Bond, James Bond

Monday, May 3, we took a holiday for "International Labor Day." We set off in the morning following a car crammed full of friends from Bangsak church and headed to Phangnga Bay, where the legendary James Bond Island is situated. We split the cost of a big boat, as there were 14 of us, and for just under $5 a person, we made a very inexpensive day of it!

This island was featured in Roger Moore's 1974 movie, "The Man with the Golden Gun," which is unfortunate, because he's NOBODY'S favorite Bond, or even a second favorite. I'm a fan of Knick-Knack, though, who was featured in the film. Despite Connery's absence, if you're ever in the mood to put up with sub-par acting to view this ancient beauty on the big screen, then it's worth a watch. Check out the video clip below...



We sped along the water front and enjoyed the stunning natural rocks jetting from the water. The sun was hot, but we had a little roof on the multicolored wooden boat, and there were puffy white clouds above. We stopped at an island that our friends insisted was NOT James Bond Island, but was called "Ko Tapu" which means "nail" as it sticks straight out of the water. There was a National Park fee, but only if you were white, so we decided to stick it to the man and wandered onto the beach without being stopped. I don't feel sorry for it, if you're curious. We took some pictures on the beach and swam in the bay.

We wandered back to find caves (we could hear bats inside but it smelled like a sewer, so we didn't venture further) and a slanted wall of rock that must have been 80 feet high. There were booths selling massive shells, the likes of which I've only ever seen on my dad's bookshelf - a huge conch he bought in Hawaii. Momentarily I considered buying one, but Derek was concerned as to the method used to collect them, and the women were grabby and pushy. I ripped my hand away and sharply responded in Thai (I don't know much, but I know enough). Nobody pulls me anywhere, and immediately they lost a chance at my money. Of course, I also gave up the chance to buy one of these incredible shells. We saw post cards and gifts that said "James Bond Island" on them, but when we asked the Thais we were with, they denied that this was the island. James Bond was somewhere else, apparently. Once we got back home, we looked it up, and our pictures matched every advertised version identically...we were on James Bond Island. We're sure.

We stopped at another island for lunch where we took pictures of the basketball-sized jelly fish that were in the bay. These were visible from the boat even at high speeds. There's nothing in the picture to give you a size comparison, so just know that I'm not exaggerating when I say it was as big as a basketball. And basketballs are not small.

On our way back to shore, we slowed near a cave where ancient writing could be seen. Pictures drawn 2,000 years ago on the rocks could be viewed today. Naturally they weren't crystal clear, but they were a very cool part of Thai history that we felt blessed to witness.