I returned
from a business trip to the US on Wednesday night, May 31, and began
preparing for a trip at 7:30 the next morning. After the boats
were loaded and gear sorted out, I went to the pier to meet our
guests and the support boat we were using for the first time.
Our guests
Peter and Marcy had been traveling in the north of Thailand for
some time. They had located us through the Lonely Planet web site.
They asked about kayaking in southern Thailand and were referred
to us by another guest. We were happy the word was getting around,
“PaddleAsia gives a good trip.”
The boat
we were trying out for this trip was a fishing boat that regularly
made the run between Phuket and Racha Island. Racha is good for
sport fishing and for snorkeling. It is also a good destination
for a kayak crossing, as it lies 10 miles from the southern end
of Phuket. The boat captain had never been into Phang Nga Bay.
He didn’t seem familiar with reading a nautical chart. No worries,
I guided him by the time-tested method of pointing at where I wanted
him to go. Once he realized I knew the area, he relaxed and we
arrived at our first paddling destination.
Marcy
and Peter had some orchids in their southern California home, and
were interested in the wild orchids we see in the Bay. The tide
was too low to paddle into one hong (interior lagoon) that hosts
an unlikely colony of dendrobium indivisum on the branches of a
dead mangrove tree only two meters above sea level. Fortunately
they wanted to see these orchids - I always want to see them. We
exited the boats and walked slowly across the mud flat, sticking
to exposed rock where possible. Luckily they were wearing Tevas;
flip flops would have been devoured by the thick mud.
The dendrobium
indivisum is an orchid generally seen at higher elevations. But
I have been visiting this colony for about a year now, and it has
adapted to this environment quite well. Marcy pointed out a few
clusters of the orchid which had made their way to a nearby healthy
mangrove tree.
We
returned to the kayaks and put on our spray skirts. There was a
lively tidal flow around the back side of the island and we wanted
to prepare for the mildly choppy water. Marcy and Peter had both
paddled sit-on-top kayaks in Baja and were comfortable with our
water conditions. 
Had
they been beginners we may have stayed in the lee of the island.
After
paddling around the first island, we went across a channel to a
small bay that at higher tide is good for swimming and for taking
a short, beautiful nature hike. We left the boats on some dead
coral and walked across the rock to the beach. We passed small
clusters of live coral, brightly colored exceptions to the dull
dead rock. Then off we went on the little path behind the beach.
The destination
was a large ficus tree. The ficus supports its weight by extending
buttresses well out from the trunk. This creates different little
“rooms” between buttresses. People invariably want to pose for
pictures. This is a remarkable tree and well worth the short walk.
Then
it was time to check into the bungalows and order dinner. This
fishing boat draws more water than the local longtail boats and
we had to wade through deep water to get to the beach near our bungalows.
The captain and crew were cheerful and helpful, which made up for
their lack of knowledge of the area. However, we may return to
the more familiar large longtail boat for our next trip.
The next
morning the sky was clear and we were looking at a beautiful day.
I changed the day’s plan and went to a closer island on which I
had previously seen many orchids. It turned out to be a good move!
We were
early enough to have the island entirely to ourselves. During high
season this island is visited by many tour boats and canoe companies.
The resultant congestion takes away from the beauty and quiet enjoyment
of the place. Imagine entering a lagoon clogged with 30-40 sit-on-tops
and inflatable boats, with several guides simultaneously yelling
their spiel to the often disinterested audience. We avoid this
place during high season.
On this
day, it was just past peak high tide and we were alone. The hong,
the lovely lagoon, was full of water and we could fully appreciate
its unique nature. We spotted orchids in full flower. These climbing
orchids had fastened themselves to the limestone cliffs, their aerial
roots hanging down toward the water. We paddled to a rock that
had a huge cymbidium cluster on it at eye level. When in its glory,
its inflorescence would easily reach down to the water at high tide.
Today it was just a mass of thriving greenery to the casual viewer.
Kingfishers
flittered about the lagoon. Marcy and Peter were quick to reach
for binoculars to see if the flash of blue belonged to a Black-capped
or a Collared kingfisher.
We decided
to move on and paddled toward the lagoon entrance. Then we spotted
another mass of climbing orchids in flower, lovely pale pink flowers
jutting from the limestone rock. There are three different species
of orchids flourishing within a 15’ radius on this rock wall.
We paddled
around to the white sand beach that is so favored by tourists in
the high season. Today it is empty, just a few National Park employees
rousted from their midmorning slumber by our shouts of joy. We
strolled the beach, soaking up the glory of the day!
Time
to move on. Spray skirts on, we ventured into the third hour of
the falling tide. There was quite a current on the windward side
of the island and we paid close attention to the swell as we paddled
into it. We had wind with tide; it would be choppier with this
wind had the tide been coming in.
We rounded
the rock at the end of the headland. No wind, no current, no swell.
It was almost a letdown after that last stretch!
We
returned to the boat and moved to a group of islands not far away.
We anchored in some calm water on the lee of one island and got
back in the boats.
We paddled
around one island and moved toward another when I took serious stock
of the weather around us. We had left the blue sky behind when
we departed our orchid island. We saw some rain fronts moving in
the distance. I noticed one island in this group had a silvery
sheen on it; rain! The wind picked up and the swell doubled in
size almost immediately. I pointed to some rocky overhangs on our
destination island where we took shelter. We paddled a few long
minutes through the gusting wind and were hit by the hard drops
of rain just before reaching shelter. The tide was falling, our
tenuous refuge wouldn’t get washed away. So, we sat under the rock
ledge and waited out the storm.
The storm
passed and the boat moved our way. We carefully picked our way
through the exposed barrier reef and returned to the boat.
That
evening at dinner Marcy and Peter talked about their Baja paddling
trip. One big difference was the water; in Baja the water was cold.
They marveled that during the storm the ocean was warmer than the
air. Welcome to the tropics!
The third
day we didn’t want to go far. It was already raining by breakfast
time, and the captain wasn’t certain of the way back to the pier.
We went to a nearby island and checked out a few caves. They weren’t
deep, but we enjoyed seeing the stalactites around us.
We headed
back to Phuket but there wasn’t enough water to reach the pier.
The east coast of Phuket doesn’t have any resorts because at low
tide it’s a massive unattractive mud flat. The local longtail boats
can negotiate some channels, but not this boat.
But never
mind, we are infinitely adaptable. Our captain waved down the taxi
boat that has come from Yao Noi Island. We loaded all our gear
and boats on the roof, and proceeded to the pier. Mai me banhaa,
or as it appears in English, we have no problem. It was a good
trip.
