June 21, 2014 ---- Thailand always has a lot to offer. Its natural beauty and interesting culture are the main attractions. Thai food is also one of the best in the world. People are generally kind. The cost of travel is relatively low. In short, you will get more than what you paid for if you pick to have a vacation in Thailand.
I try to go to Thailand as often as I can because it's my home, and every time I go back, I always make a trip to somewhere to fill in my memory of my birth country. This year Nathan and I made plan to explore the handle of the "Golden Ax" (the shape of Thailand on the world map), and we toured around in many southern provinces: Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Phuket, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, and Phatthalung.
While we were staying in Phuket, we found an interesting tour to Ao Phang Nga National Park from our hostel's welcome desk. It was a day-trip on a boat to a few islands in the national park, and it was only 1,100 Bath/person (about US$30). The trip included all transportation to-from hotel, lunch buffet, a guide tour, and a kayak tour. It was quite a deal, so we booked it through our hostel. For more information about Ao Phang Nga National Park, please click on this official link:
http://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/Phang-Nga-Bay-or-Ao-Phang-Nga-National-Park--582
Ao Por Pier ท่าเทียบเรืออ่าวปอ
We were picked up by the tour company early in the morning to Ao Por Pier to board a double-decker boat. The passenger seats were on the upper deck, and they kept kayaks and other tour supplies on the lower decks. The scenery around the pier was already breathtaking, and I couldn't wait to see what awaited us.
Soon the boat left the pier, and we started to see many limestone tower karst islands....
Koh Phanak เกาะพนัก
Our first stop was at Koh Phanak. It's a beautiful island with stalactite and stalagmite caves. Our tour took out their kayaks and every single kayak had a person who would row the boat for us, which was probably safer because going into a dark cave could be dangerous.
The cave was narrow and our personal guide would use his flashlight pointing at some stalactites and stalagmites. They weren't that impressive compared to those in Mammoth Cave National Park or in some caves in northern Thailand. However, the scenery around the island was what we enjoyed the most, and the tour guide really tried his best to please us by taking us many creative photos, and, of course, he deserved a good tip at the end of the trip.
Koh Hong เกาะห้อง
Koh Hong is my favorite of all. The spot where we stopped the boat and got into a kayak was stunning! The sea water was emerald-green, and there were many beautiful rugged islands with vertical cliffs. The word "Hong" means "room" in Thai, and the island is really featuring a room with 2 entrances. Once we kayaked through the "door" into the center of the island, we found a big opening area surrounded by cliffs of limestone mountains. The water was calm and shallow due to the low tide, so our tour guide let us rowed our own kayak and he jumped into the water (about knee-high) to take photos of us.
After 10 minutes or so, we rowed to kayak out of the "room" back to our double-decker boat. It was more difficult because we rowed against the water current, so the guide took charge of it. On the boat, our lunch buffet was ready. It was home-made, hot and delicious and I just ate till I couldn't eat no more.
Koh Phing Kan เขาตะปู เขาพิงกัน
Koh Phing Kan is probably the most famous island in Ao Phang Nga National park because it was where a James Bond movie was filmed many years ago. The name "Phing Kan" means "leaning against each other" and the island has two split rocks leaning against each other, so I guess that's where they got the name from.
The water surrounding this island was very shallow, so our double-decker boat couldn't get close enough for us to land at the pier. As a result, the tour company hired a local boat to bring us to and from the island.
Koh Phing Kan is quite picturesque. A lot of tourists wanted to have their photos with "Khao Tapu" like in the James Bond movie. Khao Tapu or Koh Tapu is an island that looks like a "nail" standing vertically in the water. My mom said she went there once when she was a child, so that made me want to see it. It was quite interesting!
After almost an hour, our tour guide called us back to the boat. The trip ended as we were transferred back to our hostel in Phuket safe and sound. It was a very enjoyable day-trip, and if you are in the area, I highly recommend you to talk to your hotel's staff to see what is available. Some hotels can get you a discount, but if you are a foreigner, you might also want to check the price online to compare with the hotel's offer. However, generally this trip shouldn't cost over $30-35.
