The Rambling Writer Visits Thailand, part 19: Sea Stacks of Phangnga Bay

Join Thor and me as your virtual Thailand vacation continues with a tour via longtail boat of the dramatic sea stacks of Phangnga Bay.

NOTE: “And now for something completely different.” Thor and I made our first trip to Asia — the beautiful country of Thailand.  We were lucky to squeak through the pandemic flight closures in January/February of 2020 as we returned from our three-week trip. Since more travel has now become a distant prospect, we hope you’ll take a virtual vacation with us in the following weeks. (This blog series started on June 13.)

Our goal for our last destination in Thailand was to visit these spectacular limestone formations rising straight out of the shallow seas. Our hotel arranged a reliable local boat and pilot, “Donnie,” to pick us up on the beach the second morning of our stay, though we could have chanced picking up a boat among those trolling for tourists along the beach. The longtail boats ingeniously use a car’s drive shaft to power the prop, as the pilot stands in the stern to steer:

And we were launched! The boat had definitely seen some wear, but we were happy to have Suwanee as our private vessel for the day. Sweet Donnie managed to communicate despite his main English phrase being, “What you want.” (In response to “How long do we have?” at each stop.)

Getting closer….

Like the karst formations we saw near Our Jungle House, these limestone outcrops are remnants of the once-mighty Tenasserim Mountains that still form a spine through Thailand to China. Only these ones are “drowned karstland” in shallow sea, and the stone is carved by water that erodes fissures and creates tunnels and chambers.

Our first stop was Hong Island:

This island had a green central lagoon entered by the narrow passage above. Inside, mangroves.

Up close, the limestone stacks are riddled with niches and caves.

Next, we headed for the most developed islet with the park headquarters, where we needed to register and pay a fee to visit all the stacks in the area.

There was a busy swimming beach, and a few corals and fish to see, but again the visibility was quite murky, so we didn’t expect much. As always, it’s delightful just to be swimming in these warm seas.

I wore my rash-guard top not for warmth here, but for protection from the fierce sun. We avoid using sunscreen when snorkeling/swimming, as it damages the corals.

Next stop: Our “picnic islet” where we swam and then found some shade under the palm trees to eat the box lunch the hotel had provided.

With our boat snugged in and anchored among the others in the shallows, Donnie was heading to the stern to retrieve the boarding ladder he’d hook along the bow. Thor, with his long legs, didn’t wait but just stepped over into the water. “Papa!” cried Donnie in alarm as he scurried forward with the ladder. The Thai people are very respectful of elders, and though we didn’t need the extra help, we found it sweet that they would always hurry to assist “Papa” and “Mama.”

After lunch, a few more stops at quiet stacks for a stroll or swim.

By mid-afternoon, we’d had enough, and a squall was kicking up, so we headed back for our hotel.

Donnie and Suwanee, you were great! Thank you.

One of these spectacular sea stacks became known as “Bond’s island” for a location in an early James Bond film. Thor embodied my own “Bond guy” emerging from the sea.

And, finally, farewell to beautiful Thailand!

Next week: Traveling home with an unscheduled layover in Manila, Phillipines, as the Covid19 alarms were sounding.

*****

You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?”  The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com