The second of our planned tours started early Friday morning. The ride to the Phang Nga Bay port took about an hour. Again, we were split into groups and directed towards our respective vessels. We plopped ourselves right in front on the top deck. The weather was glorious, so we sat back and enjoyed the cruise across the bay. Over forty islands jut dramatically out of the water to form some incredible scenery. I've never seen anything like it and sat with my mouth agape. The first stop was Koh Pingkan, better known as "James Bond" island. 'The Man with the Golden Gun' was filmed there. The distinctive rock, that in the movie houses a laser gun, is Koh Tapoo. The Thai people once again know how to market what they can. Westerners are suckers for anything Hollywood-related. Trinket shacks and budding capitolists lined the entrance as our dinghy came to shore. We dodged the herd and made our way to the scenic spots. Sarah enjoyed crawling through the small passageways in the caves, while Syd and Katie wanted to know when we'd get to kayak.
Back on the boat, we enjoyed a traditional Thai buffet, plus some spaghetti and chicken wings for the less adventurous eaters. Katie was enthralled by one of the Thai guides as he was able to snap a straw by rubbing it in between his fingers. At first, all of us were trying. Katie followed this little guy around until he finally relented and showed her the trick. Even after learning the secret, she couldn't do it. To make matters worse, Syd was able to break it. He got back in Katie's good graces when he made a straw rose for her.
The next stop was Koh Panak. The island had a cave system that had collapsed and now formed what the the Thais call a 'hong' (room), an open air room, with a large lagoon. The guide told us the cave could only be accessed at low tide and we'd come at the right time. Coincidence? No, well-timed. We had to lay flat in the kayak in order to clear the protruding limestone, but when we emerged in the lagoon, it felt eerily prehistoric. I wouldn't have been surprised if we'd seen long-thought extinct creatures. As it was, we saw only one water critter....
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