I was definitely happy to be back in Phuket for several reasons: 1.) I will be spending Christmas here with my mother! Sure, Christmas here is not as festive as it is in the Philippines, but of course, I'm always up for experiencing something new; 2.) It was crowded here when my sister went here last March because it's summer, so now, I'll get to enjoy it better because there's lesser tourists on island hopping tours; 3.) Who wouldn't be happy to be back in Phuket?

A short anecdote I wanna share:

The day before this, we went on a day trip in Bangkok and rode the overnight bus to Phuket. When we got to the bus station, we asked for a cab that'll take us to my mother's location. When we got there, we paid the cab and he left. That was when I realized I left my camera bag in the cab! The camera bag contains (of course) the camera and my wallet which has ALL my government IDs and at least 16,000 pesos in cash. I am this close to crying. We rushed back to the bus station (which is very far by the way, like Manila-Alabang) via scooter which my mother drove and Raf and I rode at the back. My mother didn't know the way so while I was fidgeting, we got lost but then eventually got to the place after a few wrong turns and directions we asked from people on the road. Goodness of all goodness of hearts! The cab driver was there at the terminal waiting for me with my camera bag! I was so amazed with their honesty toward foreigners. 
So anyway, we spent our first day in Phuket on a James Bond Island Hopping Tour! This is something I was not able to do when I first went here so I am not going to miss it again this time!

First stop of the tour was Koh Panyee...

Koh Panyee is a small fishing village in Phang Nga Bay. The village is built on stilts so it's fascinating to me. We stopped there for the buffet lunch at the Panyee Restaurant.





And then, we headed to the location where we rode the canoe by twos or threes - which is my favorite part of the tour because I've never rode a canoe before nor used an oar.

 The canoe boating lasted for at least half an hour where we crossed narrow caves and hidden beaches. You literally have to lie down when entering some caves because you'll hit your head if you don't!










And last, which is definitely not the least - James Bond Island (which is why the tour is named after it).

 Kao Phing Kan is popularly known to tourist as James Bond Island because this is where they shot the 1974 James Bond movie "The Man With the Golden Gun."


The main attraction of the place is the iconic islet (photo below) called Ko Tapu. Ko Tapu is a limestone rock that's around 20 metres tall. It is located at least 40 metres away from Khao Phing Kan. 

 If it's low tide, you can just walk to the islet to have a closer look.





It was a great day overall because the sun was there but it wasn't hot. We got back to our jump off point at around 4 pm and We spent the rest of the night in Bangla Road to watch my uncle's gig.




My favorite Thai food - BAMI! Bami is sold everywhere, but honestly, the best bami I have tasted where the one from the streets. It's a noodle soup with red meat, shiitake mushrooms, vegetables, pork, and other ingredients I couldn't identify but nonetheless taste great altogether.