We depart from Phuket town around 11:45am & our first stop is Monkey cave, or Wat Suwankuha. This cave already been here few hundred years. As what it named, that's some "friendly" monkeys waiting outside the cave to welcome your arrival. Haha. Those monkeys act as a gurdian to cave. One thing impressed me is I never encounter any monkeys inside the cave. They stood outside the cave to waiting for visitors to feed them foods. Ohya....You can easily buy a bunch of banana with just only 10baht each. Try to feed the monkeys. They're quite "friendly" to walk in front of you, beg for your bananas(if you dun give. They use the rough way). Dun be afraid. Put out your hand with banana, they'll take it from you in "nicely". Haha....
Monkey cave is not so big. It contains light & dark caves. After the main entrance, it's a big "lobby" in the cave. Left corner, there's a reclining golden buddha statue. Further walk up the staircase will lead you to a monk statue. At your right corner has few buddha statue as well. Walk till the end of "lobby", you can take the staircase up to light cave. In light cave only have a monk statue where he sit comfotably at high place, allow him to look around all the corner of cave "lobby". Taking few step at your left corner of light cave will lead you down to the dark cave. Dark cave has stalactites, stalagmites & rock formations. Shinning up with colorful lights. Yap! Fantastic view.
We just spent around 1/2hrs, then we have to depart to Phang Nga Pier, around 15mins drive from Monkey cave. We took a long-tail boat, easily can allocate 15-20ppl/boat. The boat will bring us to Phang Nga Bay caves, then following by James Bond Island, and at last, the Pan Yee Island(Muslim fishing village). From Pier to Phang Nga caves around 45-60mins. No speedy boat here....just nice & steady. Along the way, you can appreciate the beauty & natural forming of rocks.
A big boat is waiting for us near the Phang Nga Bay's caves. Here contains 2 caves, one called Bat cave, the other one, not sure. We assemble there, the friendly staffs were ready to help you put up the life jacket as later on, we're ready to do our canoeing into the caves, yes! While waiting for others to wear the jackets, we get served with drinks & cakes. Whoever bring the backpack with you are not allow to bring into the canoe. The staffs on big boat will help you take care the belongings while you're having funs with cave canoeing.
Once all are ready, we're arranged with 2 in a canoe + skilled padaller, we're ready to depart! Our padaller is from Pan Yee Island, a muslim old fella. He can speak abit hokkien, mandarin, english & malay. A nice old man. During the tour to all caves, he talked about his experience in Phang Nga Bay, talk about his family, his career at here. He also be the tour guide to let us know the rocks, the caves, everything he knows about it. We gained alot from him. I forgot his name, maybe too excited with the cave sigthseeing. It's charming & amazing. 2 thumbs up for this canoeing activity. I found some tour agent didn't include the canoeing activity. So, ensure if you wanna join the Phang Nga bay trip, ask for canoeing package. Do check & compare the itinerary with each tour agents before you decide which to go.
We spent quite longtime in the caves. After getting back to the big boat, we collected back the belongings, time to explore James Bond Island.
James Bond Island is not too far away from the caves. It's famous with the movie, The Man with the Golden Gun(JB series). A syombolic of limestone rock formation indicates you're in James Bond Island. I guess, even the local ppl also forgot the real name of the island(maybe not even have one before until JB movie shoot at here).Well, you will not alone in island since you can see long-tail boats are parking along the shores, came from any directions. A number of souvenir stalls were set here....errmm.... Nothing special about it. Most of things you can find in anywhere at southern Thailand. Walk further up the shores, you'll see the limestone rock just behind the stalls. At your left-hand is reclining rock. Beside the reclining rock, there's a walking path lead to the 2nd beach(behind the reclining rock). Over there, it's much beautiful & peaceful(I found the main beach where you can see the limestone is abit crowded, noisy). 2nd beach has a jetty/pier that allows boats to park here. However, not much boats park over there. Dunno why.
After finished the sightseeing on Island, we proceed to Pan Yee Island, a muslim fishing village. Per the history from tour guide, it was started with 3 muslim families moved up from m'sia. Slowly it turned up to now becomes more than 200 families here, easily 1000++ ppl staying here. Main incomes are fishing & tourism business(selling souvenirs & seafoods). All houses built above the water with stilts. One thing suprised me is you can rent room to stay overnight here. But I didn't ask for how much. Also, no problem to settle your meals here since a variety of restaurants/junk foods can get anywhere here. Most of them covert the front side of houses to run business. If I would like to describe Pan Yee Island, it looks like Pulau Ketam, Klang area. I just have 1/2hr to walk around all the village. I specially attracted by a group of kids are having fun in the sea, although I'm abit doubt with the quality of water. No PS2 here. No shopping centre here. But I feel they own the natrual fun which we might not have in m'sia becoz Phang Nga bay is their "private pool". Ohyaa....All kids are abit shy with strangers. So, you better prepare your camera in ready mode, talk with them in malay(some of them understand) to ask for permission before you shoot.
The time we depart from Pan Yee Island, it's almost the sunset time. I didn't have chance to see the sunset as the sky is clouded. We do our last cruise into mangrove forest before we get back to the depature point. An interesting trip you shouldn't miss out, especially the canoeing.
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