Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thailand. Show all posts

Friday, August 4, 2023

Where The Stars Meet The Sea


My interpretation of the memorable ferry ride in pencil

We decided to leave Koh Tao on an impulse. Can’t quite advocate unplanned ventures or adventures but more than often have gone that way! Undeniably, it has failed me a few times. Nonetheless, the apparent escapist in me said, that planning and then failing is more defeating than not planning and failing! Or better still an unexpected result, win or fail is perhaps more gratifying than an expected one. Well, philosophies aside, we elected to head south.

Sunset at Koh Tao. Koh (Island) Tao (Turtle) Turtle Island is a beautiful island in the Chumphon Archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand. It is much known for its Scuba diving resorts. Though small it is a nice getaway for 4-5 days with serene beaches, a colorful local market,  and decent eateries. 


A few many knocks on the doors of half a dozen travel agencies finally got us two last-minute tickets for the night ferry to Surat Thani. The ferry was a complete chock-a-block! 8 in the night the little port seemed alive with festive exuberance. There were few Thai natives and a swarm of enthusiastic young Western tourists. Most of them were in their early twenties, I presumed. I could hear the excitement and eager introductions going around. ‘Hiya! I am John from the UK..oh kool I am Monica from Switzerland. A German couple… A group of students from France. Wow! The world had just come to a small South Asian port at this hour of the night.

Our big bags were stowed away in the cargo section with number slips handed out and then we boarded in a queue (I make a particular mention of this pleasant word because it's such a rarity in my part of the world, unfortunately!). On the basis of first come first serve, some got the cabins with beds and I muttered in my mind ‘Jeez what a miss!’ only to realize in the next hour, that it was a miss worth well.  The next in the queue were given mattresses and pillows and the final last-minute-ers including us got coir mats and the invaluable instruction to find ourselves a place (if we can) to safely rest our butts!

We were on the topmost deck. It was clean though crammed with people, drinking, laughing, and merrymaking; seemed like a partying cruise. Scampering through the crowd and dodging the carefree passengers sitting on the deck floor with beer bottles in their hands, we finally managed to get ourselves to a strip of vacant space exactly in front of the engine room. 

What lay before us was the last railing protectively separating us from the endless starry sky and the endless gurgling sea - almost inviting us to dive into that seeming limitlessness. I wasn’t sure if the gooseflesh bespoke the chill breeze brushing against the skin or the hypnotic panorama in front of my eyes. We spread the mat, leaned against the backpacks, and wrapped the stole around. The chill had started to pinch. Yes! it wasn’t a dream.

Countless stars had irradiated the clear January sky. The sea was calm, the air bore the moist seaweed smell, and often times I could hear the waves splash against the ferry walls. Before long I was in a trance. For the next many hours, while time stood still, I sat reminiscing and reflecting on all the myriad moments gone past in the last many years. Maybe this is how close one can get to peace. A quarry we pursue so relentlessly to actually chase it away most often.


Suddenly, the ship's haunting horn blasted through the dead silence of the night interrupting my introspection. I could see distant lights moving….another ferry….carrying another traveler from another distant land to another distant destination.. who might be wondering quite like me, 'Perhaps this is where the stars meet the sky!'

Karst Topography In South Thailand

We came across Karst Caves on our 14-day Thailand and Cambodia trip itinerary to Thailand. We flew from Delhi to Bangkok. After a short trip to Cambodia, we headed to south Thailand. We stayed in Koh Tao for 5 days and then traveled to Phuket. While in Phuket we took a day tour of Phang Nga Bay. Here we came across some amazing Karst landscapes and caves. Ice Cream Cave particularly was spectacular.


Koh Tao to Phuket was almost a day journey. We took a sleeper boat from Koh Tao to Surat Thani - Our memorable sleeper boat ride from Koh Tao to Surat Thani. At Surat Thani Pier, we got a bus to Phuket. 


Phang Nga Bay tour was a day tour. We started early around 7:30 a.m. and came back around 5:00 p.m. We hopped a few islands in the bay and took a canoe ride to the Ice cream caves on Koh Panak Island


Phang Nga Bay has around 42 islands. The tour took us to Panak, Hong, and James Bond Island. The rest of the islands were cruised around


Phang Nga Bay Ice Cream Cave is a Karst formation. This Cave is one of the most breathtaking natural wonders of the world. When the Canoe entered the tiny cave, I did not for once imagine, it would eventually lead to an area open to the sky and surrounded by karst mountains covered in green foliage. It was a surreal experience 


Cave entrance in front. It looked so tiny from the outside but the surprise inside was overwhelming.


The Sinkhole formation: Open to sky enclosed within tall karst mountains. My photos do not do justice but the experience is uncapturable


Phang Nga Bay islands: Of the 42+ islands in the bay, 14 are the most visited which include Khao Phing Kan (James Bond Island), Koh Panak, Koh Hong, Koh Yao Yai, Koh Kudu Yai, Koh Panyee, Koh Nom Sao, Koh Raya ring to name a few. 'Khao' in Thai means 'hill' and 'Koh' means 'Island'.



What is Karst Topography

A Karst landscape is a formation in regions that have large deposits of limestone / or any calcium-rich stone, abundant water, and rich vegetation. Calcium-rich stone reacts with atmospheric CO
2 and carbon dioxide released by plants and aquatic organisms to form porous layers through which water seeps into the ground creating underground subterranean rivers, lakes, and caves with stalactite and stalagmites. These natural wonders are like sculptures designed by nature.


Stalactite in Phang Nga Bay Cave: Water-dripped mineral deposits that form icicle-like formations hanging down the cave roofs are called stalactite


Stalagmite and karst columns at Panak Islands: Stalagmites are icicle-type water-dripped mineral deposits formed on floors of caves. These grow upward and form columns when joined with stalactites growing downwards.


Stalactites- A closer look - water droplets can be seen on the tips


Karst columns - a closer look


Green fluorescent light in the ice cream caves due to the reflection of light through green algae water
 


Khao Phing Kan, popularly known as James Bond Island after the shooting of the 007 Movie, The Man with the Golden Gun


Ko Hong Islands


Prominent Karst Regions in Thailnd. Doi Nang Non is the karst region in the north. It became famous when 12 junior football team members and their coach got trapped inside one of the caves and were rescued over a 12-day period.

Karst landscape in Croatia


Tuesday, July 19, 2022

14 Days In Thailand And Cambodia With Visa On Arrival

Koh Hong Islands in Phang Nga Bay

Our Thailand trip was a sudden decision. It was December 30th and impulsively we chose a destination that gave visa on arrival and was a short flight. Air Asia had a good last-minute deal luckily. Our journey started with an early morning flight from Delhi. By 9:00 am on December 31st, we were at Bangkok airport.


At the airport, we went through the immigration process and received the on-arrival Visa. The immigration officer was kind, though we did not have a hotel booked he didn't question us much and filled Novotel's address in the form. The paperwork was simple. Luckily we had a passport photo which is mandatory for a visa on arrival. After stamping the visa, we exchanged some Bahts at the currency exchange counter at the airport. We didn't have to look for them, there are many kiosks near the immigration section.
 

Day 1:

We had no plans, no hotel bookings, and no idea where we wanted to head. We decided to have a hearty breakfast and then figure out our way forward. Randomly, walking through the airport, we reached the airport bus terminus. There were some restaurants and cafes at the terminus. We were hungry and we wanted to start on something that was authentic Thai. The lady at the counter suggested a shrimp omelet and minced chicken rice platter. Trust me it was one of the best stuff I ever had or perhaps I was way too hungry!

Suvarnabhumi Airport Bus Terminus

After the scrumptious meal, we pulled out our phones to plan our next destination. We were about to buy tickets to Bangkok City when a bus stopped at the bay right next to where we were sitting. The bus was heading for Aranyaprathet, at the Cambodian border. Since a Cambodia visa was also available on arrival, we decided to go to Siem Reap first. Point to mention here, we were smart enough to opt for a multiple-entry Thailand Visa. 

Aranyapretha is a tiny town, we reached there after almost 6-7 hours. It was almost 6:00 pm in the evening when the bus reached its final destination. The town was quite desolate, maybe because it was evening and stores were ready to shut down in a couple hours. We picked a decent-looking hotel close to the bus terminus. The hotel was small but very clean. They had just one room available on the 4th floor and had no lifts :( The climb up with our heavy bags turned out quite a task. The room was tiny, neat, and well done. The best was the tinier toilet with a mustard yellow WC :) I loved it. I was so awed by the yellow WC that I forgot to even take a photograph. When I returned to Delhi, one of the first things I did was look for a mustard yellow WC which I did not get to date :( still on my bucket list.


Day 2:

Early the next morning, the hotel arranged for an agent, who helped us get our visa at the border and arranged for our pick up across the border. We did not have extra passport-size photos, so we had to get those at the visa office and it cost us 5 times the cost. Advice to be noted: Always carry at least 10 sets of passport-size photographs when traveling abroad. You never know when you need them. The Visa process at the border was not quite a cakewalk! We had to walk a lot, it was crowded, long queues and too warm for winter. Almost took 2 hours. The walk to Poi Pet, Cambodia was about 30 minutes. Not sure if I would take this route again :) At Poipet, we exchanged Riels.  A vehicle arranged by our agent in Aranyapretha then took us to Siem Reap. We went and booked the hotel suggested by the driver. The hotel was good and just minutes away from the night market, and Angkor vat.

Sunrise at Angkor Vat

We stayed in Siem Reap for two days. Will share details in a separate post. 

Day 3:

On Day 3 we went to Angkor Vat and Ta Prohm. We were at Angkor Vat at 4:00 am. It was crowded. Everyone waited eagerly with cameras for capturing the magical sunrise. I certainly didn't do a good job :( We spent almost half a day at the temple complex. There's lots to see and perhaps a day is too less. 

We spent the second half of day 3 at Ta Prohm and the temples near it. I loved Ta Phrom. It has a haunting allure. The tall silver cotton trees add to the eeriness.

At night, we had a lovely Cambodian dinner and a walk through the night market.


Day 4:

On day 4 we went to Phnom Bakheng at 4:00 am to watch the sunrise there. It was as crowded as Angkor Vat. We headed back to Bangkok by road with a group of other tourists on day 4. We reached Bangkok's most famous street Khao San Street at midnight. Looking for a hotel at the hour makes for a separate post will share later.

Watching Sunrise and hot air balloons from the terrace of Phnom Bakheng

Angkor Vat



Ta Phrom


Night Market at Siem Reap


Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace of Bangkok

Day 5:

We spent Day 5 in Bangkok. We walked around the City. Most of the day was spent exploring the Grand Palace. It is indeed grand! I loved the detailing and intricacies of the architecture of the temples and palaces in the complex. Spellbinding!

In the evening we came across an ad about a 7-day Scuba certification course in Koh Tao. As impulsive as we were, we decided to go for it. We enrolled in the course and headed for Koh Tao that evening. An overnight bus took us to Chumphon. We reached early morning.


Koh Tao

Day 5-8:

From Chumphon, a ferry took us to Koh Tao. The transfers were all a part of the package. Koh Tao is a beautiful island and it was one of my most memorable stays. The resort was beautiful. We were given a cottage close to the beach. Classes for the certification started the same day. Three days went by great. On the fourth day, we realized we were not ready for scuba diving. Our swimming expertise was not enough, rather we had no expertise :P The instructor said it would be risky for the entire team. So our course and stay was cut short. The agency refunded, 3 days stay booked at the resort. We decided to head for Phuket.


Sunset at Koh Tao

Day 9:

On day 9 we reached Surathani after an 8-hour journey on a sleeping boat. The story of the journey from Koh Tao to Surathani is shared in a separate post. We took a bus from Surathani to Phuket. The route was through a forest area and it was pretty scenic. We booked a hotel within walking distance from Patong Beach. We spent day 9 at the beach and the market at Patong.


Patong Beach in Phuket


Day 10:

On day 10, we booked a Phang Nga Bay tour. It was a whole day tour and we hopped on three to four islands at the bay and also took a canoe ride to the ice cream caves. This region has spectacular karst formations - Karst Topography in South Thailand

Ice Cream Caves, Phang Nga Bay


Day 11:

On Day 11, we booked a tour of the Raya Islands. It is a beautiful island with pristine clear blue waters and white beaches. 

Komodo Dragon in Raya Island


Shoal of fish at Raya Beach

Day 12:

On day 12 we headed back to Bangkok. We had run out of money and had just enough for a bus ticket and a loaf of bread. It was a long journey of 15 + hours by bus.


Mirrored Yaksha (demon) at the golden temple at the Grand Palace in Bangkok

Day 13:

We spent Day 13 in Bangkok. We received the refunded amount from the scuba agent which we spent on shopping :) The market in Bangkok has quite many interesting stuff, from wigs to coconut artifacts to beautiful handicraft decor items. Not to mention Ikat fabric and clothes.

Day 14:

We headed back to Delhi.