My idea of being in Thailand is to be out on my boat motoring among these fabulous structures on my dinghy. AND here we are! We did a one week cruise through the islands when Jim was visiting and plan to get out more a bit later.

The islands in the northern Phang Nga region are absolutely beautiful. This area is designated as a marine park and the rangers will come up to your boat when you're anchored and ask for a minimal fee.

The islands are riddles with caves and small bays called hongs. We got our dinghy part of the way into one at an island called Koh Hong.

You can see little beaches around the area. You also notice that the water is NOT clear. However we were not to be discouraged, so we donned our gear and entered the water. I forgot my tee shirt, so I used my sarong like a Superman cape to keep off the sun. What a sight I was to behold!!

We actually brought our camera (what inveterate optimists!). Amazingly we did see a little nudibranch and we believe that a few other fish actually live in this water since we saw them jump (they were probably just trying to get out of such miserable water!). 

We left Koh Kuda Yai and traveled south, noticing a dramatic change in the clarity of the water as we moved south of the Phuket island.

We anchored out in Ton Sai Bay on the island of Phi Phi (pronounced Pee Pee). This bay is said to be one of the ten most beautiful bays in the world. We were there in the "low" season and it seems that the entire world also knows of the beauty of these islands.

This is the view as we approached our anchorage.  As we got into the bay who did we see, but Lazy Bones (friends from our yacht club in the States)! That was a nice welcome. We had a great dinner ashore later on. We were actually wondering how we were going to connect with Jeff & Gail and here they were!

The area is truly beautiful. Our biggest problem was the crowds of people swarming the town, the beach and the dive sites. AND this was in the "low" season.

This is a view of monkey beach very near to our boat. The whole beach is lined up with speed boats that go roaring past us to med-moor as you see. You also notice that the tourists are the only ones on the beach! The locals and ourselves stayed out in the water (we, in our dinghy). These monkeys are VERY dangerous animals. They can maim and even kill a person.

You see the people getting very close to the monkeys to get a photo. We stayed away, out in the water. If they get angry they're known to bite and rip parts of one's face off! I kid you not! Walking through the jungle is not really recommended. Besides getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and other insects (risking malaria and dengue fever), if you carry any food monkeys are known to attack. You must carry a big stick. Needless to say we don't make a habit of trekking through the jungle.

Just a shot of the tourist village on Phi Phi. It was loaded with visitors as they come 900 at a time on the high speed ferries. While walking in town you will constantly be asked if you would like to go for a boat ride, go diving, want a massage, something to eat, stay at a hotel, etc., etc. It's a real crazy tourist town.

The beach is lined with restaurants and long tail boats. While walking on the beach you'll be constantly asked if you want to go for a boat ride. You see why we like to be anchored out on our boat. Actually the anchorage is quiet early in the morning and in the evening (and at night, of course, except for some "disco" noise). We get so accustomed to a quiet life that we've become quite intolerant of any noise. Interestingly, the Thailand people don't like noise either. AND in reading about the Similan Islands (which are a National Park) one of the rules is that there is to be NO loud noises. We're looking forward to that!