Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Woke up and felt much better. Went on a boat and kayak tour of the Phang Nga islands to the north of Ko Phuket. A minibus picked me up around 8 AM and took me to Ao Por Pier in the northern part of the island. The boat was large and had two stories. There were about forty to fifty customers on board. Visited the famous island that was in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Ate a buffet lunch on the boat. The food was just okay. Went to Hong Island. Rode a kayak and went through a dark tunnel with a low ceiling and entered a secluded lagoon in the interior of the island. We went under yet another low ceiling and entered a second interior lagoon. Then we backtracked. Entered another cave that opened into a cavern with the ceiling missing, with sunlight streaming down into the water. Very beautiful. Went to Panak Island. Rode a kayak through a tunnel to an interior lagoon with sheer cliffs on either side covered in lush foliage. Again, very beautiful. Went to another island and rode a kayak by myself and explored some interesting rock formations and a deep sandy cave. Returned to Ko Phuket and rode a minibus back to my hostel. Chatted with a couple Germans in my room, one of them the one from the night before. We went out for food and ate on the street. Was still hungry, so bought some meat on a stick and some ice cream at a Swenson’s. Returned to my hostel and relaxed. Decided to stay on Ko Phuket one more day to see the beach area. Planning to take a bus to Hat Kata tomorrow, and then maybe I will walk to some other beaches nearby.