If anyone asks me for a listing of "must see" places inwards the Phuket region, Phang Nga Bay is top of the list. The bay is genuinely rattling large roofing all the body of body of water together with many islands inwards betwixt Phuket, Phang Nga together with Krabi together with I induce got seen exclusively pocket-sized parts of it. One of these days I desire to purchase a boat together with larn exploring! We induce got done several trips inwards Phang Nga Bay amongst friends together with family. Our concluding i was dorsum inwards .. wow, I had to double check. It was dorsum inwards September 2010, I did non realise it was therefore long ago! I had planned that trip equally an afternoon excursion, renting a longtail boat together with aiming to achieve James Bond Island belatedly inwards the afternoon when all the tours had gone habitation together with hopefully amongst the bonus of some golden afternoon lite - it one-half worked. We were the exclusively visitors on this otherwise crowded tourist attraction, but on that 24-hour interval the lite was poor, amongst night clouds together with some lite drizzle. So I said "we induce got to endeavour that again!" together with fourth dimension has ticked by, together with life has moved on, together with it's been to a greater extent than than four years since our concluding Phang Nga Bay trip. Well, before this calendar month my cousin together with his identify unit of measurement who alive inwards Singapore came to Phuket for a few days, I had a 24-hour interval off on Sabbatum Feb seventh 2015 together with the weather condition looked good, therefore nosotros decided that Phang Nga Bay had to survive visited again. And everyone had a smashing 24-hour interval out.
From our solid it takes only over an hr to displace to Phang Nga Town. We alive only exterior Phuket Town. If you lot were driving from the northward of Phuket island, it would survive a shorter drive, if you lot started at Kata beach for example, it would in all probability accept at to the lowest degree ninety minutes, mayhap two hours - retrieve it tin accept good over an hr to larn from i terminate of Phuket to the other! We produce this trip without signing upwards for a tour, nosotros displace ourselves, nosotros negotiate a boat, nosotros notice a identify for dejeuner ... doing it yourself inwards a unusual province is non for everyone, but it's non precisely encephalon surgery. There are lots of tours doing this area, but many are cheap, rushed together with crowded. My friends at Easy Day Thailand tin produce a tour which is based on the way nosotros produce Phang Nga Bay - to a greater extent than personal together with trying to avoid the crowds yesteryear avoiding the peak times (see tour options here).
We headed upwards to Phang Nga inwards two cars equally at that topographic point were ix of us altogether - my married adult woman together with I, our two kids, my daughter's friend, my wife's cousin's son, my cousin together with his married adult woman together with their son! We ready off belatedly morning, no item rush together with stopped off offset at Wat Suwan Kuha temple which is only before Phang Nga Town. Glad to come across the entry fee is even therefore twenty Baht (and no dual pricing). Wat Suwan Kuha features lots of monkeys exterior together with a large reclining Buddha within along amongst many other Buddha images together with behind the Buddha cave is a larger cave.
(above) Entrance to Wat Suwan Kuha together with monkeys exterior the temple
(above) Inside Wat Suwan Kuha temple
After the halt it was fourth dimension for lunch. Now, dorsum inwards 2010 nosotros ate at a identify called Samchong Seafood, which is on a mangrove river which leads out into the bay together with nosotros rented a boat from the jetty side yesteryear side to the restaurant. In the concluding few years I induce got heard from several independent sources that this eating theater has gone downhill. Our friends at Easy Day Thailand don't purpose it straightaway .. together with although I volition reserve sentence until nosotros larn depository fiscal establishment jibe it again, on this trip nosotros played it rubber together with went for dejeuner at Dairy Hut Seafood which is only yesteryear Phang Nga Town. We've eaten hither a release of times, together with it's ever been good, equally it was this fourth dimension too! Then nosotros backtracked a few km - only before Phang Nga Town if coming from Phuket at that topographic point is a correct plough together with a sight proverb "Phang Nga National Park" which leads downward to the Phang Nga municipal jetty. Arriving at the jetty, longtail boat drivers saltation into the route to flag downward cars. We negotiated a boat for 1600 Baht, genuinely a footling to a greater extent than than I was expecting together with my married adult woman together with I both thought the drivers were a fleck of an unfriendly bunch, reinforcing our thought to give Samchong a endeavour in i trial again some day, equally the longtail driver nosotros had at that topographic point was genuinely nice. However - ix people, 1600 Baht .. yeh, let's non worry also much at that price! I am non certain a "tourist" could larn precisely the same bargain together with fifty-fifty if you lot mayhap pay a footling more, I'd propose doing a trip amongst Easy Day Thailand, amongst a guide along amongst you lot to explicate things.
(above) at the Phang Nga pier
(above) Our longtail boys for this trip were a correct distich of charmers.
We know you lot tin also larn a "local" boat from hither to Panyee village, together with we'd similar to endeavour that sometime. We arranged amongst the boat boys to accept our grouping to Panyee hamlet offset together with and therefore James Bond Island (real refer Koh Khao Ping Gan). The jetty is upwards a mangrove river nearly 7km northward of Panyee, nearly twenty minutes yesteryear longtail boat. Panyee is a stilted hamlet built only about a large limestone karst. I notice this identify rattling interesting, in i trial beyond the row of restaurants together with souvenir stalls. It's what I think of equally a micro-society, a identify slightly removed from reality, a footling isolated from the residual of the Blue Planet although these days at that topographic point are hundreds of tourists visiting every day. Thus fifty-fifty to a greater extent than argue to notice some backstreets.
(above) Koh Panyee from the H2O - the mosque is only nearly the exclusively edifice built on solid land. Everything else is on stilts.
Everything is built only about the rocky isle called Koh Panyee which towers higher upwards the village. Since our concluding see at that topographic point induce got been a distich of changes ... the mosque has been rebuilt amongst shiny golden minarets, together with the isle has a floating football game pitch! We walked through narrow streets passing the mosque to the due west side of the island.
(above) The dorsum streets of Panyee hamlet are narrow together with (to me) total of interest. At every pace I wonder what it's similar to alive here. I imagine it's a rattling unopen community where everyone knows everyone together with doors are ever open. Life volition induce got changed a lot over the concluding twenty twelvemonth amongst tourism generating a lot of income, but it's even therefore a line-fishing hamlet at heart.
The mosque when nosotros concluding visited looked rather sad. Now looking much healthier. Panyee is Muslim similar much of the Phang Nga coastal expanse (and also much of Krabi together with a fair amount of Phuket!). Although the stallholders selling souvenirs aspect a footling bored, I come across a lot of smiles here, I think it's an slow lifestyle.
Crossing over from where nosotros landed, yesteryear the mosque I constitute what I wanted to come across - the floating football game pitch. It wasn't at that topographic point when nosotros visited inwards 2010 although at that topographic point was a concrete recreation expanse attached to the school. The even out of the Panyee football game squad is straightaway good known thank you lot to a video made yesteryear a Thai bank. You tin notice the video together with to a greater extent than photos on a blog page I wrote inwards 2010 nearly Koh Panyee. And what a spectacular identify to kicking a ball around!
We all enjoyed a run around. The kids realised that you'd larn quite moisture playing here, equally you'd demand to saltation into the body of body of water to retrieve the ball whatever fourth dimension it went out of play! We spent nearly an hr at Koh Panyee together with I think I would happily pass one-half a 24-hour interval at that topographic point taking photos. It was nearly 4pm when nosotros started heading towards James Bond Island, which is nearly some other 7km south. We went via a pocket-sized isle where several body of body of water kayak companies induce got their bases together with on a busy high flavor 24-hour interval you lot tin notice hundreds of tourists on a footling kayak tour (part of a 24-hour interval trip package) - non for serious kayakers! Our longtail picked a path through the kayaks together with through a pocket-sized cave. All of these footling islands are beautiful. I desire a boat!
We got to Koh Khao Phing Gan (the proper refer for James Bond Island) nearly 4:30pm. Rather shocked to notice nosotros were a fleck early on .. even therefore a distich of groups of Chinese here!
We got at that topographic point later the national common staff had left, therefore inwards theory we'd non demand to pay the entry fee .. except our boat boys had collected 900 Baht from us inwards advance. Did nosotros come across that coin back? Ha! The concluding trip inwards 2010 we'd also got at that topographic point belatedly together with non paid whatever fees, together with zero to the boat dudes. I could order these two immature guys did non desire to survive the concluding ones dorsum to the pier, but .. tough! This is the Monk identify unit of measurement you lot are driving together with nosotros produce it our way! We stayed until the concluding Chinese grouping had gone together with the lite was rattling prissy this time. Would induce got been fifty-fifty nicer at high tide .. induce got to invention that side yesteryear side fourth dimension :)
The tall stone that sticks upwards from the H2O is called Koh Tapu, which way "Nail Island". I wonder how many years until it falls over? I'm certain the base of operations looked fatter inwards the movie! In the belatedly afternoon light, this expanse is gorgeous. The photograph higher upwards was taken at nearly 5:30pm, yesteryear which fourth dimension nosotros had this "crowded" tourist attraction to ourselves. Even the souvenir stall holders had gone. I had non noticed before, mayhap it was the light, but you lot tin come across Koh Panyee from here, 7km to the northward - what a view!
(above) Panyee hamlet equally seen from James Bond Island. Touristy or not, it's pretty frikkin' spectacular! And if it tin survive called "touristy" together with therefore it's exclusively for a few hours per day. We must produce this in i trial again sometime soon, together with non hold off some other four years! We stayed equally long equally nosotros could on Scaramanga's island, but sure the boat boys were worried they'd survive getting dorsum late. I was snapping photos upwards until nosotros left only later 5:30pm.
Now I exclusively wishing I had a amend photographic boob tube camera ... Well, it's my birthday presently :) These pictures were taken amongst a Panasonic Lumix G1, non the most modern camera. Actually a distich of these photos were taken amongst an iPhone. I am genuinely considering splashing out this twelvemonth on a Canon 7D or something of a similar quality. Anyone got a spare?
Anyway .. nosotros sped dorsum to the Phang Nga pier inwards nearly 25 minutes from James Bond Island, passing Koh Panyee amongst the Sun sinking low. Every fourth dimension we've done this trip it's been a smashing 24-hour interval out. We drove dorsum to Phuket, direct into Phuket Town for dinner at Kopitiam at nearly 8pm. Perfect day!
(above) Not far off sunset equally nosotros dash yesteryear Koh Panyee on the way home.
Contact Easy Day Thailand for Phang Nga Bay tours
More Phuket Tours
Phang Nga Bay - More Information
Our Phang Nga Bay trip inwards 2010
James Bond Island
Koh Panyee
Exploring Phang Nga Province Sumber http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com
From our solid it takes only over an hr to displace to Phang Nga Town. We alive only exterior Phuket Town. If you lot were driving from the northward of Phuket island, it would survive a shorter drive, if you lot started at Kata beach for example, it would in all probability accept at to the lowest degree ninety minutes, mayhap two hours - retrieve it tin accept good over an hr to larn from i terminate of Phuket to the other! We produce this trip without signing upwards for a tour, nosotros displace ourselves, nosotros negotiate a boat, nosotros notice a identify for dejeuner ... doing it yourself inwards a unusual province is non for everyone, but it's non precisely encephalon surgery. There are lots of tours doing this area, but many are cheap, rushed together with crowded. My friends at Easy Day Thailand tin produce a tour which is based on the way nosotros produce Phang Nga Bay - to a greater extent than personal together with trying to avoid the crowds yesteryear avoiding the peak times (see tour options here).
We headed upwards to Phang Nga inwards two cars equally at that topographic point were ix of us altogether - my married adult woman together with I, our two kids, my daughter's friend, my wife's cousin's son, my cousin together with his married adult woman together with their son! We ready off belatedly morning, no item rush together with stopped off offset at Wat Suwan Kuha temple which is only before Phang Nga Town. Glad to come across the entry fee is even therefore twenty Baht (and no dual pricing). Wat Suwan Kuha features lots of monkeys exterior together with a large reclining Buddha within along amongst many other Buddha images together with behind the Buddha cave is a larger cave.
(above) Entrance to Wat Suwan Kuha together with monkeys exterior the temple
(above) Inside Wat Suwan Kuha temple
After the halt it was fourth dimension for lunch. Now, dorsum inwards 2010 nosotros ate at a identify called Samchong Seafood, which is on a mangrove river which leads out into the bay together with nosotros rented a boat from the jetty side yesteryear side to the restaurant. In the concluding few years I induce got heard from several independent sources that this eating theater has gone downhill. Our friends at Easy Day Thailand don't purpose it straightaway .. together with although I volition reserve sentence until nosotros larn depository fiscal establishment jibe it again, on this trip nosotros played it rubber together with went for dejeuner at Dairy Hut Seafood which is only yesteryear Phang Nga Town. We've eaten hither a release of times, together with it's ever been good, equally it was this fourth dimension too! Then nosotros backtracked a few km - only before Phang Nga Town if coming from Phuket at that topographic point is a correct plough together with a sight proverb "Phang Nga National Park" which leads downward to the Phang Nga municipal jetty. Arriving at the jetty, longtail boat drivers saltation into the route to flag downward cars. We negotiated a boat for 1600 Baht, genuinely a footling to a greater extent than than I was expecting together with my married adult woman together with I both thought the drivers were a fleck of an unfriendly bunch, reinforcing our thought to give Samchong a endeavour in i trial again some day, equally the longtail driver nosotros had at that topographic point was genuinely nice. However - ix people, 1600 Baht .. yeh, let's non worry also much at that price! I am non certain a "tourist" could larn precisely the same bargain together with fifty-fifty if you lot mayhap pay a footling more, I'd propose doing a trip amongst Easy Day Thailand, amongst a guide along amongst you lot to explicate things.
(above) at the Phang Nga pier
(above) Our longtail boys for this trip were a correct distich of charmers.
We know you lot tin also larn a "local" boat from hither to Panyee village, together with we'd similar to endeavour that sometime. We arranged amongst the boat boys to accept our grouping to Panyee hamlet offset together with and therefore James Bond Island (real refer Koh Khao Ping Gan). The jetty is upwards a mangrove river nearly 7km northward of Panyee, nearly twenty minutes yesteryear longtail boat. Panyee is a stilted hamlet built only about a large limestone karst. I notice this identify rattling interesting, in i trial beyond the row of restaurants together with souvenir stalls. It's what I think of equally a micro-society, a identify slightly removed from reality, a footling isolated from the residual of the Blue Planet although these days at that topographic point are hundreds of tourists visiting every day. Thus fifty-fifty to a greater extent than argue to notice some backstreets.
(above) Koh Panyee from the H2O - the mosque is only nearly the exclusively edifice built on solid land. Everything else is on stilts.
Everything is built only about the rocky isle called Koh Panyee which towers higher upwards the village. Since our concluding see at that topographic point induce got been a distich of changes ... the mosque has been rebuilt amongst shiny golden minarets, together with the isle has a floating football game pitch! We walked through narrow streets passing the mosque to the due west side of the island.
(above) The dorsum streets of Panyee hamlet are narrow together with (to me) total of interest. At every pace I wonder what it's similar to alive here. I imagine it's a rattling unopen community where everyone knows everyone together with doors are ever open. Life volition induce got changed a lot over the concluding twenty twelvemonth amongst tourism generating a lot of income, but it's even therefore a line-fishing hamlet at heart.
The mosque when nosotros concluding visited looked rather sad. Now looking much healthier. Panyee is Muslim similar much of the Phang Nga coastal expanse (and also much of Krabi together with a fair amount of Phuket!). Although the stallholders selling souvenirs aspect a footling bored, I come across a lot of smiles here, I think it's an slow lifestyle.
Crossing over from where nosotros landed, yesteryear the mosque I constitute what I wanted to come across - the floating football game pitch. It wasn't at that topographic point when nosotros visited inwards 2010 although at that topographic point was a concrete recreation expanse attached to the school. The even out of the Panyee football game squad is straightaway good known thank you lot to a video made yesteryear a Thai bank. You tin notice the video together with to a greater extent than photos on a blog page I wrote inwards 2010 nearly Koh Panyee. And what a spectacular identify to kicking a ball around!
We all enjoyed a run around. The kids realised that you'd larn quite moisture playing here, equally you'd demand to saltation into the body of body of water to retrieve the ball whatever fourth dimension it went out of play! We spent nearly an hr at Koh Panyee together with I think I would happily pass one-half a 24-hour interval at that topographic point taking photos. It was nearly 4pm when nosotros started heading towards James Bond Island, which is nearly some other 7km south. We went via a pocket-sized isle where several body of body of water kayak companies induce got their bases together with on a busy high flavor 24-hour interval you lot tin notice hundreds of tourists on a footling kayak tour (part of a 24-hour interval trip package) - non for serious kayakers! Our longtail picked a path through the kayaks together with through a pocket-sized cave. All of these footling islands are beautiful. I desire a boat!
We got to Koh Khao Phing Gan (the proper refer for James Bond Island) nearly 4:30pm. Rather shocked to notice nosotros were a fleck early on .. even therefore a distich of groups of Chinese here!
We got at that topographic point later the national common staff had left, therefore inwards theory we'd non demand to pay the entry fee .. except our boat boys had collected 900 Baht from us inwards advance. Did nosotros come across that coin back? Ha! The concluding trip inwards 2010 we'd also got at that topographic point belatedly together with non paid whatever fees, together with zero to the boat dudes. I could order these two immature guys did non desire to survive the concluding ones dorsum to the pier, but .. tough! This is the Monk identify unit of measurement you lot are driving together with nosotros produce it our way! We stayed until the concluding Chinese grouping had gone together with the lite was rattling prissy this time. Would induce got been fifty-fifty nicer at high tide .. induce got to invention that side yesteryear side fourth dimension :)
The tall stone that sticks upwards from the H2O is called Koh Tapu, which way "Nail Island". I wonder how many years until it falls over? I'm certain the base of operations looked fatter inwards the movie! In the belatedly afternoon light, this expanse is gorgeous. The photograph higher upwards was taken at nearly 5:30pm, yesteryear which fourth dimension nosotros had this "crowded" tourist attraction to ourselves. Even the souvenir stall holders had gone. I had non noticed before, mayhap it was the light, but you lot tin come across Koh Panyee from here, 7km to the northward - what a view!
(above) Panyee hamlet equally seen from James Bond Island. Touristy or not, it's pretty frikkin' spectacular! And if it tin survive called "touristy" together with therefore it's exclusively for a few hours per day. We must produce this in i trial again sometime soon, together with non hold off some other four years! We stayed equally long equally nosotros could on Scaramanga's island, but sure the boat boys were worried they'd survive getting dorsum late. I was snapping photos upwards until nosotros left only later 5:30pm.
Now I exclusively wishing I had a amend photographic boob tube camera ... Well, it's my birthday presently :) These pictures were taken amongst a Panasonic Lumix G1, non the most modern camera. Actually a distich of these photos were taken amongst an iPhone. I am genuinely considering splashing out this twelvemonth on a Canon 7D or something of a similar quality. Anyone got a spare?
Anyway .. nosotros sped dorsum to the Phang Nga pier inwards nearly 25 minutes from James Bond Island, passing Koh Panyee amongst the Sun sinking low. Every fourth dimension we've done this trip it's been a smashing 24-hour interval out. We drove dorsum to Phuket, direct into Phuket Town for dinner at Kopitiam at nearly 8pm. Perfect day!
(above) Not far off sunset equally nosotros dash yesteryear Koh Panyee on the way home.
Contact Easy Day Thailand for Phang Nga Bay tours
More Phuket Tours
Phang Nga Bay - More Information
Our Phang Nga Bay trip inwards 2010
James Bond Island
Koh Panyee
Exploring Phang Nga Province Sumber http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com