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Phuket, Thailand, December 9 


Today we re in Thailand.  Arrived in Phuket at 9 am and had a ‘Spectacular Phang Nga Bay’ tour departing shortly after our arrival.  An 8 1/2 hour tour by bus from the port to the mainland took us then on to Phang Nga Bay.  This bay is one of the most unique and inspiring spots on earth, considered by many a must see sight. We joined the long boats and began our cruise through the spectacular limestone scenery. Established in 1981, the park lies in the sheltered pale milky-green waters northeast of Phuket Island and is the location of more than 80 awe-inspiring islands. These unique karst formations were created when a collision of great magnitude occurred over 300 million years ago between the Indian subcontinent and mainland Asia. The force of the tectonic plates pushed and rotated what is now Thailand and Malaysia, forcing the limestone above the surface. The resulting karst formations appear like fairy castles out of the sea and they come in all different shapes and sizes. Vegetation on the karsts has evolved to withstand long periods of dryness and an almost complete lack of soil. Spectacular  flora hangs  off the vertical rock faces and cascades down the cliffs including palm trees, bamboo, ferns and wild orchids. We passed the small island of Kao Ping-Gan, where part of the James Bond adventure “The Man with the Golden Gun” was filmed. Visited  Koh Panyee, a picturesque village extending out across the water, resting precariously on small pilings. It is inhabited chiefly by Muslim fishermen who originally migrated from Indonesia. Cut off from the mainland with modern facilities we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the restaurant there.  

Definitely one of the highlights of this cruise, to be honest.  Caro and Diana may remember doing this trip with us back in the ‘80’s - in those days the James Bond Island was just that - now there are people climbing the rock, shops and maybe even accommodation too! 

Dinner with friends from England in the Italian restaurant.  Was great fun but then a reality check for me when I inadvertently got a date wrong and was chastised as usual and it rather spoilt my birthday dinner.  But then I’m used to that.  The show was excellent.  



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