Category Archives: Information

Information we discovered during our travels.

FantaSea

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Today was errand day. We went to an internet café, the grocery store, and to several gas stations in search of diesel engine oil. The grocery store we went to is called Tesco and it is like a Super Target, and very clean and nice inside and outside. There was also a section where you could buy foods in bulk. We are delighted to report that there was a big selection of heat and serve foods with English labels, however, most of the canned foods were labeled in Thai, so we didn’t get many canned goods. BTW, prices for alcohol and cigarettes are much lower here with tax than in Langkawi duty free, so we should have stocked up here.

A friend of ours from home that had recently visited Thailand told us we needed to get a pancake from a street vendor. We were pretty disappointed with the pancakes we had gotten in the restaurants, but we saw a street vendor selling dessert pancakes and each got one only because we trust our friend’s judgment on food. They turned out to be paratha bread filled with the sweet(s) of your choice. They were to die for good. We all got a second one.

In the evening we went to a show called FantaSea, which is billed as a Vegas style show. A van picked us up at 1830 (6:30 pm) and took us to up the coastal road, the same road we had taken with Jennifer and Koy to Patong. Beyond Patong there are a lot of big, fancy resorts lining the road. We were let out at the entrance to the park at 1930. Park? We thought we were going to a show! The area where you buy your tickets has elephant head columns and the ceiling is painted in a way that looks like it is from a Thai Disney cartoon. There is a pond with a waterfall and with statues in it that look like Thai Disney characters, including the Thai Little Mermaid.

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We entered into the park. There are Continue reading →

Visas, Boat Lagoon, Floating Dinners and Emergency Rescues

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Last night when we were visiting with Mike, we asked him about his visa for the Andaman Islands. The Andaman Islands is part of India, and you can’t go there if your Indian visa doesn’t have a special stamp saying you are allowed to visit the Andamans. Mike did not have such a stamp. So, the first priority of the day was to get the visa situation rectified.

We got a taxi and went to Phuket Town, several miles north of Ao Chalong. While in transit, we gave the taxi driver the address of the agency we were going to and he said he didn’t know where it was. He instantly flagged down Continue reading →

Moving from Ao Chalong to Nai Harn

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We needed to take Ron to shore at 0900 so he could make it to the airport on time. The past two days, the dock has been more or less deserted, but we also weren’t there at 0900. Apparently, every single boat tour and ferry in Phuket leaves from the exact spot we unload from right at 0900. The staircase was completely loaded with tourists waiting to board boats. There were several boats hovering at the landing, vying for who would be next to pull in when the boat currently loading up pulled away. We watched two boats load up before we got aggressive and pushed our way in. We quickly unloaded and pushed our way up the stairs. At the top of the staircase we saw the entire pier was crowded with people all waiting to get onto boats. It was a zoo.

After saying goodbye to Ron, we moved the boat to the Nai Harn Beach anchorage we had been eyeing yesterday. Moving was a good call. This anchorage is better in every single way. There is much more space between the boats, and we are no longer worrying about hitting a neighbor. Yes, it is still rolly, but not as much. The waves don’t get as big, so we stay dry on the dinghy ride. It is a short ride to a floating dinghy dock, where we don’t have to worry about tides flipping the dinghy over or ferries crushing the little boat. The water is cleaner and deeper, which means less dirt for the water maker to have to filter out. And it is a prettier spot. While there are a few small buildings around, they are low and hidden behind trees, so, with the exception of The Royal Phuket Yacht Club hotel, our view is of undeveloped hills with a picturesque beach nestled in between. The beach is covered with lounge chairs with covered umbrellas. The first shot is looking north at the hotel, the second is looking south to the lighthouse, but you can’t see the lighthouse in this picture.

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Once Kosmos was situated, we went to shore to explore. There were lots of Continue reading →

Tour of Phuket – Massages, Viewpoints and Elephant Rides

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The first duty of the day was to get checked in. The ride to shore on the dinghy was OK since we were going with the 20 knots of wind. We decided to beach the dinghy instead of tying it to the pier. Since, technically, Ron wasn’t supposed to be on board, he scrambled as soon as we pulled up to the pier. All three departments are in one building at the base of the pier. While the check in process was definitely easy, Thailand is the new winner in the “most number of forms needing to be filled out and signed” contest. All in all, check in took about an hour.

We were going to go walk around a little bit and get lunch. Eric just glanced at the dinghy to make sure it was OK. It wasn’t. The tide had come in big time, and the dinghy was now floating, being bumped into the pole it was tied to with every incoming wave. Sigh. We needed to tie it to the pier, and unfortunately, we had forgotten the second rope back on Kosmos. The ride back was against the wind and Continue reading →

Welcome to Phuket Island, Phuket Province, Thailand

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We untied from the mooring at 1000, just as a long line of tourists boats came chugging into the bay. Not only was our timing good going in, it was good going out, too. If there weren’t so many tourists around we probably would have stayed in the Phi Phi islands another day or two, but all the ridiculously heavy boat traffic made for very uncomfortable and rolly anchorages. Besides, we haven’t checked into the country yet, so it was probably time to get officialdom out of the way. Technically we weren’t supposed to have stopped in Ko Muk or the Phi Phis, but we had been told that the Thai government gives you a week between checking out of Malaysia and checking into Phuket before they become suspicious that you may have made an illegal stop along the way. Also, there is no real coast guard checking for illegal boats, so getting caught stopping someplace is unlikely.

Our trip to Phuket was almost identical to our trip to Phi Phi. The seas were smooth, calm and pleasant, there were some pretty islands along the way, and there were lots of fishing flags to weave in and out of, requiring constant hand steering. We understand fully why people out here prefer to day hop versus take overnight trips. Trying to avoid these little flags at night is very stressful. And like on the trip to Phi Phi, we had an equipment problem. Eric turned on the Continue reading →