Phang Nga - A Night in a Fishing Village

Once Dan was better, we eventually left Patong a couple of days ago after staying there for over a week. After getting the local bus from Patong beach to Phuket Town, we caught another bus to Phang Nga, which is just over 2 hours away from Phuket. No Justin Timberlake this time to keep Dan company but there was an 'interesting' local guy who seemed, much to Dan's 'delight', to take a bit of a shine to him!

James Bond Island

Once we arrived in Phang Nga we were faced with a choice of trips to Phang Nga Bay (the only reason that anyone really goes to this town). After much deliberation, we decided to plump for an overnight stay at a fishing village, followed by a full day's trip of the bay. Having swiftly packed a few spare clothes in a small day rucksack, we were driven down to the bay, which is a National Marine Park famed for its huge limestone rocks protruding from the sea.

Morning at Koh Panyee

A short 'long tailed boat' ride away, we arrived at Panyee, the Muslim fishing village which sits entirely on stilts above the water in the middle of the large bay. From a distance it looked quite romantic - just like Venice - however, on closer inspection it resembled more of a shanty town! Dan and I were led to our accommodation - a tiny ratttan hut containing a mattress on the floor, a small fan and a lamp. We had a great view of the bay and it was really interesting to see all the fisherman at work around us.

Once we'd got our bearings we decided to explore the village. What we found was a labyrinth of tiny walkways containing shabby looking shacks and market stalls. We both felt quite intimidated and fairly uneasy as we walked around the 'streets' and we couldn't help but feel a little voyeuristic as we were literally walking through people's homes. There seemed to be all sorts of animals crawling all over the place from scabby cats (a common site in Thailand) to monkeys, a goat and even a bird of prey. Dan and I felt very much the odd ones out as we realised that there were no Westerners at all staying on the island and the whole atmosphere was unlike anything we'd ever encountered before. Our feelings of unease were not lessened when we suddenly heard the prayer call from the Mosque - quite a haunting sound which echoed around the still bay. Dan was spot on when he declared that a couple of beers would help to 'take the edge off', but alas, nowhere on the island was alcohol available, so a long, sober night beckoned. As we walked back to our hut, Dan pointed out that poor little Billy goat, who the local kids had been feeding the last time we passed it, was now the victim of a ritual slaughter - I had to block my ears so I couldn't hear his screaming!

Our Hut at Koh Panyee

Feeling very much like ducks out of water as the sun began to set, we were served a meal. The food was very good and we were kept entertained by 3 or 4 little lizards whose curiosity overcame their fear as they crept closer and closer to our plates. Due to the fact that there were a couple of power cuts, we had a very early night as it was impossible to see anything either in or out of the hut. We both struggled to sleep in the heat and were kept awake by all the strange sounds around us - however, eventually tiredness took over and the next thing we knew we were being awakened at 5.30am by the prayer call.

Raining in Phang-Nga Bay

After breakfast we were picked up by the boat and joined 4 other tourists for a trip of the bay. We started off by travelling through miles of mangroves and then stopped to look around 'Sea Dragon Cave' which had been carved out of the limestone rock. Unfortunately, as we set off again towards one of the tiny, secluded beaches within the bay, the sky went black and it started to pour down. Suddenly our smugness at getting the seats right at the front of the boat, affording the best view, dissipated as we bore the brunt of the storm that had begun to rage. Soaked to the skin, we pulled into a tiny bay to shelter from the storm, however it was so cold and windy huddled under the rocks on the beach, that we all decided to go swimming in the sea which felt really warm.

Sea Dragon Cave

Once the storm abated slightly we continued on to another cave formation where we ate lunch bobbing up and down in the boat sheltering from the rain. In the afternoon we visitied 'James Bond Island' where some location shots for 'The Man With The Golden Gun' were filmed. As with many things on tv, we were struck by how much smaller the island looked in real life. After another swim (to warm up under the water) we headed back to the jetty - it was quite a relief to get back on to land and begin warming up out the way of the strong wind which was blowing around the bay.

We got a lift back to Phang Nga bus station and after retrieving our rucksacks boarded a bus for Krabi. Both soaked through we shivered most the way on the air conditioned bus and were glad to arrive an hour or so later. By this time it was dark and still raining so we jumped into a taxi which took us to Ao Nang (a beach resort about 20km away from Krabi). After enquiring about room rates at a number of hotels and huts, we eventually came across a suitable guesthouse - Lavinia - which was within our budget. The room was huge and very comfortable and we both looked forward to a good nights sleep.