Thailand

Of Hornbills and Hongs - December 2005

Click here for a map of the area.

Another month has flown by: we checked out of Malaysia at the end of November and checked into Phuket, Thailand at the beginning of December. We spent a few days en route at some of the Thai islands: it was delightful to see clear blue water again and we enjoyed snorkelling at Rok Nai in spite of a close encounter with a giant moray eel. Our favourite spot during the late evening and early morning was Maya Beach at Phi Phi Le: we picked up a buoy to witness a glorious sunset, with only one other boat and a wheeling mass of birds for company. The lagoon, almost enclosed by sheer cliffs has a wealth of fish and coral in the clear water: we snorkelled lazily until around 10am when the invasion began. Within minutes the peace was destroyed as speed boats and longtails arrived with the day's tourists. Moving round to the east side of the island we looked at the caves that the birds' nest collectors frequent (for the famed soup), then investigated the lagoon as well - not as picturesque as that on the west side but still very attractive.

We spent a few days at Phi Phi Don. Less than a year after the devastation of the tsunami (there is still building debris to be seen stacked up) restaurants and places to stay abound: as we ate one evening we marvelled at the building activities in progress - welding, plastering... The majority of travellers and local people seemed to be young - a testament to the resilience and optimism of the younger generation. We were full of admiration for them.

We had only been at our anchorage in Ao Chalong for a day when Barnaby and Cass had their plans for travel made: the next day they were off to the airport to fly to Bangkok, then onto Cambodia. More prosaically, we were dropped from their taxi at Tesco Lotus (one of the giant superstores on Phuket Island) for a looksee, then went onto the boatyard to check out when we could haul out. By the next day we were on the hard at the Ratanachai Boatyard and spent a dirty and smelly (a fish processing plant was next door) 6 days working on the boat. Not my favourite experience, but the flowers on the bow together with firecrackers lit as we re-entered the water (for "good luck") were fun!

Back at Ao Chalong it rained with a vengeance: so we had deck showers and filled up the water tanks - it certainly saved dinghying drinking water from shore. But provisioning was on my mind so we made our way into Royal Phuket Marina for a few days. By dint of hiring a car we made several shopping forays to stock up for the voyaging ahead, saw something of the island including Patong Beach (Phuket's answer to Blackpool so we drove straight through without stopping) and Wat Chalong (interesting, particularly the firecracker kiln), and got to see the movie "King Kong". The cinema was in a shopping mall called "Central Festival" which was aptly adorned with Christmas trees and festive music playing. The cinema itself was very comfortable - we opted for a comfy sofa for two: together with popcorn, icecream and drink it cost the equivalent of a fiver- a bargain!

Now it was time to see some of the islands in Phang Nga Bay, (see map below) and to investigate some Hongs. The area is what remains of an uplifted limestone plateau that has fractured and weathered, leaving a dramatic panorama of islands. These rise sheer from the water, the cliffs coloured and striped by mineral deposits, sporting huge stalactites and topped by lush vegetation. The Hongs (Hong is Thai for room) are lagoons within the islands, open to the sky but often with no visible sign from the seaward side: there is commonly a cave that connects the sea to the lagoon, making it accessible at certain states of the tide. On Christmas Eve we attempted to get through the 80m tunnel into the lagoon inside Koh Phanak but found that the tide was too high to get out of the end: we did see (with our torches) the tiny bats suspended from the tunnel roof. Next morning we tried again and were successful not only in getting through but also being the first people there so the peace was only broken by the call of birds and strange popping and clicking noises that seem to occur at these mudflats.We saw large mudskippers in mating mood, and a macaque searching for food. We returned to Avalon just as the day trippers were arriving. And so our Christmas Day continued as we moved onto Koh Hong, to explore the caves and hongs there, and take a refreshing dip in the sea.

Koh Roi was another delightful anchorage where we spent a few days doing some jobs on the boat in between watching the hornbills and fruit bats. We couldnt always see the hornbills, but the noise they made advertised their presence: huge, with black and white markings and an enormous orange-yellow horn on top of the bill, the first day we glimpsed 6 or so in their unmistakeable gliding flight from tree to tree, the last day there were 3 on the beach apparently eating crabs. The fruit bats we watched leaving the island and passing over Avalon just as the sunset glow was fading, and our gins and tonics were slipping down - 245 bats counted!

New Year's Eve was spent once again in Royal Phuket Marina taking some liquid refreshment with other yachties: at midnight we watched fireworks in the distance and the glowing hot air lanterns drifting on the breeze.Only a few more days to finish those last minute jobs, ensure the fuel and water tanks are full and be reunited with Barnaby and Cass prior to checking out of Thailand. We don't feel we've done it justice this time round ( we saw more when we were here over 30 years ago) so will definitely have to come back. But for the moment, its time to hoist sails and head west for Sri Lanka.

Ed's note:- Avalon arrived safely in Sri Lanka after a rather bumpy crossing.