Ao Chalong, Phuket

A rough estimate of boats anchored at Ao Chalong is perhaps 25 cruising boats plus over a hundred local boats-ferries, junks and other traditional sailing craft, catamarans and all manner of power boats-all for the purpose of taking tourists out fishing, diving and snorkelling or to the smaller islands. Very few of these boats move from their moorings at this time of year. I'm not sure I want to be here in December and January at the height of the tourist season.

Chalong Bay shallows quite a distance from shore. We anchor just beyond the catamarans in 12 to 14 feet of water. We have to row a long way but as always we tell ourselves we are building muscle and staying in shape. We find landing at the steps halfway out the long pier to be slippery and dangerous so we land Shadow on the narrow beach in front of Jimmy's Lighthouse Restaurant. As this is a very well protected bay there is little surf.

The government officials we need to see are all in one small building at the head of the pier. This is unusual. We often get a self-guided tour of town when we check into a country. After an hour of filling out forms for immigration, customs and the port captain we get our tourist visas (obtained in Kuala Lumpur) stamped for two months. We can then return to immigration for a 28 day extension. If we had not applied for the visas at a Thai consulate outside of Thailand we would have been granted only 28 days, at which time we would have to leave the country to obtain a new visa.

Moonshadow is granted a 6 month stay, then we have to take her out of Thailand or apply for an extension through a marina or boatyard. Arriving in a country by boat is a bit more complicated than flying in for a 2 week holiday.

One of the first things we notice about Phuket Island is that it is a little more westernized than what we saw of Malaysia. This is undoubtedly because it is a major tourist destination. We especially appreciate the clean restrooms with western toilets in place of the traditional Asian squat variety.

We are also finding the Thai food to be fresher and more tasty than what was available in Malaysia and Indonesia. We had already developed a liking for Thai food while back in the states. And, to the detriment of our cruising budget, Phuket has an ample supply of coffee extablishments which rival Starbucks.