Siam SeaCanoe

Today we took another boat tour. It was in Phang Nga Bay and there were no crazy waves. The boat was a cruise boat and it was so calm that we could eat lunch on board. There were tons of jellyfish in the ocean and we could not go to two of the islands because of all the jellyfish. This tour was a sea canoe tour, where the big boat would take us to an island and then put in anchor and then we would pile into canoes and explore caves in and around the island.

The first island we went to had bats inside the cave. The guides on the canoe had lights and when they would shine them on the bats they started to fly around over our heads. When the tide is really low someone could take a canoe all the way through the cave to a lagoon at the center of the island, but when we went through you could only see a small opening.

The second island was James Bond Island where The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was filmed. There were no canoes here but we got to climb in some caves that were there. The next island that we went to we had the option of canoeing ourselves or taking a guide with us. We went all around the island and the scenery was incredible.

At the final island we got to canoe and swim there. Waiting for us on the beach was a monkey (the guides said it is rare to see monkeys on this tour). The monkey was so hungry that when the guides brought some bananas it practically attacked the guy holding them and they had to throw the bananas in the boat, push the boat to the monkey and swim away. Then the monkey happily took the bananas from everyone. Even Everett fed him.

On the long ride back all the canoe guides did a dancing show for the passengers. Collin even got his own special show from a lady boy. Let's just say that I am glad that the little boys were sleeping during the show!

If Thailand were in the USA...

An addendum to yesterday's post:

Several of us in the front part of the boat (where our spines and tailbones were most at risk), remarked that if we tried going out on the water in similar conditions to the ones we were in, but it were in America or Australia... it wouldn't happen.

There is no chance that a tour company from the U.S. or from any of the "civilized" nations of the world would take people out there. I have chatted about how things are in Britain and Australia with folks who have come from those countries, and it is the same everywhere. Sophisticated societies tend to gather their wealth of experiences and knowledge to minimize the number of risks one can take. Whether it is from law suits or top-down regulation, freedom suffers a bit each time litigation or legislation attempt to protect the citizens of the country in which the measure is being enacted.

Sure, yesterday's boat tour lead to some discomfort in our backs and posteriors, but it was well worth it. We saw beautiful places we would otherwise never see, did exciting things we could only do in a very few other places on Earth and we got to know people from other countries who were loving and experiencing the same things along with us. There was even a gal from Australia who must have vomited 7 or 8 times, but she was still smiling whenever we'd stop and see a new island (eventually her husband joined in on the vomiting).

It is just amazing to see what freedoms people have here that for safety reasons or fear of a lawsuit, we do not. This is a monarchy and they have freedoms that we never would have guessed one could have--and the best part? It hasn't lead to anarchy. There is order here and it works.

I strongly recommend Thailand as a vacation destination or a place to live to anyone. If you are coming just for a visit, I recommend The Secret Cove in Phuket for your food and lodging. It is a private beach and the staff are all very helpful and friendly. If you need contact info, I can provide it.