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| Sea kayaks &
paddlers in the bay |
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By starting later, he turns back the clock and guests get to enjoy
the Phang Nga Bay of 20 years ago – serene, empty, and beautiful.
The experience is memorable, unique, and deserving of great mountains
of superlatives. The guides are the most knowledgeable. The food
is the tastiest. The company’s practices are the safest; humans
don’t touch the scenery, and vice versa. This trip is the single
best way to discover Thailand’s mysterious hongs on a kayak
(canoe, floaty-paddle-thing, whatever).
The boat departed the pier at Ao Po in the early afternoon. Not
long after, a light lunch – noodles, spring rolls, salad, fruit
– appeared on the centre table. Once everyone ate their fill,
the day’s lead guide used third-grade art class drawings to
illustrate the rules: keep mouths shut and cameras ready while in
the hongs; have fun; respect nature. And then, on cue, nature started
circling the boat.
We’re being followed
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| Sea-eagle diving
for food |
|
A guide flung bits of chicken guts into the sea behind the boat.
Red-backed Sea-eagles are scavengers and couldn’t resist the
UFOs (unidentified fowl organs), often catching the free snacks
midair. White-bellied Sea-eagles aren’t strictly scavengers,
but don’t mind the occasional handout. And with a killer talon-and-bill
combination attached to a two-meter (6.5 feet) wingspan, nobody
is going to challenge them. The airborne escort, courtesy of the
Accipitridae family, followed the boat to the first hong (‘room’
in Thai) and dissipated into the jungle trees far overhead.
A wise brew, err, crew
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| Well trained guides
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“The Aussies want to know where the beer is,” said a
woefully outnumbered English guest. In fact, there was only one
beer on board. It was actually a he – Beer, not beer –
and he was my designated kayak driver. Throughout the day, Beer
flashed his environmental knowledge as he paddled the custom-built
watercraft from one sight to the next. Mangrove Hong, Diamond Cave,
Bat Cave – the names are telling. In a hushed voice, he piled
on more: geological explanations, previous wildlife sightings, conservation
challenges, habitat facts, jokes (this is, after all, Thailand).
Informative tidbits poured from him like he’d been doing this
for six years. He has.
Beer was not alone in his awareness; John Gray ensures all of his
guides are well educated. The bay is their office and product; they
know it and respect it. But their smarts don’t end there. With
lifeguard, CPR, and swimming training, they are prepared for anything
– an obvious precaution that others often overlook. Every guide
knows the tides, currents, and what makes for safe paddling; not
every kayak operation can make that claim.
The psychedelic side of the natural world
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| Entering a cave
|
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As amazing as the staff is, the bay is still the star. Its skyline
is dotted with islands whose sheer jungle-clad walls are more like
imposing fortresses than welcoming landing spots. They rise giant
from the sea, reminiscent of a nearly successful attempt to drown
a mountain range. Water has sculpted – and is still sculpting
– the rock into logic-defying formations that appears to ooze,
drip, billow, swirl and defy gravity. It’s like a frozen lava
lamp, but far more hypnotic.
Getting into the hongs is usually a simple matter: guides paddle
through a dark cavern while guests handle flashlight duties. But
it’s not always that easy. Depending on the tide, the space
between the water and ceiling can be cosy. Lying in the kayak and
making myself as flat as possible, I went cross-eyed watching the
shell-encrusted rock pass disturbingly close to the tip of my quivering
nose. It only lasts a minute, and soon we emerged, unscathed and
sitting upright, into the hong’s brilliant sunlight.
‘Hong’ could mean ‘brilliant’
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| Out from the cave,
inside the Hong |
|
A hong is a chamber in an island’s interior, cave-like but
roofless, round in shape, with high vertical walls. The dense vegetation
paints every surface green. Trees sprout from the cliffs, their
roots looking like they might tire of gripping the rock at any moment.
Mudskippers and crabs play in the shallows. Hornbills scream. Monkeys
occasionally appear, begging for handouts (without success on the
John Gray trips). And guests, in total silence and with barely a
ripple, enjoy the awe-inspiring, neck-bending wonders of these majestic
rooms.
After an afternoon of hong-gazing, we returned to the boat to wait
for darkness. We had time to kill – two hours worth –
and the storm clouds that had previously been threatening were delivering.
In dry weather, guests would be in the water kayaking, swimming,
and getting wet. But it was raining, so all but the most intrepid
stayed dry under the canopy, swapping travel tips, engaging in an
impromptu television trivia quiz, and building kratongs with the
guides.
An armada of prettiness
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| Releasing the Kratong
in a cave at night |
|
Loy Kratong is, without a doubt, the most beautiful Thai festival.
Small floating decorations are set adrift en masse as a sign of
new beginnings and for good luck. John Gray Sea Canoe recreates
the ceremony on every ‘Hong by Starlight’ trip; yet another
original, thoughtful touch. Guides lead guests in making the kratong,
explaining each element as it was pinned to the banana stalk base:
banana leaves for decoration, marigolds for prosperity, one incense
stick each for Buddha, monks, and the Buddhist scripture, and candles
for health and happiness. Then it was off to the final cave of the
evening.
The caver’s motto states “Take nothing but pictures,
leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.” On John
Gray’s trip, plenty of pictures are taken, but not even footprints
are left behind.
Interested in this tour?
Hong
by Starlight
Price 3,950 Baht |
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| The perfect opportunity
to canoe in Phang Nga and get the best of both worlds - by day and night. Starting
after lunch, explore the limestone caves, which can only be entered by canoe when
the tide is just right. Then at sunset enjoy the view, accompanied by a Thai style
seafood dinner. Read
more... | |
|
