John Gray Sea Canoe

One of the lasting memories our friends take back home is of the day out with the John Gray Kayaking trip.

At midday a minibus arrives to pick everyone up for the hour's drive to the north eastern end of Phuket from where the 'mother boat' leaves. Guests are welcomed onboard with drinks and fruit and are given a briefing by the Thai crew who are keen to emphasise the respect they show to the National Park which is where the Kayaking takes place.

The idea is to use the kayaks to get through the narrow, low caves that lead into the centre of individual Karst (limestone mountains; remnants of a coral reef from 250 mill years ago???) formations. and see the stunning, pristine scenery inside them. Guests get into their kayaks or, in the case of Graham, are lowered by the ship's hoist (bless him; Graham remained in this position for the rest of the day) and away you go on an afternoon and evening of exploration.

June and Graham had a mischievous young Thai guide named Khun Rascal. There he is deliberately allowing his kayak to sink and showing how many tourists he's gonna get rid of this trip. June is up to her neck but luckily this photo was taken before the front of the kayak sank and June went with it. Graham, you will note, is frozen (unusual that in Thailand) in position and refuses to assist his Dear One.

It's not neccessary to steer by compass.....wherever your feet point, there you will go.

The gals, Cody and Chloe, had no problems at all with the kayaking....but Chloe was chatted up all day by their guide. He made me want to vomit so I have erased him from this photo....Khun Slick! I mean...here's an example. Khun Slick....'Are you feeling OK, Chloe?' Chloe.. 'Yeah????'. Khun Slick... 'You don't hurt?' Chloe... 'Nooooo????'. Khun S(l)ick... 'I think you must hurt....you drop from Heaven'. Urrrgggggggg. All day.......never ending stream of one liners...all out of well known songs. Excellent. Khun Slick....you are the one! Well Done! Chloe came back a changed gal!

Onto the serious stuff. These are the sort of nooks and crannies that the kayaks slip through.....excellent. You have to wait until the tide starts to drop and then lie virtually flat in the Kayak. Very painful to raise the head too high as there are sharp barnacles etc on the roof of the recently submerged cave. A month's intensive Limbo Dancing training would be good preparation for this particuar trip.

Here's a Kayak slipping through into the inner lagoon....

The trip consists of visiting three different karsts and entering their interiors. Each one is different with various animals (monkeys) and birds inside. Each is absolutely pristine...you really feel like you are the first people to ever go inside.....the nearest way to imagine how they look inside is to think 'Jurassic Park'....And the dinner on the boat is superb.



It was June and Graham's 44th Wedding Anniversary. 'The Jai' had arranged for the boat crew to present our Lovers with a nice bouquet whilst they were onboard.

If there's one trip that really stands out when you are here in Phuket.....then this is it. The crew are excellent fun. Very helpful; very funny....good lads. Brilliant.