The next morning was spent by the pool and after having an early lunch a taxi arrived. We were going on a kayak trip to some hongs. The guy driving had once been a tour guide and he knew everything. He talked about the rubber trees mostly, though. He said it was one of the best buisnesses because while waiting for the rubber trees to grow (they take about three-six years) you can plant pineapples (four months) which grow on the ground and sometimes they even plant peppers. After the pineapples are full-grown and picked they chop off the top and plant it. Then they sell the leaves to people with elephants and the fruit to people to eat. They keep planting and over the years the rubber trees grow until you can collect rubber. After they're all out of rubber, carpenters come and buy the wood. Then it's time to start all over. He also said they have three seasons; Hot, Very Hot and Bloody Hot. In Canada we pretty much have the opposite; Cold, Very Cold and Bloody Cold!
When we arrived at our destination we got out and took a bus across the pier and we got on the boat and started our adventure. The ride to Phang Nga Island (pronounced Pannok Island) was about an hour. A guy explained how . . .
When we arrived at our destination we got out and took a bus across the pier and we got on the boat and started our adventure. The ride to Phang Nga Island (pronounced Pannok Island) was about an hour. A guy explained how . . .
This is a cross-section of a Hong.
the hongs were made by old circles of coral somehow turning into limestone and then in an earthquake or something they pushed up from the ground. There was a big dent on the top and as the wind and rain carved the ouside, the fierce rain pounded in the dent, sitting there afterward, and after hundreds of years formed a hong. When it rains and rains all the water tries to get out and a tunnel-like thing was formed and the tours use it as an entrance. Sometimes they are so narrow and low that you have to lie down. ('Hong' is the Thai word for 'lagoon'.) Our paddle guides were Saman and Tom and the kayaks took three people includng the guide. Mom and I went together while Birch and Dad were right beside us. We hopped in and rode along with the guide showing us tiny crabs that lived in clams along the limestone walls of the hong. Then we entered the very short tunnel of Oyster Cave and into the first hong. I liked lying on my back and looking up at the lush forest and blue sky. There were tiny fish in the murky water and a type of bird nick-named 'kite' flying above. We paddled around and then headed out and into Bat Cave, with a long, long dark tunnel. So dark in fact, that we had to use flashlights. There were bats clinging to the rock above and there were also different coloured stone-looking things on the cieling. Our guide told us that they were hornet nests, but that they didn't come down. We finally came out into a hong where we saw a couple of lizards and the same amazing scenery as before. We paddled out and back to the boat, taking a fifteen minute ride to another Island, of which I forget the name. Then we set out for Monkey Hong. It wasn't a very long tunnel but we had to do a lot of twists and turns once we were out of it. Birch was the first in our group to spot a monkey.
It sat on a branch in the water and stared at us. It yawned a lot and you could see it's fangs. It also peed! We watched him for about fifteen minutes then moved on. The next sighting was of a Mom and her baby on a rock. We just kept moving and after turning another corner saw a whole group of them! A Mom was smaking a crab against a rock, trying to break it open to eat, and the baby wouldn't stop following his Mom, like asking her 'Are you done yet? Are you done now? How about now?' When finally the Mom cracked it open the baby gorged himself on the crab meat and I could see his pink little toungue lick up all the crumbs. Then the Mom went back to cracking. We watched them and all the other monkeys there for about half an hour then paddled around to a mangrove tree with it's tangle of roots and by the base of the roots we saw a mudskipper (Birch claims they are called 'mudpuppies' and I don't remember so clearly).
The guide said mudskippers/mudpuppies are the only animal on Earth that have lungs as well as gills. Then we went out and back to the boat, where we swam and had dinner. After dinner we made kratongs. You say a prayer and the kratongs are supposed to take away all the bad stuff in your life. They are made of all natural materials; a banana tree trunk for the base (because it is soft), purple flowers, red flowers, marygolds and banana leaves. The only un-natural thing in it were the nails that held everything together. The kratong is supposed to be in the shape of a lotus flower, as that is sacred to Buddha. The guide chopped off the top of two purple flowers, making little birds out of them. That was my favourite part. The kratong has three incense in them, one representing Buddha, one representing Buddha's teachings and one representing the Monks. Originally they only have one candle, symbolizing happiness, but we put them all around. In the end it was truly enchanting, and when it was lit even better.
We rode once more along into Bat Cave and placed our kratong in the water. It floats because the banana trunk is made of mostly air. We paddled along for a little while then went back and retrieved our kratong, as it would be polluting to leave the nails in the water. We went back to the boat and set off to Phuket again. I was dead tired.
Allie
Allie
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