Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [544]
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Information
Phang-Nga town doesn’t have a tourist office, but the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT; 0 7621 2213; www.tat.or.th; 73-65 Th Phuket; 8.30am-4.30pm) office in Phuket Town provides maps and good information on the region. The post office is about 2km south of the centre. There are numerous places around town to log on to update your blog.
Immigration office (0 7641 2011; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) A few kilometres south of town; you’ll probably never find it on your own, so take a motorcycle taxi.
Siam Commercial Bank (Hwy 4; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri) On the main road through town; has an ATM and change facilities.
Sights & Activities
The old ‘city of contrasts’ cliché really does apply to the town of Phang-Nga: it is a scruffy, luckless town in a sublime location. The main street is a downtrodden, rather sad-looking strip, but it backs up against breathtaking limestone cliffs.
About 8.5km south of the town centre is Tha Dan. From here, you can charter boats to see half-submerged caves, oddly shaped islands and Ko Panyi, a Muslim village on stilts. There are tours to Ko Phing Kan (‘James Bond Island’; the island rock depicted in Roger Moore’s Bond escapade, The Man with the Golden Gun). These tours also visit Ao Phang-Nga National Park (per person for a two- to three-hour tour 500B to 600B). Takua Thung, another pier area about 10km further west of Tha Dan, also has private boats for hire, for similar prices; ask at the restaurants. The park office inside Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park offers boat tours as well.
Unless you enjoy haggling with boatmen, it’s much easier (and not too expensive) to go with an organised tour through an agency in town. Sayan Tours (0 7643 0348) has been doing tours of Ao Phang-Nga for many years now, and continues to receive good reviews from travellers. Half-day/day tours cost from 500/800B per person and include Tham Lawt (a large water cave), Ko Phing Kan and Ko Panyi, among other destinations. Meals and very rustic accommodation on Ko Panyi are part of the longer packages. The overnight trip (2500B) is recommended as tourists will see a great deal more, although tourists have given us negative feedback about their homestay experience in the Muslim village. Sayan Tours also offers canoe trips and tours to other nearby destinations, including Sa Nang Manora Forest Park and the various caves near town.
Sleeping
Phang-Nga doesn’t have much in the way of quality sleeping – most folks choose to swing by on a day trip.
Phang-Nga Inn (0 7641 1963; 2/2 Soi Lohakit; r 400-1600B; ) This converted residential villa comes up trumps in the town’s hotel stakes. Expect pleasant surrounds, comfy beds and homey welcomes. It’s well furnished and there’s a little eatery out front. Rooms range from basic fan options to swish air-con suites.
Old Lukmuang Hotel (0 7641 2125; fax 0 7641 1512; 1/2 Moo 1, Th Phetkasem; r 450B) This choice is rather dingy, but Bond fanatics will be interested to know that it housed some of the crew from The Man with the Golden Gun when they based themselves here during filming.
Eating
Several food stalls on the main street of Phang-Nga sell delicious kà nm jeen (thin wheat noodles) with chicken curry, nám yah (spicy ground-fish curry) or nám prík (spicy sauce). There’s also a small night market on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings just south of Soi Lohakit.
Cha-Leang (0 7641 3831; Th Phetkasem; dishes 40-90B; lunch & dinner) The best – and often busiest – eatery in town cooks up a smorgasbord of well-priced seafood dishes – try the clams with basil leaf and chilli or ‘edible inflorescence of banana plant salad’. There’s a pleasant verandah out back.
Bismilla (08 1125 6440; Th Phetkasem; dishes 60-120B; lunch & dinner) With dishes like ‘yum fish’s spawn’ on the menu, how can you resist a night at this basic, Thai-Muslim outfit? The food is good, the prices are excellent and the crowds are boisterous.
Getting There & Around
If you’re arriving in the Ao Phang-Nga area from Krabi on Hwy 4, you can go two ways. At