Monday 13 January Koh Phanak and Koh Hong

Before the day tourists arrived we were off in the kayak for more exploring. This time we ventured a short distance north to find a second and larger tunnel into yet another hong. Early morning and alone except for a brilliant cobalt kingfisher and a blue heron it was magical. As we came out of the tunnel the first day boat had arrived.

We continued north around the top of the island and into a deep bay. For me these cliffs with their undercut cliffs and dripping stalactites look like a giant cake with icing dripping down the sides. The colours are quite beautiful too with shades of cream through peach, raw Sienna, burnt umber and. They're at their most photogenic in the early morning or late afternoon sun. Am I waxing lyrical? It might be because we haven't seen such beautiful seascape for a while.

limestone cliffs

craving seafood

Crab Eating Macaque

Coming back to the big boat David spotted a small Crab Eating Macaque monkey appearing from a cave at water level. We followed him along the rock face as he searched the pools for crabs and shellfish. At one point he looked longingly at the kayak as if be were about to launch himself to us. You don't want a desperate, sharp toothed simian in your boat so we backed off a way. Then we saw another smaller female appear. We were so close to her as she used her little fingers to delve into holes and gaps digging out morsels of shellfish to eat. This was a bonus we hadn't expected. We finished the morning with another trip into the long cave, taking our time and with no-one else with us. At low tide the water is too shallow to paddle into the hong which is why the tour boats weren't here.

entering Koh Hong from sea

inside inner hong

With Koh Phanak ticked off we moved the big boat a short distance north to anchor on the south side of Koh Hong. Again we arrived as the last of the day boats were leaving and enjoyed a peaceful solitary paddle through the biggest hong in the area. This one is much more open, a very short tunnel, more a overhang, to reach the interior which has one side open to the sea. Inside the hong on the west side there's a real tunnel which leads into a secret lagoon, much smaller, very quiet and only accessed by the tunnel.