Ao Thamaprao

Ao Thamaprao is a bay located on Phuket's east coast. Along the mangrove forest-clad shores of Ao Thamaprao is the village Ban Laem Sai, a small muslim fishing village.
A tidal channel is going from Ao Thamaprao and several kilometers inland. This channel goes thru a mangrove forest and is passing the village Ban Thamaprao where there is a nice little seafood restaurant.
Ban Thamaprao is a good place to go kayaking, people go paddling in the main channel and in the many sidechannels.

Once I drove by Ban Thamaprao I met these guys who was going paddling. They were about to launch their canoes and dinghies in the Thamaprao channel when I saw them.

They paddle a few hundred meters in main the channel before they leave the channel and disappears into a side channel.

When I go paddling in Ao Thamaprao I am launching my kayak from a beach not far from Ban Laem Sai. This village is populated by muslim fishermen, the young ones are out fishing and the elderly are at home and look after children and property in the daytime.
I stopped in Ban Laem Sai and took these photo's on my way out paddling.

The houses are built on piles in the sea.

While I am in Ban Laem Sai a fisherman is coming in with fresh fish that he is selling to the villagers.

I'm start paddling from a beach on Ao Thamaprao's southern shore.

I have to paddle out into the bay  in order to get around these fish nets.

Out in the bay there are some floating fish farms and I paddle out and have a look at them.

This cabin does look rather good, a nice place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or a cold beer.

I am paddling towards Ban Laem Sai, the village can be seen between the mangrove trees.

 

I am paddling on, and in the bay I meet these ladies that is travelling in a longtail boat, they stop their boat and begin to ask questions, who are you? what are you doing here? where are you from? and so on. After a few minutes of talking they are happy with my answers and they start the engine again and travel on.

I continue paddling and I'm entering the tidal channel that runs thru the mangroveforest.

A longtailboat is going in to the fish farm.

 

I am paddling on,

and after a few kilometers of paddling the village of Ban Thamaprao is appearing.

A soon as I have passed the village I am meeting this guy who paddles a canoe towards Ban Thamaprao.
He is well dressed in a white shirt and long pants, and he greets politely, "Hello" in English while he is paddling.

When I have passed Ban Thamaprao the channel is getting narrow and the tidal current is getting stronger, I can stop paddling and I am floating away down the channel with the tide.

1 kilometer past Ban Thamaprao the channel becomes so narrow that I have to turn around and paddle back.

I am passing  Ban Thamaprao  on my way back and I continue paddling towards Ao Thamaprao. When I am out in the bay  I'm paddling along the other shore.

I am close to the tip of the cape that is extending into Ao Thamaprao,

and I have a few minutes rest on this beach.

When I am paddling around the cape the northern part of Ao Thamaprao is coming up in front of me.
There are some fish farms in this part of the bay, but I am paddling towards some floating huts that looks much finer than the usual huts on these fish farms.

 It is floating rental cabins that is located here in Ao Thamaprao bay.

The northern shore of the bay is covered by mangrove forest, and I paddle into the mangrove forest and have a look.

 

Further in there is a channel that runs to the village Mak Prok, here is a small quai, and the channel continues inland where there are several piers with moored long tail boats.

.
Hard work.

I am turning around and I'm paddling out the channel, into Ao Thamaprao and towards the small island Koh Kala.

The residents have seen me come paddling and are sitting in the "doorway", waiting for me.

It is a muslim fisherman and is wife who live here and they invite me into the house, asking if I'm hungry or thirsty?
I tell them that unfortunately I do not have the time to accept their invitation. But I stay in the kayak and  talk with them for a few minutes before I'm paddling home.

When I leave this nice couple who lives on Koh Kala,

and approach the small beach where I launched the kayak, I can see that the beach is now under water, it's now high tide.

And 2 boys are playing on the beach.

 

The two boys that is playing in the sea helps me to get the kayak on land.

The headland that juts out into Ao Thamaprao is private property, it's part of a big farm.

But no one cares about locked gates, it's made paths around the gates and people is coming and going, it's a nice area for fishing and relaxation.

 

 

 A travelling cookie-salesman is arriving.

Fishing in the bay.

Phuket Airport is not far away.

A floating house located close to the Mak Prok channel.

Going home.

 

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