So I went to Phuket, not really somewhere that had been on the wish list, I had an image of sleazy clubs, cheap nasty beer and crowded beaches.  While Phuket does have sleazy clubs, cheap nasty drinks and beaches full of overflowing bikini bodies I also discovered friendly people, stunning limestone islands and yummy food.

Early(ish) on a sticky morning, I found myself in the back of a taxi truck barrelling along crowded roads, dodging people on bikes and motorbikes and trucks large and small.  The road signs warn of elephants crossing, that would hurt if you meet on a blind corner!!!  The roads twist and turn up hills giving spectacular views through the jungle across white beaches and crystal blue seas.  The open sides of the truck allow the smells of the towns to sweep over us, rice and chilli cooking, moist soil and jungle, exhaust fumes, open drains all mix in the humid air.

We are driving across Phuket from Patong beach to catch a large barge to Phang Nga Bay and the limestone islands and white beaches.  Greeted at the wharf by our guides for the next 24 hours, we are hustled across the hulls of five other boats to our sea chariot.  A large barge type boat with the luxury of toilets, a kitchen with cooks and a large upper deck to relax on.  A hurried instruction to put on life jackets ensues and we take off from the wharf and head to the Islands in the distance.  As soon as we are out of sight of the wharf area we are allowed to remove the life jackets…. no officials can see us now, it is safe!!!  I love the different interpretation of safety across cultures.  Our guide very seriously informs us to keep all valuables on us at all times… wallets, passports should be put into dry bags and taken on the sea kayaks…. but people who can’t swim do not need a life jacket.  Safety in Thailand seems to be related to items of monetary value, which was kind of funny… but I can swim!!!

The limestone islands are amazing, most seem to rise straight out of the ocean, cliffs of limestone towering out of the water.  Sometimes covered in jungle vines that stretch down from trees, sometimes bare to the sun, oxidised colours running in streams down the rock face.  Small beaches nestle under the jungle here and there, monkeys sit watchfully waiting and eagles soar above the islands circling their nests.

After about an hour of travel we arrive at the first island that we are going to sea kayak to, over centuries the rain has eroded the middle of the limestone islands creating tidal lagoons inside.  These lagoons are accessible via small cave entrances that open up at low tide.  Lying flat on the kayak and pulling ourselves along with our hands, we can slid through the cave system to emerge into the bright lagoon.  With mangroves that grow tall trying to reach the light above, they seem more graceful then the squat mangroves that are usually spread along the waters edge.

Monkeys hang around the edge of the cave and watch us with a slightly wary gaze.  In some caves tiny brown bats hang to the roof, quietly shuffling in their sleep.

It is an idyllic afternoon as our guide gleefully declares “I get paid for this!!!”

After a day paddling in the sanctuary of the lagoons, watching the sun set from the back of the boat wine glass in hand tops of a beautiful day.  A side of Phuket that I hadn’t expected and appreciated seeing.