February 27, 1999
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| Waitresses at Panyi Fishing Village |
Thailand's James Bond Island
On the north end of Phuket Island, we began to see signs advertising “James Bond Island.” Our guide book to Thailand explained that a James Bond movie, “The Man with the Golden Gun,” had been shot here in 1974. After a dump truck narrowly missed us on the highway, we decided maybe a boat trip to the James Bond Island would be therapeutic for my nerves. We were having difficulty finding the right exit to the docks when a fellow on a street corner motioned us down the street. The traffic was bad, so I decided to continue down the highway instead of turning at his signal in front of fast flowing traffic. At the edge of town, I decided to turn around and go back. The same fellow who had motioned to me on the corner, pulled up beside us on his motorbike and introduced himself as the captain of a boat and suggested that we follow him. We did. It would cost us about $40 for a three-hour trip. Forgetting to bargain (an unnatural process for my western mind), we surely paid too much, but we got a 48-passenger boat all to ourselves and a captain who would stop whenever we requested.
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| Pat with longboat |
Who would have guessed? The captain also owned a little shop on the harbor and his wife was happy to offer Cokes, food, etc. in preparation for our trip. The trip out to the islands followed waterways through mangrove flats. We somehow picked the perfect day. The speed of the boat provided enough breezes to keep us relatively cool, and we enjoyed full sunshine and clear skies. It was a great day for taking photos of the limestone sea stacks that make this area so popular with tourists.
Our captain first drove his boat through the 165-foot-long Tham Lot cave -- complete with stalactites -- that passed completely through the base of one of the tall islands. A larger boat unloaded passengers who paddled kayaks through the cave and around the island.
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| Fishermen and cave |
Next, we stopped at Phang-ngo National Park headquarters on James Bond Island (Ko Khao Phing Kan) where a park ranger collected 20 Baht per person. We were given 20 minutes to photograph the very scenic Nail Island (Ko Tapu) and hike over a crowded trail across the tiny Bond Island. Although it is a National Park, there were still plenty of souvenir shops selling trinkets, jewelry, photographs, shells, and mounted butterflies. A friendly German fellow agreed to take a photo of Pat and me with the Nail Island in the background.
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| Phang-ngo National Park |
On the way back, our captain stopped while we watched a couple of Brahminy Kites (hawks) playing high in the air along the cliffs of a sea stack, their red backs and wings contrasting sharply with their white head and neck. Then we stopped at the Panyi Fishing Village for lunch. Many Muslim families live here on stilts above the water. A stark, rocky cliff of another island provides background and possibly protection from southern winds for the village. Once these folks were mostly fishermen, but now they also cater to tourists who stop there for lunch. A man with a baby gibbon greeted us at the entrance to the restaurant. It looked at us with its sad little face, maybe wishing it were still with its mother in the forest.
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| Panyi Fishing Village |
The crabs I ordered for lunch were very small and chopped into large chunks of legs and body. Not knowing the proper etiquette and given only a fork and spoon, the only way I could see to obtain the small pieces of meat was to crunch the whole piece of shell and legs with my teeth, suck out the small pieces of meat, and spit out the shell. Pretty gross, but effective! It was the last time I ordered crabs in Thailand.
Mere words and a few photos cannot do justice to the beauty of this place. The stacks rise to such dramatic heights and the walls exhibit various shades of red, yellow, brown and black in the late-morning sun. The forty bucks we spent on this trip was well worth every penny.
We were visiting Thailand because my younger brother Peter was working there and it seemed like a good excuse to visit relatives and see the country. It proved to be a good idea.
We were visiting Thailand because my younger brother Peter was working there and it seemed like a good excuse to visit relatives and see the country. It proved to be a good idea.
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| Win, Pat, Anne, and Peter Sterling |
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