One of the islands we first explored. It’s hard to see here, but along the waterline there are very small caves. At certain times, when the tide is just right, you can find a cave that goes into the hollowed out center of the island.

The day after Christmas we took an all-day (10-hour) boat trip to visit caves and hongs. A hong is the inside of an island, which has been hollowed out, much like your tooth when you get a filling. The outside shell remains but the inside and the top are gone. On the main large boat we traveled with probably 20 other people. Each couple was given a guide and once we arrived at one of the four caves we went though, we’d get in a kayak with our guide and he would paddle us through the caves. We had to lie down in the caves to avoid hitting our heads on the incredibly low ceilings. After going through the cave, we’d enter the hong. It’s very quiet and peaceful inside. We were lucky enough to see two monkeys in a tree; they were at least as curious about us as we were about them. In between cave trips we had delicious Thai lunch and dinner buffets. It was a great adventure and needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel.

Heading into one of the caves

Inside the hong

Inside our little sea canoe

The sea canoes hanging off the back of our boat

Leaving some of the islands on our way to a night canoe ride

Our guides waiting to take us on a night ride