James Bond Island

A trip to Phang Nga Bay is part of many visitors holiday to the Phuket area. We've done several trips before, although we don't go with organised tours. In the past we have driven up to Phang Nga (just over an hour from our house) and hired a longtail boat from the jetty which is a few km west of the town. I blogged one of these trips in March 2007 : Phang Nga Bay. I do recommend people to try doing it this way, rather than signing up for a tour. Getting your own boat gives you more freedom, and a boat trip to James Bond Island could be combined with a visit to other attractions such as Suwan Kuha Temple, or a visit to the lovely Sanang Manora forest park.

Well, we took another trip on 20th March, and wanted to try something different. Last year we found a restaurant that we liked - Samchong Seafood, which is nearly 20km closer to Phuket than the main Phang Nga Jetty, and I could see on Google Earth that the mangrove river where the restaurant is located led right out into Phang Nga Bay just a few km from James Bond Island. Only thing we were not sure about was whether or not we could hire a longtail boat from anywhere near the restaurant. But for sure there are plenty of longtails around there....



No worries! We sat down to eat and asked for a boat - sure, no problem, 1800 Baht for the boat for the afternoon. So we enjoyed lunch over the water and went to meet our boatman. (Update 2012) - for more about doing it this way - see Phang Nga Bay - Doing It Our Way!

Read on for more about James Bond Island ...





It was a gorgeous sunny day, typical for March in Phuket. We headed out along the mangrove river and I was pleased that this longtail had a new engine which purred rather than the normal deafening put-put-put. This was a Rolls Royce longtail. It was about 10km from the restaurant to James Bond Island, the first few km passing the mangroves and then out into the bay. I love this scenery. I'd love to have a boat and spend days cruising around. There are (based on my quick count on Google Earth!) over 50 islands in the bay. We saw some new scenery this time, as we were starting from a different base. I'll say it again - I love this scenery.





Our kids enjoyed the ride too. Last time we did this our son was maybe to small to remember. This time they both loved it. If people ask me about "things for kids to do" in Phuket.. I mean, yes you can try the new waterpark or play minigolf or use your hotel kids club.. but they'd be missing out. Our kids like this great scenery, rides on boats, it's an adventure!



After passing several spectacular islands and massive rocks rising from the sea, we approached the famous "James Bond Island". That's not it's real name of course, it's called Koh Khao Phing Kan or Ping Gan or however you wish to transliterate the Thai spelling. But thanks to Roger Moore and Christopher Lee and that little guy called Nick Nack, well the island got it's nickname, and really nobody calls it Ping Gan, which means leaning rock. It's Bond, James Bond...





We landed at a small beach where there used to be a jetty. Not sure where that's gone. The National Park staff have a desk under an overhanging rock where you get your tickets.. the whole bay is a national park but you only pay fees if you land here :)

Now, the main attraction of this island is the standing rock just offshore, which itself is sometimes called James Bond Island, but is actually called Koh Tapu, meaning nail island. You can't see it from where you land - have to clamber up and down some stone steps to get views of (perhaps) Thailand's most famous rock. When you look out over the water to "the rock", it's beautiful. Somehow, you can ignore the fact that you are sharing the island with several hundred other people. We tried to avoid peak time - we got the longtail from Samchong a little after 2pm, so were at James Bond Island around 2:45 and stayed for around 45 minutes. Still plenty of visitors at that time. Next time, now that we know the route, we'll go later. I want to get photos in the late afternoon light, and surely by 5pm it'll be too late for most of the day trippers? But if you look out to sea, your photos will be uncrowded...

A few views of Koh Tapu







It's a small island, a few little caves to clamber into (kids like), and of course if you are gazing at the rock (Koh Tapu) and turn around, you see a collection of stalls selling souvenirs and drinks and shells and ... as much as I wish that they were not there, I know they will remain.



What of the leaning rock? The real name for this island (Khao Ping Gan), nothing to do with movies, comes from the amazing rock formation here modelled by a visiting monk. The islands here are limestone and in this case a huge wedge of the rock has been split, creating this massive leaning slab which rests on it's other half, a real work of nature. This old monk kept his hand on the rock as if feeling the energy of the world. Or something.





Our kids meanwhile went off exploring...



We had hired the longtail for the whole afternoon, and there was time left to head about 4 miles further north of James Bond Island to Koh Panyee, the Muslim fishing village built next to a towering rock - a quite wonderful place. Lots of photos. And we'll be back. Many times!

A private tour like this can be booked with my friends at Easy Day Thailand - the tour is pretty much based on the way we do it.

Nearby sights and attractions:

• Koh Panyee
• Suwan Kuha Temple in a cave
• Samchong Seafood Restaurant
• Wat Thamtapan in Phang Nga Town

Read More

The Phuket Heroines Festival

I have seen mention of this festival for several years on various Phuket news websites, but never really thought about checking it out.. I figured it would be just another local fair, maybe not worth the 30 minute drive to Thalang. Wrong. The Heroines Festival is something much more than just a bunch of food and handicraft stalls, very much worth going (even if it was hard to find!) and the whole family enjoyed it. The festival was on from 5th - 20th March, with the big performance featuring hundreds of performers on the 13th, 14th and 15th. I think the dates are the same every year because March 13th marks an important date in the history of Phuket... In 1785, the Burmese invaded, but were beaten in the battle of Thalang.. the Phuket defenders were led by 2 sisters called Chan and Mook, the former being the widow of the governor who had died not long before. At that time, Thalang, the town in the middle of Phuket island, was the main town, and here the battle was fought, ending on March 13th. The 2 sisters were later honored by King Rama I, being given the names Thao Thep Krasatri and Thao Sri Sunthorn.

We decided to have a look at the festival on March 13th. I had seen in the Phuket Gazette that the festival takes place "near the Heroines Monument" - this monument is in the center of a traffic circle, showing the 2 sisters with swords drawn - pretty much every tourist visiting Phuket will pass this monument on the way from the airport to the south of Phuket. So, we drove to the monument. No sign of a festival. We asked a policeman. "Ah, no.. you have to drive up to Thalang Town", he said (another 6km north). At the traffic lights in Thalang we turned left. Again, no signs or directions to the festival. Little surprise that we saw just a few foreign faces that night! These local festivals are often hard to find - I went to one last year in my local village and didn't see any other non-Thai people! It was only at the entrance to the park where the Heroines Festival was taking place that it was obvious where to go - we entered, parked and headed towards the lights and crowds.

At the entrance to the fields where the festival was taking place, my son stopped to play drums. The road was lined with food and drink stalls of all kinds - we didn't stop, as we were a little late and I could hear that the main performance had started.





The main performance was just getting going with the characters being introduced, so we took a detour first around the many food stalls and craft stalls. There was also a smaller stage with performances going on - a musical / dancing group from Pattani (one of Thailand's southern provinces), and some mock Muay Thai fights and a fire breather...





The performance which was based on the story of the Heroines of Phuket (aka Heroines of Thalang) was getting going - the whole show was supposed to be about 1 ½ hours long which we figured might be too long for our kids so we wandered around some more of the stalls and found shadow puppets to play with, drums to bang and chicken with sticky rice to eat! A family was posing all dressed up in (mostly) old style costume accentuated by a sepia filter...



We then found a place to sit and watch the performance - there were seats set up, but all were taken already so we were kind of on the edge and the stage was a large area - parts of the show were just 10 meters from us, other parts out of sight! As the story was told by a narrator (in Thai.. no subtitles), actors played the roles of the locals and the Burmese. Dramatic music accompanied the performance. The music was familiar. Think Darth Vader. Think Superman. Yes, seems John Williams had written the score.. wonder if he knows about it?

The 2 photos below represent part of the heroine's history before the battle. I am not sure of their whole life stories, I have read that Chan was jailed at one point because her husband had been in debt. Any local historians reading this? Please do correct me! She then escaped and headed back to Thalang just as the Burmese were starting their invasion plans.





As the story continued and Darth Vader the Burmese approached. History says that the people of Phuket were warned of the approaching Burmese by a captain of the British East India company. Phuket had no large army but the sisters rallied the people and dressed women as men, made swords from wood and using all kinds of trickery fooled the Burmese into believing they faced a much larger force. The photos below show the "battle" taking place. We couldn't see everything from our position - next year we'll go early and put towels on seats to bag a good view :)







And the battle was won.. March 13th 1785... roll forward 225 years. Did someone say "Phuket is just bars and tourists"? There is a rich history here which is well worth celebrating. This festival, as I say, is largely unknown to tourists. I mean, even we had trouble finding it! I won't even mention the wrong turn we took after the festival.. we ended up driving off through the rubber plantations of Thalang rather than finding the main road again - it's quite rural in this part of Phuket..this is the real Phuket, the old Phuket.



Fireworks marked the end of the show, with the heroines being honored by the King and Phuket safe from harm. The huge set for the show included a mock-up of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The performance over, we had the chance to mingle with the stars of the show and take some photos. I caught sight of the Governor of Phuket, Mr Wichai Phraisa-ngop and his wife - ah yes, this festival is a big one. We shook hands and said "Pleased to meet you".. I should have slipped him a business card. He seems a good guy. Our governator is not afraid to take on the hard issues like jet ski rip offs and now he's having a go at sorting out the issue of public transport in Phuket. Well done, sir!



The stars of the show, Chan and Mook were happy to pose for photos. Our daughter has already learned something of their history at school. I think our son just thought their swords were cool.





Wow. I was very happy that we had made the effort. Kids enjoyed seeing something different - it did go on quite late, kids were sleeping in the car by the time we got home. For the purposes of this blog, a festival like this is gold! I started the blog in 2006, trying to show the "other" Phuket, off the beach, away from the tourist crowds. March is a great month to be in Phuket - weather is hot and sunny, it's out of peak season - and now, if planning for next year, remember the dates 13th to 15th March - the Phuket Heroines Festival.

Phuket Heroines Festival - Location Map


View Phuket Heroines Festival Location in a larger map

More Phuket Festivals...

• Phuket Vegetarian Festival
• Phuket Halal Expo
• Loy Krathong
• Old Phuket Festival

Read More

Speedboats and Helicam aerial photography

Happy Birthday to me! Last Thursday (4th March) was the big day. I tend not to celebrate the passing years, but this year enjoyed a great day out on the water playing with speedboats, cameras and a helicopter.... Background: I am manager at Sunrise Divers, based at Karon Beach in Phuket. The owner bought a very nice speedboat last year and we're going to offer the boat for private charters - not diving, but cruising, sightseeing, getting out to offshore islands, off the beaten track a bit. The boat is called Sky Water, it's a Sea Ray 26 foot sports boat, top class, very nice.. not your average Thai speedboat. It's available for charter for up to 4 people.. can squeeze in a couple more, but it's not a huge boat. The waters around Phuket are dotted with small islands. Some are very popular like Phi Phi or Koh Khai. Other islands are less well known. The Sky Water can take you wherever you want. Damn, I want one too!

Update February 2011 - Sky Water (this boat on this page) is for sale, 1.8 million Baht - interested? Contact me!

On Thursday, we had arranged a day at Koh Rang Yai, a small and very nice island just off the east coast of Phuket. The Sky Water is based at the Ao Po Marina in the northeast of Phuket.. the photo below shows Gilbert (owner) and Sky Water at the marina...



It was just 15 minutes cruise to reach Koh Rang Yai. The day was all about photos. We met the guys from Helicam at Ao Po. Helicam specialises in taking aerial photos amd videos. They do boats, hotels, private houses and much more and get some amazing photos - their website is www.helicam.asia. It happens that I know Phil, one of the owners, as our kids go to the same school. On Thursday Phil was joined by Khun Moo - Phil is the helicopter pilot (remote control) and Moo the photographer.

Enough talk!.. I'm waiting for some of the finished Helicam photos - will be added soon, but I took some pics on the day from the shore and from the boat. Firstly - Koh Rang Yai is a gorgeous little island...



We cruised in to the beach and unloaded the Helicam gear... helicopter, remote controls, batteries, and other fancy electronic gear that was beyond my ken. Phil got the copter ready on the beach. It can take off and land pretty much anywhere. Phil preferred to use the beach, but later we managed it from the back of the speedboat :)



The helicopter can't stay up for too long, about 15 minutes is the limit on a set of batteries. We planned 2 runs - the first getting aerial shots of the boat and the second with wakeboarding. I stayed on shore for the first run, as we didn't want too many people cluttering the boat. I have a 300mm zoom on the camera so got a few good pictures of Sky Water and the chase helicopter...





You might notice the hills and shoreline behind the boat... the East coast of Phuket is very different to the developed beaches on the West coast. You can get to Koh Rang Yai easily by longtail boat from Laem Hin.. or by chartering the Sky Water :) After the first run, Phil landed the helicopter at the beach - the hat in the foreground is Phil...



For the second photo session, Gilbert wanted to try something new... photos of him wakeboarding taken from the helicopter. This was new for the Helicam team too! I'll post some of the final photos that they got in a couple of days... I was on the boat, Gilbert in the water and Phil somewhat apprehensively launching the helicopter from the back of the speedboat - not much room to manoeuvre...





The boat captain upped the revs, Phil piloted the helicopter behind Gilbert on his wakeboard and we flew past the beach a couple of times. Now, Gilbert's not a wakeboard champ, but enjoys a bit of a go - anyone chartering the Sky Water can also do some watersports - there's plenty of quiet water on the East coast of Phuket, ideal for a quick wakeboarding session. I took some photos from the boat... waiting for some pics from Helicam.. and (I have seen some previews) they are good. Great company they are, Helicam - if you want aerial photos, check their website: www.helicam.asia.





After the photo session we threw the anchor, swam ashore and had a couple (ahem, I had more than a couple) of beers and some food at the restaurant at Koh Rang Yai - food is tasty, also not cheap at all! Well, occasionally Paradise is worth it - you can stay at Koh Rang Yai in simple bungalows for 1000 Baht per night. After the drinks we carried the Helicam gear back to the boat and sped back to Ao Po in the afternoon sun. In this weather, a day on the water is always a pleasure. And yes I got a bit too much sun, but since I work in the office 6 days a week, too much sun is a luxury!

• Sky Water - Speedboat Charters
• Helicam - Aerial Photos and Video

Added 19th March - a few of the shots from the Helicam helicopter - you can see more at the Skywater Boat Charter Gallery.

Read More

An evening at Glastnost Cafe, Phuket Town

This blog rarely enters into the nightlife of Phuket. I am not much of a night owl, certainly don't like noisy places, do not like loud bars or discos, although Phuket has plenty on offer with (so I am told) famous DJ's coming to do their stuff or whatever they do. Not my cup of tea. I did once go to see Sek Loso in concert (he's a big Thai rock star), and have been known to shoot some pool in Patong, but these days my wife and I prefer quiet company. So I am happy to say there is an alternative kind of nightlife in Phuket. We got just a taste last Sunday and will be back for more soon...

We had met Khun Puchong in January at a restaurant, he is the owner of the Glastnost Bar / Cafe in Phuket Town.. he told us of Jazz / music jam sessions every 4th Sunday of the month. We missed the January session, but on February 28th we (a rare occasion!) left our kids with a friend and headed out on the town. The Glastnost Bar is on Soi Romanee in the old part of Phuket Town, it is a small street connecting Thalang Road with Dibuk road. This part of town has recently been renovated - all wires have been either put underground or have been stuck to the side of the buildings so there are no unsightly overhead wires. We saw this already in December at a street festival on Thalang Road.

Last Sunday was actually a very quiet day in town as it coincided with Makha Bucha Day, an important Buddhist holiday, so bars were mostly closed. Nevertheless we drove into the old town, parked on Thalang Road and walked to Soi Romanee. Thalang Road has some great old architecture and a lot of the buildings are well cared for, so we stopped for some photos...



There were just a few people at the Glastnost. The old town was quiet with bars closed due to the religious holiday. Soi Romanee was pretty empty - we were there not long after 8pm, so a bit early really. Puchong greeted us like old friends and insisted I joined him for some wine to celebrate his birthday which had been a couple of days earlier. No music was playing yet, so I had a look around inside. Glastnost is almost like a museum (with drums and a microphone) - lots of old photos and memorabilia around the room. My parents had found this place when they came last time and enjoyed talking with Puchong about jazz - he loves jazz and my parents when they were young boppers were regulars at their local jazz club. Thus you have photos on the wall of Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and of course HM King Bhumibol and his saxophone.





A few people drifted down the street, some backpackers looking for a sign of nightlife, some friends of Puchong, my wife and I sat and chatted with Puchong and his friend Boonlert who owns an electric shop just down the street on Thalang Road. We did not know it was Puchongs birthday so I owe him a bottle of wine next time - he told us there will be a live music evening on the 19th of March with a jazz band from Chiang Mai - see you there!





Puchong is actually a lawyer, quite a big one, with lots of connections in Phuket and Bangkok. The Glastnost is his hobby, not a business exactly - in fact, he told us that he couldn't sell us a drink - but we could get one at a nearby guesthouse on Soi Romanee. It was quiet that night, but should be busier on the 19th. More people turned up as the evening progressed and a little live music started. The guitar man below is well known to us - we met him first in the Beach Bar - see here - this is also where we'd met Puchong in January. It's one of our favourite spots, and I can see that Soi Romanee might become a fave too!



A view of the street shows that we had a little crowd going by 10pm. Puchong invited any passers-by to join. OK, this was a quiet evening, being a Buddhist holiday - the temple at the end of Soi Romanee, Wat Mongkhon Nimit, was much busier!



Anyone walking past was welcome. Plenty of Puchong's friends showed up, and there was a birthday cake too. This is a Thai birthday party - if you happen to be sitting nearby you are given some birthday cake. Anyone who wants to moan about the "Land of Smiles" being just a name.. you better come to the real Thailand. Happy Birthday was played on the saxophone by a German friend of Puchong. Cake was eaten. Life is good.





Phuket Town for me is a very interesting place. What we experienced last Sunday.. you cannot find this near the main beaches of Phuket. The old town has an almost magical feel. We will be back at Soi Romanee on the 19th for a quiet night of jazz.

Read More