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Well, Peter and Sarah........................................................................Unreal experience as you said and recommended. Thank you.
An early morning call that came twice and onto the bus at 5.30 am yesterday. The hotel had prepared a breakfast box and when we had picked up everyone else from their hotels we found out we were on a "german" speaking tour. The guide was good.... spoke fluent German and we got the precise and he happily answered any questions.
At our departure point, after an hour and a half we had some brekky and then away into the morning mist. The limestone monoliths loomed omminously before us. They made the cliffs we had seen two days before look like molehills. With the sun rising, it started to catch the islands at great angles and it was just "Wow!" One of the reasons we travelling so early was to avoid the tourist crush which started to catch up with us after Hong Island. More like party buses on water with hordes of people not in awe of what we were experiencing.James Bond Island was so commercialised.
Our guys, Eco Khao lak Adventures had great boatmen who got us into some of the islands centres where others didn't.
Lying flat in an inflatable kayak with the roof a bare two centimetres above your nose and to come out into the centre of the island and then the thought "OH .... we've got to get back now" held no fears. They deflated the kayak to get us through. We had a great boatman called "Iff" who had some classic one liners like, "Mamma, mouth close, bat pee!" Yes there were bats but getting inside was something photos will never be able to explain or capture. I hope some regulation comes to how operators do this because this is truly an earthly treasure.
Our guide then took us out of the caves and around the back. We reached a small beach, disembarked and walked through waste deep water to a back way into another collapsed cave at the back of the island. Thoughts of pirates and hidden treasure and ducking low ceilings brought us out into a mangrove area. The light in these collapsed caves is pristine and the silence is beautiful.
Stepping back a bit, prior to all of this we visited the Muslim village of Koy Panyee which sits in the ocean built on stilts. It has a population of nearly a 1000. There is a school, medical centre etc. The boys wanted to play soccer so they built a floating soccer field(1/4 size) and proceeded to win 7 national titles. A proper field has now been built. The community are fisherman and look at tourist trade to generate income.
And then after all our cavern exploration, to spoil us, we pulled intoan island with a small beach that gave you a panorama of all the islands as you swam.
Then off to lunch, however, drama was to follow. The propeller snagged on some underwater object and we were dead in the water. As we pulled into some swampy mangrove area we disturbed monkeys who later came back to watch what we were doing. Some quick repairs got us a further few hundred metres.... but then dead again. Our guide called up a favour and a boat came to pick us up. As all of this was happening a massive rainstorm with lightning had set in. So heavy was the rain that the fishing boats wre contantly bailing their boats. Cut a long story short, we got to lunch, another Thai feast, and got back home by 4.
Another brilliant day.
- comments
Sarah and Peter Oh im sooooooo pleased you did it!!! How amazing is it???? Best experience ever