38) Thailand: West Coast. 27 December, 2015 to 19 January, 2016.

We officially checked out of Langkawi and Malaysia on Boxing Day but after doing the formalities, getting fuel and water it was very late in the afternoon. So we decided to go to the northern most sheltered tip of Langkawi ready for an early departure to Thailand the next morning. We were passing Rebak marina when we received a radio call from friends at the marina to say that the mail we had been waiting to arrive, had actually arrived. You wouldn't credit it - if we hadn't decided to go it would not have come. So we anchored outside the marina and had Russell and Christine (Christine Anne) over for dinner. Mail is worthy of a celebration I say.

The next morning bleary eyed we left for Thailand and we got good wind until about 2pm when we had to turn on the engine. We were keen to get to Patong Beach, Phuket for the New Year's Eve celebrations, but first we had to check in by the 30th at Ao Chalong, SE Phuket, before we could go anywhere. So we quickly made progress north anchoring off some islands overnight - Ko Tarutao, Ko Kradan and lastly Ko Mai Thon.

Finally we arrived at the bay outside Ao Chalong and tied the dinghy up inside an old rusting marina. You have to be careful here as the pilings and walkways are rusty and literally falling apart. You could easily fall, cut yourself or puncture your dinghy. There were piles and piles of rubbish stacked up and it was sad to see the marina in such a state of disrepair. A lot of this could be salvageable and the marina could operate again and service the huge tourist long boat fleet that currently have to tie up to trees on the beach.

The good thing about this check in was that the peach coloured circular building located at the old marina, housed all the officialdom for checking in and out of Thailand.

Patong Beach, west coast Ko Phuket.

After all the checking in we headed around to the western side of Ko Phuket for provisioning and the New Year's Eve festivities. The bay began filling up with boats on the 31st and by midday there was a large contingent ready for the NYE celebrations.

We went ashore at 6pm and had a lovely Thai dinner and then a gelato, our first for several months since Lombok, Indonesia. It is amazing when you find these little jewels of western stuff; it can really make your day. After indulging in a double scoop of chocolate heaven we headed back to the boat to be sure we would not miss the start of the celebrations at 8pm. It was good to miss the mayhem onshore, which was already overcrowded and throbbing with music and westerners in party mode. Right on 8pm numerous red lanterns were set aloft and then the fireworks started. There was not just one, but thirteen separate locations where the fireworks were let off from, so it was like watching a non-stop game of tennis with your head pivoting constantly to catch all of the display. We brought in the New Year with some nice champagne and finally called it a night by 1am. However, the fireworks, red lanterns and music did not stop until 6 am the next morning.

Traditional long boats tied up near the wharf.

The best spot to see everything is actually further back and in the middle of the bay. Here you will catch everything but not get bombarded by the red lanterns dropping on your deck. If you have to be close then have a bucket of water ready to go, as numerous boats do get hit. Lucky we were not among those that did.

The next morning we headed south again to catch up with friends in the best and calmest bay in the SW corner of Phuket. After a lovely few days relaxing and catching up, we left to do all the islands that lie just to the south of Ko Phuket, enjoying four days checking out lovely Ko Hie and Ko Rang Yai. We then headed up to the far north east of Ko Phuket. Yacht Haven marina had invited all yachties to come to a free dinner and drinks hosted by a company that takes numerous yachts as cargo to the Mediterranean each year. Many yachties and a lot of our friends turned up and it was a great night catching up. The food, drinks and music were sensational and we even got a quote to transport Reverie to the Med. But at just over US$ 50K, I don't think we will be applying anytime soon.

Map of Phang Nga Bay.

The next day we headed east and then north and into Phang Nga Bay. This area was made famous when Sean Connery, aka James Bond in the 1974 movie "The Man With The Golden Gun", flew his plane over Phang Nga Bay and landed on the beach at Ko Phing Kan, and in the process highlighted the spectacular scenery this area offers.

Reverie (right) at anchor off the NW of Ko Phanak.

Nature at its best.

Phang Nga Bay was rarely visited prior to the movie but since then the constant flood of tourists that visit this area yearly is mind boggling. The bay and the 42 islands were made a National Park in 1981 and a protected Ramsar site in 2002. The geology of the islands is limestone and limestone karst and most of the islands soar out of the sea in dramatic fashion.

Walking through a cave and seeing a collapsed roof Hong.

The islands are densely covered with vegetation and because the limestone rock is easily erodible by the constant motion of the sea it has created a myriad of plunging cliffs and different caves or collapsed cave systems, known locally as Hongs.

James Bond Island.

Some Hongs are small, some are large, and some you have to float through in a canoe or swim in, or crawl in at low tide. Others have steep limestone walls with collapsed roofs, and others hide beautiful natural gardens or beaches inside. It truly is a beautiful natural landscape and one worth visiting if you ever get the chance.

There are numerous tour companies that operate in the area and if using one of these you are going to see everything, quickly and affordably, but with a large group in tow.

Crawl in at low tide to a hidden garden and mangrove forest.

Another way to go is to hire one of the smaller local long boats with driver, who can go at a slower pace and can schedule visits to the Hongs after the other boats leave. You could do a different section of Phang Nga bay each day, and seeing most over a few days.

Tiny, hidden beaches within Hongs.

Even better still is to have your own yacht or to hire one. You could spend at least a week just visiting some of the Hongs and beaches that are on offer.  

Beautiful beaches.

The great thing about having your own transport is that you can get off the beaten track and visit Hongs and islands the tourist boats don't go to. Also you can schedule your own visit to the more popular spots before or after the tourist boats leave, as they don't usually arrive until 10 am and most are gone by 4pm, so you can have the entire Hong or beach to yourself. 

 

Luckily Phang Nga Bay is vast and with 400 square kms to roam you can easily lose the tourists. We visited and recommend Ko Phanak, Ko Hong, Ko Khai, Ko Phing Khan, Ko Ra Na, Ko Phra At Nam, Ko Thalu, Ko Thalu Nok, Ko Roi, Ko Ku Do Yai, Ko Hong (near Krabi) and lastly Ko Yai Yau. Certainly not all of them but we had made a fair dent in the list of Hongs to visit in Phang Nga Bay.

HELPFUL HINTS:

As of 1st January 2016 your vessel must have a transmitting and receiving AIS to enter Phuket waters. This may be extended to all of Thailand.

Procedures: Check in and out of Ao Chalong, SE Ko Phuket. You firstly proceed to the checking in office where you enter all your boat and crew details on their server. This document is then sent and used by all the adjacent offices - Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and the Port Authority. Costs increase for Saturday and are very expensive for Sunday and Public Holidays.

Fuel and Water: the various marinas around Ko Phuket offer these services.

Provisioning: 1) Ao Chalong - across the causeway is the road out of town. This has numerous restaurants, ATM's and a small 7/11 for phone/computer SIMs. Further up the road and across the roundabout is a small mall that has a good hardware and a food market that stocks western produce. Further afield is a Tesco. 2) Patong Beach - has a great wharf on the SE side of the bay. It is safe to tie up here and is free. There is a great fruit/vegetable/flower market open daily which is located behind the Big C supermarket. We found the Big C supermarket the best and preferred it to the Tesco.