If you have watched the movie entitled "The Man with the Golden Gun", you should be familiar with today's main attraction

The Man With The Golden Gun

Phang Nga Bay is an impressive body of water at over 400 km² and is renowned for its many dramatic limestone islands. A long-tail boat tour is the perfect way to explore Phang Nga Bay. These distinctive sheer rock formations jut vertically out of the emerald green water and at low tide hidden lagoons can be found through exposed cave tunnels entered by sea canoes.

Phang Nga Bay

Our first stop for this tour is Khao Phingkan and Ko Tapu which are near each other. Khao Phingkan means (two) hills leaning against each other. In fact, the two islets (hills) forming Khao Phingkan are connected by a tiny beach. But one of them is split in two, with one leaning against the other.

Entrance to James Bond Island

Leaning against Khao Phingkan

Standing alone in the sea some 200 metres from Khao Phingkan is the tiny Ko Tapu, or Nail Islet. Looking like a spike driven into the sea, it is perhaps the most photographed object in the whole marine park. It has become a symbol of the park, especially since the Hollywood production -The Man with the Golden Gun, starring James Bond, was partly shot here.

Ko Tapu

After then we went for a tour around the mangroves and caves with the long-tail boat, while others were sea canoeing. Tham Lot is a limestone grotto sculptured by weather and the sea water. The cave is large enough to allow two or three boats going through side by side. There are also stalactites hanging down from the roof, but not as beautiful as those found in a mountain cave, probably because their formation has been constantly interfered by forces of nature.

Mangrove and Cave

And while waiting for the sea canoes group, we have ample time to relax and have some refreshments on the boat. 

Relax Mode = ON

A Phang Nga Bay tour may take you to Ko Panyi, a village built on stilts. The mosque and the graveyard are the only places which are built on ground. It's a tourist trap during the day as many tours also stop here. Some tours will give you the option of staying overnight, which is preferable to really experience the village as the village returns to normal in the evening. We had our lunch here.

Ko Panyi

After refilling our tanks, our next stop is Suwankuha Temple or Monkey Cave. It has a big reclining buddha inside the cave and a lot of monkey outside the temple. Here are some photos.

Monkey Cave

And last, but not the least, we were brought to a place to refresh ourselves as a treat. We visited Ton Tai Waterfall. The water is cold, perfect for a very warm and sweaty day! You may have your free fish spa in here :)

Ton Tai Waterfall

This ends our James Bond Tour. Tomorrow I shall be with you again for our last day of tour.

Today's activity will be island hopping in Krabi. This package is way cheaper and the island hopping experience outweighs yesterday's trip.

"4 ISLANDS" is a popular day trip from Ao Nang, taking in the group of islands closest to the coast – the ones that can be seen on the horizon from the beach. The four islands are Chicken Island, Poda Island, Tup Island and Mor Island. The tour will also pass by Phra Nang Cave Beach on the Railay peninsula. This beach, inaccessible by road, is considered to be one of the most beautiful strips of sand in the world.

We signed up for Barracudas Tour for our 4 islands tour by long tail boat. We got it for 400 baht/ pax which is 200 baht less the original price.

A wooden truck came to pick us up from our hotel at Krabi town around 8AM along with our group. We reached Ao Nang at about  45 mins and waited for the long tail boat.

About 30 minutes or less, the long tail boat arrived. And we started our island hopping tour.

Our first stop was the dazzling Phra Nang Cave Beach surrounded with impressive cliffs. On one side of the beach was the beautiful limestone cave formation which is famous for rock climbing and the sacred place which is worshiped. Being one of the most visited places of Krabi , it was over crowded with tourists and boats anchored on the shores. Other tourists with us on the long tail boat jumped into the water with snorkeling gear the moment the boat parked while we capture the beautiful scenery in our camera. FYI: They sell expensive snacks in this beach.

Next stop before lunch is Chicken Island. The name is due to the strange formation of rock in the shape of Chicken (head and neck). Though we were not allowed to visit the island but our boat did stop for snorkeling near the island. There are a lot of fish that will surround you if you throw some bread.

Our third stop was a small yet beautiful island named Tup island.The below pictures says thousand words. Near Tup Island lies the Mor Island connected with a sandy bar  which makes it accessible to walk from one island to other during low tide. Less crowded and one of the smallest island we have ever visited but undoubtedly smashing.

And our last stop is Poda Island, where we had enough time relaxing on the shores after having lunch. The cliffs which have mushroomed all around the islands were impressive forming a striking picture and shallow sea perfect for snorkeling. We were in awe of the scenic beauty all around. We just enjoyed the moment because camera's battery died before our trip ended.

The tour ends around 3pm, and you can opt to be transferred to Krabi town for free or spend some time to explore Ao Nang Beach. There are a lot of shops in Ao Nang compared to Krabi Town.

We had a great time in Phuket but it is now time to go to our main destination for this trip, Krabi. This time around we will be taking a ferry ride from Phuket to Krabi. Along the way, we will make a short day trip to the majestic Phi Phi Islands.

Phi Phi Islands is roughly 1 hour ferry boat ride from both Phuket and Krabi. It comprises of two islands, Phi Phi Leh which is more secluded and free of human inhabitants and the other one is Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two. The islands feature magnificent limestone cliffs abounding with vegetation, a look-out point, and clear waters good for snorkeling. Not to miss in this side trip is Maya Bay. This was made more popular after the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo Di Caprio was shot there. It is a amazing bay that's sheltered by 100-metre high cliffs on three sides. Within it are a number of small beaches, some only appears during low tide. The main beach is around 200 metres long with silky soft white sand, underwater colourful coral and exotic fishes.

We bought the tickets to the ferry ride before our trip from AsiaWebDirect.com . A van picked us up from our hotel around 8 AM and took us to the pier. After getting our tickets from the tour guide, we proceed to our ferry. The ferry we rode was quite spacious. It could hold probably around more than 100 passengers. Upon entering we were offered biscuits and coffee as refreshments. There are also toilets inside if you need to relieve yourself. For this trip, our itinerary does not include setting foot on the beaches in Maya Bay. However, we were given around 15 minutes to take pictures from our ferry. Here is a panorama that we took.

Upon arrival in Phi Phi Don, we were asked to transfer to a smaller boat for our snorkeling activities. 

Included in the tour package is the free use of snorkel gears but you better be careful as damage or lost will require you to pay 1000 Baht as penalty. After a short 20-minute boat ride, we reached our destination. Weather was good for snorkeling and after applying our sun screens we jump off our boat to see fishes and corals. Personally, I am not really impressed with the variety of fishes in the area, I have seen more colorful fishes in snorkeling activities I have done in the past. Our tour operator gave us 1 hour to swim around. 

After that we went back to Phi Phi Don for our lunch.

It's 12 PM and time for lunch. Lunch is served in Hotel Phi Phi. They serve a variety of dishes with rice and pasta.

After lunch is free time to wander around the place. Here are some pictures of the town.

At 3 PM, it is time to take the ferry back to Krabi. It was another 1 hour trip to reach our destination. Upon arrival, outside the ferry terminal a guy offered to take us back to Krabi Town for 150 Baht. After a quick shower, we then went to visit the night market.

During Weekends including Friday night, Krabi Town comes alive with its 'Walking Street' market. People from Ao Nang and other places in Krabi visit the town. This is located in Maharat Soi 8, which is quite easy to find, it is just near the Vogue Department store. If you are not sure of the direction, you may ask your friendly hotel staff. It features local products, local food, cultural entertainment, activities for children and other programs. During our trip, it was Chinese New Year so we are treated to a Dragon Dance performance by the locals. You will also get to buy local souvenirs, taste local delicacies and buy shirts, shoes, bags and many more.