Cruising Phuket – Part Three

In part two of Cruising Phuket, we explored the hongs of Phang Nga Bay. In part three, we head south in search of crystal clear water and snorkelling opportunities before hitting Patong for some nightlife!

Koh Rang Yai

We anchored at Koh Rang Yai and went to shore for lunch. This island has a pearl farm, and after lunch, we visited the pearl shop, which has lots of gorgeous pieces. On our explorations, we saw a path leading to the other side of the island. We could hear the coconuts falling to the ground as we walked along this coconut palm-lined path. Finally, we saw what was going on. On the side of the track, we saw people using monkeys to get coconuts from the trees. The monkeys, on leads, scampered up the trees, grabbed the coconuts and dropped them to the ground. I wouldn’t want to be the monkey handlers the day the monkeys decide they want to be free and use their captors as targets!

Koh Hi

Koh Hi is a busy spot. Many day trippers, as well as resort guests, visit the island. While we were anchored in the bay, a plethora of tourist boats came and went continually. We were joggled around for a couple of hours by the wake of these boats as they came whizzing by. Astonishingly, Dwayne still managed to keep the rum and coke from spilling while lazing about in the hammock!

Sometime around 1800, after all the tourist boats had left and the chaotic atmosphere had passed, we went to shore for dinner. Dinner was disappointing as it took nearly two hours to get the pizza we ordered, but I shan’t dwell on that…. only to say that we sent it back and nicely asked if it could be cooked through as it was still cold. After waiting, what seemed a ridiculously long time to warm a pizza, Martin went to see what was going on with it… Cook was sitting on his phone, pizza sitting on the bench!

Snorkelling the following day was quite lovely. There was a good array of fish life and even a clownfish or two. We then dropped the mooring before the hordes of tourists arrived and motored further south to Koh Racha Yai.

Koh Racha Yai

Beautiful crystal clear water! I must say my child-like exuberance once again came to the foreground. I love clean, beautiful-looking water. It wasn’t long before we all jumped in for a swim.

We had lunch on shore. The resort restaurant has a delightful setting on the beach, but no tables were left in the shade when we arrived. That was quickly fixed, as the staff considerately moved our table under a big shady tree.

After lunch, motivated by a recommendation we had received on where to snorkel, we motored around to a bay on the island’s east coast. Well, it was absolute chaos! Hundreds of boats screaming in and out… ok, not hundreds, but a lot! We were very nearly run over! I couldn’t really see the attraction of the place… you can’t snorkel, or you’ll probably get killed. Also, the beach was full of gravel, busy, dirty and just unpleasant. We left and went back to our first anchorage.

That night we walked through the resort to another beach, where we found a pleasant little restaurant over the water.

Koh Racha Noi

The next day we motored further south to Koh Racha Noi. Once again, it was a place that was recommended to us. The water here was even more pristine than at the previous stop. Sparkling blue, crystal clear, amazingly inviting water! Needless to say, we all jumped in for a snorkel. The only disappointment was the amount of rubbish on the beach!

We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to stay the night and have a BBQ on the beach. We went ashore and, between swimming and reading our books, we lit a fire and burnt our rubbish. Before I could return to the boat to get provisions for dinner, the weather changed, and we had to revise our plans. It was decided we’d move back to Koh Racha Yai. As it was the last night of Kate and Martin’s stay on the boat, we decided to BBQ on board. Tucking into BBQ chicken and a fresh warm potato salad, we began to lament the nearing end of our adventures with Kate and Martin. But it wasn’t over yet… we still had Patong’s nightlife to explore!!

Patong Beach

We booked rooms at the Patong Resort Hotel. The hotel is close to Bangla Rd, the main party street in Patong. It is a busy, noisy, and seedy street. The characters you meet along this road are often colourful and flamboyant. The tourists are loud and drunk. The boys are girls, and the girls are boys… It was time to party.

You can understand our astonishment when we found that there was a ban on alcohol sales from midnight that night until midnight two days later. What?! That’s right, no alcohol sales due to Buddha’s birthday holiday. So we hit Bangla Rd that night for a drink or two before it shut down. Martin and Dwayne had a little fun posting with the lady boys before they went to a Go-Go bar for a bit of ping pong! It was all over at midnight, and we had an early night.

The following night, when the alcohol ban was still enforced, we watched the ladyboy cabaret at Simon Cabaret. It was good; the costumes were great, the sets and props were grand, and the boys were beautiful. It was a lot of fun, but I think it could have been better. The dancers were a little wooden. The show lacked the energy and animation I expected to see in the dance performance, which was a pity.

The following night, after our elephant trekking, we had a drink on Bangla Rd again. It was interesting to see the place gradually come to life as the midnight hour neared and the alcohol ban was lifted.

Day Trip

We did a day trip with Back To Basics – Khao Sok Discovery Tours. Khao Sok National Park is on the mainland, so some driving was involved, but it was a great day. We were picked up from our resort in a comfortable air-conditioned minivan. Our first stop was for coffee at Khao Lak, after which we visited the Tsunami “museum”. It was more of a display than a museum. Maps, photos and information are displayed within a small verandah. Also on display is a police patrol boat that came to rest in the area after being caught in the tsunami.

The police patrol boat was in Khao Lak, protecting the prince who was holidaying nearby. Unfortunately, the prince and all the police officers died.

Even though we were expecting more – the brochure said museum – we were not too disappointed. I got goosebumps when the guide told the story of the 2004 tsunami.

Next up was an hour-long ride on an elephant. The elephant ride was good, but the interaction with the elephants afterwards was extraordinary.

After the ride, we were able to feed and pat the elephants. To be able to interact with them up close is really very special.

Our elephant was a male called Pry. He is a gentle giant, so beautiful… I wish I didn’t ride him. Since riding the elephant, I have read much about elephant tourism in Thailand. Now, I would elect not to ride the elephants. I would still want to experience the interaction with them because that was the really wonderful part of the experience. Lucky, there is an alternative. Elephant sanctuaries rescue and rehabilitate elephants. You can feed or bathe an elephant at these places and still get the sublime experience of an up-close encounter without riding these majestic animals. For more information about the elephants, have a read at To Ride or Not To Ride.

After stopping at a lookout that overlooked part of the Khao Sok National Park, we stopped to see the monkeys. They are irresistible creatures, a few of whom felt right at home sitting on our shoulders!

Lunch was at the Khao Sok Discovery Camp. It was a delicious Thai meal including tom yum soup, green chicken curry, grilled chicken, sweet and sour, veg and fruit.

After lunch, we went bamboo rafting down the Khao Sok River. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me. We did see some sort of snake in a tree. A giant green snake. Halfway through our trip, we stopped for a hot coffee. The water, boiled in a length of bamboo over the fire, was served in bamboo cups. The raft trip down the river was very peaceful and a nice end to the day. Now we had a two and half hour trip back to the resort.

The next day it was time for Kate and Martin to go home. There was time for one last beer and goodbyes before they were whizzed away in the taxi.

It is incredible what you can do in 13 days! We had a wonderful time with Kate and Martin, and we look forward to our next adventure with them. Adios!

Read about parts one & two of cruising Phuket here.

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