The Quiet Side of Phuket

This is a side of Phuket that we knew nothing of.  It's beautiful, peaceful and well worth a visit.  This is Phang Nga Bay, the bay dotted with dozens of islands on the northeast side of Phuket.  And this is how many of the islands appear.  

When we visited Halong Bay in Vietnam, we thought that was the only place with such karsts; huge limestone formations shaped like gigantic stalagmites created by the dissolution of  layers of soluble bedrock.  How wrong could we be.  This area is full of many really impressive examples and, this time, we get to anchor right next to them and enjoy the scenery without a thousand other tourist boats hanging around.

To be fair, there are quite a few boats coming around a couple of times a day as they take kayaks of tourists into the tunnels which lead into the hongs; internal open ceiling lagoons within the massive rock structures.  They can only enter the tunnels in certain tide conditions so they rush in, rush out and rush off to another site somewhere else.  The rest of the time we have the place to ourselves in peace.

The entrance into the long tunnel

A trip in our dinghy around the islands proved to be spectacular.  The edges of the cliff are lined with hanging stalactites making for some incredible formations and scenery.  We couldn't get the dinghy into the tunnel so we waited 'til low tide and walked in.  Not such a great idea as the bottom was very uneven with sharp rocks, slippery banks and mud a bit like quick sand but it was quite an experience.  The first tunnel was over 50 metres in length, home to thousands of bats and pitch black inside; simply amazing.  Our pathetic excuse for a torch barely assisted and it was extremely heavy going but we finally saw the light at the other end.  However, as the tide was out, it was just a lagoon full of slimy mud.  Now to get back again!

The other side of Phuket is a different story altogether.  There are some beautiful beaches but they are lined with thousands of deck chairs and rows upon rows of umbrellas; one can barely see the sand in between.  In amongst all those are hundreds of oil slicked, overweight tourists (mainly Russian) and none of that, is our cup of tea.  

We had sailed around to Na Harn Bay just on the southwest tip of Phuket to meet up with our friends aboard Lop To but it didn't take long to realise that we wouldn't bother going further up the coast for more or the same.   Its all very pretty but....  Phuket is famous for its resorts, beaches, bars & restaurants and girlie shows.  Not for us (and I do not lie, not for Paul either).    Instead, we reversed gear and sailed up the east coast where we sit enjoying the ambiance right now.

While in Na Harn, Kerstin and I stopped off at a local temple where novice monks were in training.  Again I say, they're so young!

PHOTO GALLERY:

The exit into the hong

 

Monks robes drying in the sun

Na Harn Bay