The reason we are in Thailand is because my brother organised a house swap in Hua Hin, about 150km south of Bangkok, and invited us along. The reason we added Phuket to the trip was not what you may think – for the sun, beaches, resorts and shopping. Rather we came here for one reason only – a visit to James Bond Island made famous in ‘The Man with Golden Gun’  filmed there in 1974.

There are a number of tour companies selling day trips to the limestone islands scattered across Phang Nga Bay off the east coast of Phuket Island in the Andaman Sea. Nearly all of them visit James Bond Island (which was known pre-movie as Khao Phing Kan). Some travel around the islands by large ferry, others on a traditional long boat. We chose one that used a large speed boat which promised lower crowd numbers due to their ability to get to each spot first.

Covering an area of 400 sq km, Phang Nga Bay has around 100 islands, many of which have high and steep limestone cliffs and are very spectacular, even more so today due to the brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies.

First stop was small island that had sheer cliffs and under water caves. But it was the second stop we came to see!

I was pleasantly surprised by the moderate crowds and clean and tidy appearance of James Bond Island. There were plenty of opportunities for pictures in front of the ‘nail’, a single rock just a few metres from the white sand beach where Roger Moore beached his amphibious aircraft in his quest for the evil Scaramanga.

Next stop was a floating village which was founded by a community of Indonesian fishermen who were forbidden from living on Thai soil. Now over 2000 people live there. With a school, hospital and numerous shops I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that it also had a number of restaurants, one of which was selected for our group lunch. Had I followed my rules (see yesterday’s post) I would have chosen this place based on its good crowds. If I had also done my research I would have already known that this place, unexpectedly given its remote location, had wonderful food. Dave was pleased there were omelettes and French fries laid out our on our table when we arrived and likewise I was pleased to see curries, fresh fruit, a sweet fish stir fry and my favourite for the day – prawn tom yum which was spicy and salty with its well known pungent hit of ginger, coriander and fish sauce. They may live on the edge of a remote island, but they have great access to super fresh seafood!

Stop 4 was an amazing spot that I won’t soon forget. We boarded a 3 person kayak (complete with driver!) and explored caves inside one of the small limestone islands. We needed to lie flat to get under the rocks and into the caves, some of which opened up to the sky.

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Our final stop was to a ‘resort’ island where you could swim, sunbake or if you wanted to, pay extra for a ride on jet ski. We decided to sit by the water in the shade and enjoyed a banana smoothie (Dave) and a Mojito (me). A lovely way to finish a great days outing.

It was about 5.30 pm when we were dropped back at the hotel. Really good value I think for just over A$100 each including transfers, lunch, snacks, the guide, kayaking and bottomless soft drinks and water.

After a refreshing shower and a short nap, we headed back to the centre of old town, this time to try dinner at Kopitiam, another well-reviewed local restaurant. This simple place was just as the article promised, cheap but authentic, friendly and importantly super clean.

Dave spotted the ‘children’s menu that adults are also welcome to enjoy’ and chose bacon and eggs on toast for 85 THB (less than $A5). He’s not quite gotten over his fear of food poisoning since the Sri Lankan incident, so takes the simple option when possible. I on the other hand ordered a duck and pineapple curry. It’s a dish I order often in Australia if I’m eating Thai and this was as good or better than any I have had. The duck was sliced breast which was extra tasty and not at all fatty, and the chili hit was just right. Including rice my meal was less than A$8. Tasty and great value! A happy end to a very happy day. Gosh, I love holidays!