Thailand travelogue
Article & photos by Happy Hong

诗云: 一纸征文伏机缘, 自助旅泰六月天. 佛国祥瑞人和善, 环保一流可借鉴. 清溪飞瀑鸣乐韵, 椰影银滩浪花卷. 神仙半岛听潮音, 普吉风光任流连. 屏干天成一线天, 神针定海塔布山. 乘舟探幽觅桃源, 一洞一境非人间. 岛影绰约桂林丘, 浮海逍遥欲成仙. 浅滩奇遇彩鱼舞, 揽胜入怀忆永年.

From June 17 to June 22, I had a pleasant trip to Thailand together with my wife. The whole process of traveling was wonderful and impressive for we made a satisfied decision to take a half-package tour(自由行). We had studied a lot about Thailand and had made a well-conceived plan before going. To our personal preference, we spent all our vacation time enjoying the natural views of the tropical seaside.

Phuket Island
Phuket(普吉岛) is the biggest island of Thailand, and is a fascinating resort area. The most beautiful beach of the island is in Patong, a cove with the shape of a hoof protruding into land. The water is exceptionally clear. So it is relaxing to go for a swim, or to have a stroll on the beach, or ride a jet ski on the water.

In the south of Phuket, we found a mini-peninsula from which my eyes could reach as far as the horizon, a line of interface connection between the sea and the sky. Also, a few mini-islands nearby could be seen clearly. The waves lashed the gray rocks of the mini-peninsula again and again, producing white spray surrounding the peninsula and making a fascinating rhythm in my ear. Grass covered the surface of the peninsula and several tall tropical trees were lucky enough to grow on "The Fairy Peninsula" as called by the local people.

The first day in Phuket, we had a local tour guide. When I asked him to take us to visit a waterfall of Phuket, he answered, "Sorry, there is no waterfall on the island." My wife was surprised to hear that. She showed the guy a map, on which three waterfalls had been indicated. The guy then stammered out an apology and told the driver where to go. If it were not a half-package tour, and if we had not gotten enough information in advance, we would have missed a favorite scenic spot.

The car I hired ran through an area of rubber woods in the north of Phuket and stopped at the foot of a mountain. Then we walked up along a stone path beside a brook. The murmuring brook water delighted me so much that I burst out, "It's music! Natural music!" I was also excited walking in a virgin forest with old trees, tall bamboo and climbing shrubs. After walking for about fifteen minutes, I was pleased to see a waterfall with a drop of ten meters or so. I took several pictures of the waterfall since it was rare on such a beautiful island.

Phang Nga Bay
About twenty kilometers to the northeast of Phuket, 161 islands of varying sizes are distributed in the Phang Nga Bay(攀牙湾). A slim boat carried my wife and I and a steersman, sailing along a water route among an endless expanse of mangroves(红树林). Being affected by the prosperity of the tall and strong mangroves, my wife sighed with emotion, "How generously God has endowed mankind! And it's indeed a rare area without any pollution."

The shapes of the islands in the bay looked like those of the mountains of Guilin, Guangxi, China. What surprised me most was that there were many caves formed by marine abrasion(海蚀) under the islands. In some of the caves, stalactites(钟乳石) hung from the ceiling, where edible bird's nests(燕窝) could be found. For some caves, the entrances were less than 0.4 meters high and only when the tourists lie flat on the small rubber boat can they barely pass through. We had passed through several such entrances and each time there was a new scenic picture of a world composed of mangroves and seawater and island rocks to meet our eyes when we raised our bodies from lying to sitting straight. Among the mangroves, I was delighted to discover an amphibious(两栖的) fish that I had never seen before.

The most wonderful island in the Phang Nga Bay is the Koh Ping Gan. A huge rock nearly 30 meters high, which leans against another rock and forms "a thread of sky". About 50 meters to the north of Koh Ping Gan, the Tapu Mountain, about 30 meters high, with a fat top and a thin bottom, stands in the water like a huge nail inserted straight into the sea.

In Phang Nga, we had a substantial meal at the "Village on the Sea". Besides shrimp and vegetables, a fish of 1.5 kilos had been "wiped out"thoroughly by the driver, my wife and I. While eating, my wife once again praised our half-package tour, "In fact, every meal was a hearty meal, and we arranged our own time, hired a private car and a private boat. All this brings us a good mood."

Mu Koh Phi Phi
The Phi Phi Island(披披岛) is located in the Indian Ocean, about 50 kilometers to the southeast of Phuket. The seawater there is exceptionally blue. While I was swimming at the Tongsai Beach, a crowd of black and yellow striped tropical fish gathered around me. Some of them were even bold enough to touch my legs. Their kindness and hospitality had brought me much pleasure. So, in return, I presented bread to them. This made them more joyous in dancing and leaping. The scene of wild animals getting along so closely with me will certainly be unforgettable in my life.

Tips

Since Thailand has been having its rainy season, please take some shirts with long sleeves. There is a big difference between outdoor and indoor temperature, so take care.

It is currently the hot season of travel in Thailand. Please make full preparations and reserve hotels one month in advance.

For more details, please visit www.hotelThailand.cn (Chinese edition) or www.hotleThailand.com (English edition 泰国酒店联盟网站).