Phuket :: James Bond Island

My 007 moment

Phang Nga is a shallow bay with 42 islands, comprising shallow marine waters and intertidal forested wetlands. A distinctive feature of Phang Nga Bay is the sheer limestone cliffs that extend vertically out of the green water.

I was told that the best means of enjoying the spectacular scenery is to take one of the boat trips (which is included in the tour). I was a little sceptical when I first read the itinerary which says “We are using Long Tail Boat and Life Jacket provided to all passengers”.

I had a flashback of my Vietnam trip where we had to jump into a tiny boat and row it ourselves. Thank god it was not like that.

The long boat

It is next to impossible to visit all 42 islands and James Bond Island and Koh Pannyi are just two of the more famous spots in this bay. So, we head to James Bond Island!

For safety purposes, please wear jacket LIFT! lol

Ready to go!
Near the jetty. Very peaceful

Once we were on the big sea, it was a rough ride throughout the 1-hour journey

We even went into a cave

And we finally arrive at James Bond Island

This famous island, named Koh Ping-gan, was converted into “James Bond Island” through its starring role in the James Bond movie 'The Man With the Golden Gun'. The entire area surrounding this island with its signature rocky pinnacle is indeed spectacular. I was just a tiny bit disappointed to know that I can’t swim there.

The spectacular rock

Another view of the rock

There were plenty of shops selling souvenirs

After an hour of taking pictures and shopping around the tiny island, we proceed to an integral part of that tour, which is lunch at Koh Panyee, a nearby Muslim floating village.

The floating village

Ok, the picture above (of the floating village) is a small tiny part of it. The actual village is huge. Lunch was served there, and i was so happy to see fried chicken! It was a good lunch.

We spent another hour walking around the floating village and then head back to the boat.

Another 1-hour ride back to the jetty

When i got back to the van, i realised my body was covered with salt! Its from the sea water splashing on us during the trip.

***

When i was in Vietnam, i found Halom Bay extremely breathtaking. And i thought it would be difficult for Phanga to beat that. I must say, Phanga is special in its own way. And i truly enjoyed the trip.

~Cheers!