From a distance, I saw a man with an Afro wig. I thought this was Phuket and everyone can be Bob Marley all they want. The moment I and my like-minded friend Bernadette and a Caucasian couple stepped out of the air-con van, Afro-man stood up from a bench along the pier waiting area, and gestured to another group of farangs (Thai slang for white people) sitting by his side, to get ready to leave. He was smiling, showing his full, nice set of white teeth, to us and clutching a list that looked like a ship’s manifest.

“Good morning! Welcome everyone! I will be your guide for today... Follow me to the boat,” he said slightly bowing his head and waving his hand.

I have joined many tour packages and this one struck me as strange (but fun). Most guides I’ve met were too polite, they treat guests like masters. When I saw him, it was more like visiting Phuket Fantasea theme park the night before than going on an island trip. I definitely needed a hard caffeine kick for waking up so early and to get me into an island mode.

It was 8:30am; the whitish clouds formed smaller cotton-like circles and the sea was flat like paper sheet. Mr Afro and his team assisted our group to board an extra large truck, which the Thais refer to as song theaw (two rows). But this one had three rows (or seats)—one in the middle—so I called it sam theaw (three rows). This particular vehicle has a seating capacity of about 50, thrice the capacity of a regular song theaw (a converted pick-up) popular in Bangkok and other provinces in Thailand. The bigger version is unique in Phuket. The 2-minute truck ride ferried us to the main pier where boats and yachts were waiting for day-tourists.

Like a scene in the Bible, we were herded in pairs. (Literally, except me and Bernadette and a Greek father and daughter, our group was composed mainly of couples.) To get to our designated ‘ark’, we had to use another yacht as jump-bridge. Once everyone got settled on the upper deck, Mr Afro formally introduced himself and his three-man team.

“I’m Bond, James Bond,” he said smiling again and showing his pearly white teeth against his over-tanned complexion. He later admitted that he was fair-skinned but because of daily island-hopping and diving when he’s not working, he’s become “more exotic”. The two other ‘stooges’ with him were Sushi and a slightly small-built man whose Thai name was hard to pronounce and even harder to remember. Sushi was introduced as “not yet a woman”—a term which refers to a katoey or lady boy.

Sushi showed his lady boy sway, paraded a bit and took Mr Afro’s wig that revealed an almost skinhead haircut with dreadlocks illusion. From the afro wig, everyone’s attention was shifted to Mr Afro’s dreads. How did the barber do it? We were wondering.

The Afro Team, who proudly wore their collared blue shirts with Phuket Venture logo, detailed the tour itinerary and demonstrated all the safety features of the yacht, even the proper way of going up and down the ladder. “Butt first not head when going down.”

During orientation, the team showed guests how to eat traditional Thai breakfast like sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with mango, jackfruit and coconut. Drinks were overflowing, except cocktails. It was the best way to start the trip—sticky rice breakfast and coffee while watching the horizon of crystal blue water against endless mountains and islands.

The trip was called ‘James Bond island’ tour. I thought it was more sellable to use the M16 agent because every country can promote island tours but not Mr Bond. (Talk about tour operators’ ingenuity.) The real name of the first island we visited is Khao Ping Gun. It became famous because the 1974 movie The Man With A Golden Gun (Roger Moore’s second Bond film) was shot here. It was where Mr Bond and a famous assassin Francisco Scaramanga had a duel (using the golden gun, of course) after a long chase in Hong Kong and Bangkok. It was the picturesque topography that made the once unknown Phang Nga bay famous.

Except for the famous rock wedged between cliffs—a mandatory backdrop for the ultimate souvenir shot—James Bond island was nothing special. There were shops that sold souvenirs made of shells and pearls, but that was it. A 20-minute stop-over was all that we needed.

Acting like Noah again, our Mr Afro counted heads and checked who else was missing on the long tail boat that took us from the yacht to two more islands. It was time for canoeing. When we arrived at the site, M&M’s-coloured canoes welcomed us. It felt like a fiesta, minus the banderitas (small colourful flaglets). In pairs, (again!) we were tucked on a yellow canoe. For 45 minutes, we paddled in and out of caves, cliffs and around limestone karsts and mangroves. There were very small cave openings so we had to lie down flat on the boat every time we entered. It was fun but the sun started to batter our backs and our faces. By the time we came back to our long tail boat, the M&M’s canoes were all gone. Thanks to our Mr Afro who insisted we should be there earlier or we would wait an hour to get a canoe.

The next stop was Koh Panyee, a gypsy village of 300 families, in Phang Nga bay. It was surprising to see a village on stilts complete with electricity, school, small clinic and a police station. Luckily, according to our Mr Afro (whose Muslim name is Zakaria), this village was spared during the 2004 tsunami. He said, when it happened, he was in James Bond Island and didn’t feel or see anything strange until they came ashore and saw the enormity of the disaster.

Koh Panyee is a village of its own. Although majority of the Muslim inhabitants (originally from Indonesia) still engage in fishing, tourism has complemented their way of life. Floating restaurants and souvenir shops dominated the island. However, when we got inside the arteries of the village, a different life was revealed. Birds in cages were displayed outside houses. Apparently, these chirpies are raised for singing competition. The bird that can hold the tune longer wins. It is a yearly festival that inhabitants in this village have inherited from their ancestors—a very unique tradition in southern Thailand.

From an exhausting island trip, the long tail boat took us back to the yacht in less than 20 minutes. There, we were treated like hungry wolves—-a buffet of saut?ed vegetables, fried chicken, fish, calamari, fried rice and a lot more was waiting for us. So we devoured lunch like kids who just went out playing on the grounds. Dessert were the sweetest of tropical fruits—pineapple, watermelon, banana. It was the best vacation lunch.

The yacht slowed down so we can appreciate the horizon while enjoying our afternoon tea and talking with our travel buddies. It took one hour more to reach our last destination Naka island—for swimming and more sunbathing. As the clich? goes, life’s a beach.

This was one package tour I truly enjoyed and I don’t mind having again. (By Jofelle P. Tesorio in Phuket/ Asia News Network)

For tours in Phuket, contact:
Marwin Tours (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
www.marwintours.com
Phone: +66-2-184-2626
Email: email@marwintours.com

Phuket Venture
www.PhuketVenture.net
Phone: +66-76-376-6367; +66 76-376-6423
Email: info@phuketventure.net