Phuket - Ko Yao Noi: Island hop - Touring in Thailand, Cambodia and China 2007/8

February 28, 2008

Phuket - Ko Yao Noi: Island hop

Our friends the taxi drivers bid us farewell as we mount our bikes to leave Phuket. They hang around outside the hotel waiting for customers and commented that 'mama' and 'papa', that's us, never use taxis, just walk all day.

A taxi driver in Phuket who took a liking to Janos

We get a boat to Ko Yao Noi from the pier at Bang Rong on the east coast of Phuket which faces the incredibly beautiful Phang Nga Bay.

Mangrove lined river on the way to Bang Rong

The pier is located on an inlet lined with mangroves and we pull up just in time to hop on the boat before it departs. I am about to unload the panniers from my bike when one of the crew indicates that it won't be necessary. Then he seems just to tuck the loaded bike under his arm and with it he balances up the swaying plank to the gently rocking boat. My heart almost stands still and I have immediate visions of my bike and panniers lying on the floor of the bay - and then am in awe of the man's strength and sense of balance. Kudos!

The boat ride to the island of Yao Noi takes about one and a half hours and we get our first impressions of the Phang Nga Bay with its spectacular limestone formations, karst mountains jutting out of the sea.

First impressions of Phang Nga Bay with its karst islands

Grey skies and rain clouds over Phang Nga Bay, crossing to Ko Yao Noi

Ko Yao Noi, which makes a good stepping stone for crossing the bay, is a pretty little island covered with coconut groves. We cycle through the middle of the island from south to north, a distance of about 10 kilometers and we are impressed at how extremely friendly the local population, mostly Muslim, is. We have seldom received so many dazzling, warm smiles from men, women or children on the whole trip.

The pier at Ko Yao Noi at the southern end of the island

We find a bungalow at Santisook Resort, a few meters from the beach and only 200 meters to the pier for boats leaving for the east side of the bay where we are headed tomorrow. The family, consisting of grown son and parents, are charming. The son speaks excellent English and shows great interest for his guests and enthusiasm for life altogether. The food here is good, too.

I try to imagine what it must be like to live amidst these beautiful surroundings. Do you take them for granted after a while or are you amazed every time you come to another bend in the road affording a new view. I can't see my fill.

View from the north end of Ko Yao Noi: fishing boats returning in the evening

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