Home » Thailand » Phuket

April 2005

Phuket

Jeremy Koh
2005-11-05 11:45:47

Displayed times (last time: )

we had to leave all our stuff onboard and just take our valuables and cameras with us onto the canoe. And surprise, surprise, we didn't actually have to canoe. As we went on a canoe, our boatman did all the work paddling us around the limestone islands and into hidden passageways and caves while we relaxed, admired the scenery and took lots of pictures. It was a great experience especially when after going through a dark tunnel, we emerged into an enclosed area within the island, evoking a sense of adventure and making us feel like explorers, albeit with lots of camera-toting tourists around us.

From here, we went on to Khao Ping Kan where we could see the famous Khao Tapoo, or what is commonly known as James Bond Island after a James Bond film was shot there. Anyway, the moment we landed on Khao Ping Kan, we were confronted by scores of aggressive souvenir vendors (okay I'm exaggerating here, one very aggressive souvenir vendor) who clung on to us and pleaded with us to buy their stuff. In the end, I succumbed and bought a shell engraved with the image of James Bond Island. After that, I decided to steer clear of the vendors. Khao Ping Kan itself is very small. You can walk around it in a matter of minutes. On Khao Ping Kan, you can see a huge rock that looks like it's been sliced in two and one leaning on the other. Also from Khao Ping Kan, we can see James Bond Island which is a shore-less island which juts out of the sea, and with its wide top and narrow bottom, resembling a nail which is what Tapoo means in Thai.

Our next stop was the Muslim floating village on another island, Koh Panyee. It is a picturesque village beside a limestone island which rests on pilings and extends across the water. However, we did not get to stay for long. After our lunch, we only had about 30 minutes to explore the place. The areas closest to the restaurants consisted of souvenir shops but as you move on further, you can see ...