When we were told Hong Island (also known as Koh Hong) would be on our itinerary, Alex and I were ecstatic as we thought it was the same island we visited in 2011 near Krabi and snorkeling should be pretty good!
Thankfully, the agent at At Akarin Tour was quick to explain it's a different island and the main activity was for us to be canoed around the island! Okay, that sounds good since i am horrendous in navigating the canoe (as realized in my Maldives trip to Rihiveli Beach Resort).
The chap assigned to our group of three was a friendly guy identified by his colorful rastacap (also known as Jamaican hat / bob marley head wear)! Spoken English was decent and since we didn't have a lady in our group, he made a lot of dirty jokes which i shall not share (at least not much) in this blog.
So, let's our canoeing in the dirty green water; definitely not the kind we encountered at Krabi's hong island and i doubt i can see much of the underwater given the condition.
Some were happily swimming in the water though.
Mr "Bob Marley" deftly navigated us around the island and did his best to point out rocky formations that we could easily relate to. Sadly, my point and shoot camera failed to do justice to the actual sights.
Eagles flying above us! Unlike in the case of Langkawi, there didn't seem to be any feeding to attract the kings of the skies closer to us.
Little James Bond Island! The actual James Bond Island would be covered separately in this blog as it is the main star of this tour and deserves a post to call its own.
Canoeing into the dark cave! A nice experience where we were finally sheltered from the hot sun although with the number of canoes going in and out; a jam was expected and we also had to be mindful of the stalactites above us!
One of our travel mates from USA was impressed!
Moving out of the darkness; as dad and i had been to quite a number of caves in China, what we saw didn't quite wow us. However, we didn't have to do the work (of canoeing) and the "ride" was pure relaxation for us.
Personally, i am always more scared of the water as i don't know what lurks underneath it and there's a tinge of trepidation as imagination does run wild sometimes.
Going into something again.
Hong in Thai actually refers to room so Hong Island technically means Room Island and the reason why this name was given was due to this 'hole" that opened up to the sky!
Well, i would give it the name of Hole Island rather than Hong Island and it's confusing to have two Hong islands in the same Phang Nga Bay area!
Staying on the canoe can be boring; hence, Mr "Bob Marley" brought us to this exit where we had to lie down in order to cut across! Oh, notice the red arrow? That looks like a chicken, doesn't it?
Again, be careful of your surroundings!
With my back burning, i was more keen in jumping into the water! Alex digs such activities as he doesn't have to do much. For dad, i can sense his boredom. Hahaha.
Smoking is disallowed in this area but these two ladies managed to get "rower" to find a corner where they would be hidden from being caught!
Sexual reference; go figure yourself. I am not the dirty minded one; our dear Mr "Bob Marley" was the one who showed it to me!
About to run aground but thanks to our Mr "Bob Marley" who steered away in the nick of time using his strong arms! Not easy honestly when there are three of us weighing a total of more than 150 kilograms.
Coming to the end of our 20-minute canoe ride.
For his hard work, his friendly demeanor and his cheerfulness, i think Mr "Bob Marley" well deserved the tips! In terms of what we did at this island, i frankly would prefer snorkeling in crystal clear over canoeing.
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Part of the James Bond Island Trip 2 Itinerary offered by Amazing Canoeing that we purchased from At Akarin Tour near Swissotel Resort (Patong Beach).
Click here for my 5 days Itinerary to Phuket.