PHANG-NGA BAY

         Phang-Nga Bay is a 400 kilometers square bay in the Strait of Malacca between Phuket and the mainland of southern Thailand.

       James Bond Island, called Koh Ta-pu ('Nail Island'), first found its way onto the international map through its starring role in the James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). And this is where most tours seem to take all of the tourists.

          Koh Panyee, a remarkable village, the whole of it built out over the water on stilts and with a giant rock monolith guarding its rear. At first, fishing was the sole industry for this Muslim community but nowadays it is No 2. These days, half the locals service the tourism industry and 40% are still fishermen. The village has its own school, a mosque, a health center, lots of small souvenir shops and a handful of large restaurants facing the sea where you can enjoy a fresh seafood lunch.

            Hongs of Phang-Nga, there are lost worlds awaiting discovery. It wasn't many years ago that aerial surveys first revealed the Hong, or 'Rooms', that lie inside some of Phang-Nga's islands. These fabulous microcosms, hidden realms rich in unspoiled flora and fauna, are collapsed cave systems open to the sky and surrounded by towering limestone walls. Try sea-kayaking, where you paddle sturdy fiberglass boats through caves into the mysterious hearts of islands such as Koh Panak and Koh Hong.