Day 12 – Islands, Introspection & the Illusion of Luxury | Thailand Travel Diary
Sunday, Nov 9 – Day 12, Phuket → Phang Nga Bay
Location: Kanary Bay Hotel | Ocean Sky Tours Day Trip
Mood: Sun-fried, over-stimulated, and spiritually curious
The One With the Tiny Gym and Big Realizations
Started the morning at the hotel gym — and by “gym,” I mean one treadmill, a bench, and a fan that gave up in 2012. Still, the sweat felt like a win. I did legs, which is also a win because I’ve been working with a clinic to rehad my knee and am finally squatting again without pain. I’m not going to promise I’ll be going to the gym daily, but I will be going several times a week for the remainder of the trip.
One of the perks of long-term travel (and working remotely) is that time finally feels like it’s yours. With the flipped time zones, I’m more efficient here than I am at home — fewer pings, fewer “quick” meetings that eat an hour. Clients can’t reach me when I’m asleep, and somehow… the world keeps turning, the work gets done and the output is…dare I say…better.
I’m a person who does not believe in meetings. I know, it’s a hot take but I think most meetings exist to make people feel productive but they actually do the opposite. My position is that most are a waste of time and that they actually steal precious effort, time and resources away from doing things that actually move the needle. However, they’re important to some clients, so I take them, but I also fantasize about convincing them how much more productive we could all be if we just dropped most meetings. I’m on a mission to make this a reality, and prove my hypothesis — but that will take time.
Another thing I’m LOVING here is that we’re eating real food. Fresh fruit, fish, chicken, rice — no protein bars or drive-thru guilt. It’s the first trip where I feel healthier instead of like I’m coming home with jet-lag, extra pounds and inflammation as souvenirs.
The “Luxury” Tour (That Wasn’t)
Today’s adventure: a “luxury” speedboat tour of Phang Nga Bay with Ocean Sky Tours — $100 CAD each, advertised as a 35-person max trip. Reality check: 45 people, 0 personal space.
The pickup was at 9 a.m., and the drive through Old Town Phuket was lovely — pastel buildings, tangles of communication lines, and a market I’m determined to explore before we leave. There’s a shuttle from our hotel to Old Town for 200 baht, so we’ll definitely do that before we leave.
The boat itself was fast (750 horsepower!) and they only had to use one engine to move FAST. The heat? Unholy. It said 29 °C but felt 43 °C with humidity near 100%. We jockeyed for a position at the front of the boat, outside, and sat with a lovely couple from India — funny, kind, and refreshingly normal — which balanced out a few less-pleasant passengers (including one woman whose body odour could fell a small elephant). Harsh, yes, but factual.
The rest of the group sat inside, but that would have ended me. Firstly, because I get motion sickness. Secondly, because my tollerance for rude people is very limited. And thirdly, the body odour. Sorry, but those are the facts.
When the heat is that intense, there’s no way to look cute — you’re just wet at all the time and the best you can do is try and stay covered up! I pack lightweight linen button ups on every trip and they’re a life-saver in situations like these because there’s no world I would want my skin exposed on days like this.
Limestone, Caves & Kayaks
The first stop was Panak Island. Phang Nga Bay has 42 islands — all sharp limestone karsts that look like they just popped out of the sea, straight up, all dripping with stalactites — formed over millions of years as rainwater dissolves limestone and redeposits calcium carbonate. Basically, science’s version of a drip castle.
We paddled through Hong Island’s caves, and I lucked out — a solo kayak with a guide named Sol while Brent sat this one out. Everyone else was jammed three to a boat, so solitude felt luxurious. Sol kept calling out, “Sister! Sister! Look here!” and snapped about 100 photos of me, which was awesome.
This entire tour is a tourist trap, so there were undreds of kayaks on the water at Hong Island, but somehow it was still peaceful in the middle of it because Sol did a great job of sneaking us into quiet caves and avoiding some of the major traffic jams.
James Bond Island & Tourist Reality
The main attraction today was James Bond Island. Famous, yes. Beautiful, yes. Also the single most tourist-choked place I’ve seen in Thailand so far. Selfie sticks jousting for dominance, a bazillion boats all dropping off travellers, everyone baking on the same square of sand. I’m glad we saw it, but next time I’d spend the extra for a private long-tail boat and some breathing room. To be perfectly honestl with you, I’d skip this Island all togehter. There is nothing more beautiful about it than any of the other islands but you’re contending with elbow to elbow tourists and street vendors all trying to sell their wares. Not for me.
Floating Markets & Melting Brains
Lunch was on Koh Panyee, a floating Muslim village built on stilts in Phang Nga Bay, where people actually live behind their market stalls. It’s wild — front room = shop, back room = home. The village was founded about 200 years ago by seafaring Javanese-Muslim fishermen and now supports roughly 1,600 people in about 360 families.
Walking the maze of narrow wooden walkways and souvenir stalls while dodging sun-bathing cats and little ones playing in the “streets” is fascinating — there’s a golden-dome mosque on solid ground, and everywhere else whole streets of houses on stilts above the water (hense the name, “floating island”).
It also has a floating football pitch the kids built in the ’80s because there wasn’t enough land to play on. They used scrap wood and rafts; later it was upgraded, but the story’s still part of the village identity. Panyee FC grew out of that and actually started winning regional youth championships. Very “make it work” energy.
The market maze was my favourite part of the day—busy, friendly, a little chaotic. The heat was ridiculous, the kind that erases your last three thoughts. Nothing was labelled at lunch, so Mom and I played it safe and ate very little (shrimp allergies around here mean you’re in a constant game of Russian-roulette). I grabbed a mint-chocolate iced coffee and called it a win. If you go, dress a touch more modestly out of respect; it’s appreciated here.
Palm Beach & The Watermelon Heist
After lunch, we stopped at Palm Beach for swimming and drinks, which turned into a scene straight out of a sitcom when a couple of cows wandered down to steal watermelon from the guides. It was hilarious. Even the animals here seem unbothered, super friendly and playful.
Brent and I escaped down the beach for a quiet walk among some volcanic rock (at least it looked like that) — one of those tiny, perfect moments where you realize that peace isn’t about silence, it’s about space. The kind where no one’s shouting over a microphone or asking for selfies.
On the way back, we cruised past an island full of monkeys — dozens of them along the beach, just watching us glide by and hoping for a snack. That was my second favourite part. No crowds, no noise, just a glimpse of wild (ish) Thailand.
Thoughts on Buddhism (from a non-believer)
This might be a hot take — and yes, some people might find it off-beat (that’s OK). It’s also something I openly share in person, but not so much online because I feel like I’m opening myself up to some backlash here, but here we go.
I’m not a religious person. I don’t believe in a deity. And, to be perfectly honest, religion usually makes me uneasy — I’ve seen too many people use it as a shield or a weapon both locally and globally. It’s often less about being good and doing good and more about being right. That makes me nervous. I believe in energy, connection, and being a decent human. And yes — I’m okay with saying I don’t hide that.
But here, I keep circling back to Buddhism. Every driver, every shop owner, every hotel staff member we meet here seems to move without the hurry, the snap, or the frustration. There’s no road rage. No tension. No righteousness. Just soft smiles and hands pressed together in thanks.
Maybe it’s because I grew up Catholic and never felt the love and acceptance the church claimed to centre. It was all guilt and bullying and things that made no sense to me, even as a child. But from what I can tell, Buddhism hits different. The values: kindness, compassion, mindfulness, awareness, and non-harm. For example, the “Five Precepts” ask followers to avoid harming living beings, avoid taking what’s not freely given, and avoid false speech, among other things. And practices of self-awareness (mindfulness) discourage them from clinging to ego-driven urges or endless craving.
It doesn’t demand belief in a god. It demands awareness of actions, what they say, and how they respond. It values compassion over conversion. It’s… gentle. Accepting. Something I’ve rarely felt when religion shows up in life.
Maybe it’s the calm I’m noticing — the space between things — that makes this feel safe. Because feeling safe around religion isn’t something I’ve often felt. But here, on this trip, I do.
To be very clear, I have many religious friends who are kind, loving, and gentle… I’m not saying ALL religion is bad (so don’t come for me, please). Remember, these are my thoughts. I’m cracking the pages of my journal open for you here, so there will be ideas you’ve never heard from me, and if you don’t agree, that’s OK. In fact, that’s wonderful.
Because our differences are what make life beautiful, aren’t they?
After a very large day, tomorrow’s plan = absolutely nothing. Just me, a book, and maybe the shade.
Photos of the Day:
The floating village of Panyee
Missed an entry?
👉 Day 1 – The Uber Ride from Hell
👉 Day 2 – The Lounge Life & the Struggle Bus
👉 Day 3 – Hot, Hotter, & Really F*ing Hot
👉 Day 4 – Floating Markets, Boat Noodles & the Great Coke Zero Explosion
👉 Day 5 – Heaven, Hell & the Hands at the White Temple
👉 Day 6 – Hill Tribes, Hard Truths & a Side of Curry
👉 Day 7 – Who Needs Guardrails, Anyway?
👉 Day 8 – Elephant-Sized Moral Hangover
👉 Day 9 – The Great Decaf Drought | Thailand Travel Diary
👉 Day 10 – Rash Decisions & Redemption Arcs| Thailand Travel Diary
👉 Day 11 – The Calm Before the Chaos
✈️ Travel Tip of the Day:
If you’re booking a “luxury” island tour in Phuket, just assume the word means “plastic chairs and 45 strangers.” Still fun — but manage expectations.
Let’s Talk
Are you the type who does the big-name tourist stops just to see them — or do you hunt for the quiet corners instead?
And be honest: would you survive a 45-person boat in 43 degrees of heat?
