January 26th, 2010

Sailing off of Thailand

I've been so incredibly busy since the holidays and I finally found the time to caption some more of my photos from my amazing trip to Thailand.  During our visit, we were invited to go sailing off the southern part of Thailand in the Phang Nga Bay.   Our sailing vessel was a handsome Chinese junk, built in the 1920's.  The scenery was unbelievably amazing and the food was scrumptious.  The island that appears in these photos is known locally as Ko Tapu or Nail Island and if it looks familiar, that's because it became famous through the 1974 James Bond film, "The Man with the Golden Gun", starring Roger Moore.  In that movie, after a hair-raising chase through Hong Kong and Bangkok, Bond faced a duel upon the island.  Since that movie, this most unusual island has come to be known as The James Bond Island.  Please enjoy these photos taken on New Year's Eve.

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1 We were invited to sail on this Chinese junk - an 85-foot 1920ish sailing ship off of Phuket, an island off of southern Thailand. Our hosts own a small fleet of these boats and the sailing was superb.

2 Here's another view of the boat - we got to it using a small motorized dingy, which we also used to get closer to shore.

3 The islands rise from the sea in stunning formations.

4 We loved the views - the skies, the clouds, and the water. It wasn't as turquoise as the Caribbean, but it was still full of interest.

5 If you have an inkling to charter such a sailing vessel, here is the information printed in clear graphics on the back of a crew T-shirt. www.asian-oasis.com

6 I tried hard to get a photo illustrating the separation, yet closeness of these fascinating islands.

7 This island, Ko Tapu or Nail Island, in Phang Nga Bay, was made famous in the 1974 James Bond movie, The Man With the Golden Gun. It has lovely sand beaches, lush greenery, and colorful rocks.

8 This is what the islands look like close up. They are utterly picturesque. Erosion has formed the 'stalactites', which hang like big paint drips around the perimeter of most of the land masses.

9 Here's a further view with a tiny sand beach accessible by dingy or kayak.

10 One can spend days tootling around here.

11 There are hundreds of caves, inlets, and interior beaches on these islands.

12 We saw thousands of giant jelly fish, like this one, from the boat.

13 Lunch on the boat was a delicious freshly made meal comprised of morning glory shoots - crispy, crunchy, and very flavorful - and steamed corn slices.

14 There were also freshly fried spring rolls with vibrant dipping sauces.

15 And gorgeous lightly cooked tender prawns.

16 And wonderful hard-shelled crabs, steamed and cracked by hand.

17 Some of the islands have giant convocations of eagles. We lured them close to the boat by throwing raw chicken pieces into the water - they dove gracefully and fast for the tasty snacks.

18 By the time we got back to the mainland, the skies had turned into a kaleidoscope of colors. It was a fascinating journey.

Posted on January 26th, 2010 in Photo Gallery, Travel | Permalink |

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