narrow river canyon, which we entered through a low overhang.  Video of this canyon can be viewed at http://www.caulkinsfamily.net/video/Phang_Nga_Lagoon.htm.  The longtail boat took us to Ao Paw pier on Phuket Island, a large busy tourist port.  We then drove by van to the docks at Bang Rong where we had started our kayak adventure.  There we said goodbye to Boa and Kai, and the van then took us to the newly-opened Airport Resort Hotel in Nai Yang beach.  We had reserved one night's stay at this hotel when we had arrived at the Phuket airport.  I was suffering from intestinal woes, so Annie went in search of  Thai bannanas - a cure Margaret had turned Annie onto at Coral Island.  Annie discovered a wonderful open-air market with many, many food vendors.  Dinner that evening consisted of a number of courses, enjoyed while strolling about the market.  For the most part, we were the only non-Thais in the crowd.  A great last night in Thailand experience!  Later we sat by the hotel pool, sipping beers with Charlie and Randy.

Friday, Jan. 5  Travel day - time for a new country!  We flew to Bangkok with Charlie and Randy.  They were spending one night in Bangkok before flying home, so we said our goodbyes in the airport before they headed into town.  Annie and I had a 5 hour layover, and the pain of this was mitigated by an hour and a half foot, neck, and back massage!  Eventually it was time for our flight, and so our time in Thailand came to an end.  On to Vietnam!