Similan Island No 4 - Lunch & Princess Bay @ Koh Miang [Phang Nga Province (Near Phuket), Thailand]

It's lunchtime right after the harrowing experience and although i am not expecting restaurant fare; i was still kind of taken aback by the sheer number of people standing around tables of food.

Buffet style but please be considerate and have one helping first. As you can see, the offerings were relatively basic with rice, noodles, vegetables and meat; unlike the luxurious ones i had on Sapi Island at Kota Kinabalu! 

However, Seastar Andaman provided hot water where you can indulge in tea, coffee and milo! That's a nice gesture given that many people were snorkeling in the water before lunchtime. 

Slices of pineapple and watermelon as desserts. 

There wasn't any table / chair for you to have your meal and many of people were just standing up to dig into their food. Those who couldn't do so would have to make do with the dirt ground; if you are lucky, you can sit on the tree roots jutting out from the ground.

I can only count our blessings that it didn't rain when we visited; if not, i believe the situation would be very chaotic given the lack of shelter. 

Should it rain, i doubt anyone of us would dare to venture into the above building as it belongs to the Thai Royal Navy! Never mess with the army. 

On one hand, those who love the sea and the beach would be super happy to be assigned to the unit although on the other hand, you would have to make do with the primitive amenities on the island; like the wooden bench press. 

We were done rather quickly with lunch as none of us appeared to have the mood to eat more (for obvious reason) but we were not allowed to board the boat. Instead, Sheda (our guide) pointed to a path and showed us a hand-drawn map on where we would be boarding the boat. 

Here's the path we were asked to take and it appeared that tourists from other tour agencies were also requested to do the same thing. 

Larn Kha Laung View Point - i would have proceeded as 500 meters are not that long; however, the handwritten words stopped me in my path. 45 minutes to an hour would mean i would have no time to check out princess bay! 

Maybe that's why no one was going up the way to the viewpoint; i presume most, if not all of us, were on a tight schedule and really didn't have to the luxury of time to check out more. 

Have you realized that everyone was barefooted and that's not recommended when you are cutting across jungle?! All of us were actually asked to remove our shoes before we took the boat; thankfully, i bought a pair of aquashoes at Decathlon and they were allowed to be worn on board. 

Information panels along the path even though many people were focusing on going along as fast as possible. Why? Because there were blood sucking pests! 

Mosquitoes and there were so many; i even managed to smack one to its death! 

Unlike the small, irritating kind we encounter in Singapore, the mosquitoes at Similan Islands (No 4) were huge! I wouldn't be able to recognise the species as there are over 3,500! Do you also know that mosquitoes "kill more humans than any other animals"?  

Non-hunting area in the jungle sounds like a rather legit warning although i did note that the logo used were more for fishes in the sea! Hm... wrong logo?

Campsites! At my age, i am happier staying in a resort / hotel with air-conditioning. Don't think i can endure the backache to sleep in a tent unless it's the evolved version known as glamping! 

A fine would be imposed on campers who hang their laundry to dry; i do hope that an alternative solution is offered since you wouldn't want your wet clothes stinking up the tent! Furthermore, the sun is free! 

Tall trees.

Toilet time even though you can choose, discreetly, to do your number 1 in the sea. Anyway, the washrooms were relatively clean; albeit a bit wet.

After about 10 minutes of walk to cut through the jungle, we were rewarded with the breathtaking scenery at Princess Bay! For more photos, please refer to my post on Princess Bay right here. 

Leaving for our next snorkeling between Similan Island No 9 and 8 @ Christmas Point / Namchai Bay. Sad that it's so short a time but there wasn't much choice as we only had a day at Similan Islands. 

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Purchase of Day Trip Package

The Similan Islands day trip package by Seastar Andaman was purchased from At Akarin tour counter near Swissotel Resort (Patong Beach) at a discounted pricing of 2,500 baht; pricing online was 3,800 baht!

What else did i do in Phuket? 

Check out my 5-day Phuket itinerary here!

The Picturesque Princess Bay at Island No 4 (Koh Miang) in Similan Islands @ Phang Nga Province (Near Phuket) [Thailand]

After lunch at the other side of Koh Miang (Similan Island No 4), we were told by the guide to proceed along a mosquito-infested dirt path to Princess Bay; where we had about 30 minutes to chill out at the beach.

What i didn't expect was how stunningly beautiful Princess Bay is; even my then still shaken dad (due to this particular incident) was impressed with the postcard-perfect view in front of him! 

The seemingly lonesome island in the middle is Koh Payu (Similan Island No 7) but there's actually a bigger island behind which you will be able to spot when you move further left or right. 

Soft, powdery sand! 

Dad feeling better after soaking in the view although i didn't realise his eyes were closed! If not, this would have been printed out for his collection. Unlike our generation, my dad's generation still prefers hard copy and i would usually choose a few good ones after our trips and print them out. 

I was undecided on the direction to take and couldn't make a decision if i should snorkel; given that it's right after lunch and i have the tendency to be seasick after a heavy lunch. 

However, i didn't eat much and i figured it should be fine to snorkel; i hope. Anyway, the left side appeared to have lesser people and i guess i would try my luck there instead.

On second thought, i should have checked out the rocks on the right as it seemed like a good spot to take some pictures! With just 30 minutes at Princess Bay, my main worry was whether i have sufficient time.

Now you know what i mean by lesser people on the left side of Princess Bay; i can count the number of people at this area using my two hands! 

The right side which was filled with people! 

Snorkeling time and i am glad to see my dad being excited over it even though he almost drowned  a few hours ago! Click here if you wish to read more. 

Don't bother snorkelling in the middle of the bay as there would be minimal marine creatures unless you want to risk it by swimming further out of Princess Bay. Instead, you should walk over to either ends of the bay, where the rocks are.

Spotted a puffer fish, i think! 

Not many but there were a few larger fishes, including parrot fish and fishes that look like silver pomfret with three dots on the side of its body.

Sergeant major fishes again! Given the frequency i see them when snorkeling in Thailand and Malaysia; i have ever wondered before if they were predatory, with the ability to destroy other species. 

A satisfied dad although if you ask him in person; he will tell you he would still prefer the mountains with a cool climate. Not just any mountain; only the ones in China. 

Found a seashell which fit nicely on my middle finger! As Similan Islands is a national park; please do not take away any object! A fine applies if you break the rules although i personally think this should be basic courtesy for any traveller! 

Do note the boat zone where swimming is disallowed! Other rules as indicated above in the right display board; by the way, you are not allowed to fly drone in the area. With the proliferation of drones in the market, it would be hard to enforce the rule.

Lifeguard lookout point - it's a safeguard but the responsibility is on you to protect yourself. Wear a life jacket at all time as its bright colour would attract attention should anything happen.

The Chinese tourists were really good in posing although i sometimes hope that they don't hog up the area as other visitors would also want to take pictures and it's not like we have all the time in the world. No issue at Princess Bay though as there's plenty of space. 

Time for out speedboat to leave Princess Bay for our next destination! 

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Purchase of Day Trip Package 

The Similan Islands day trip package by Seastar Andaman was purchased from At Akarin tour counter near Swissotel Resort (Patong Beach) at a discounted pricing of 2,500 baht; pricing online was 3,800 baht!

What else i did in Phuket? 

Check out my 5-day Phuket itinerary here!