DESTINATIONS THAIND | ASIA


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: An onboard cookery demonstration; paddleboarding; Mu Koh Kam beach; cabin on Panorama II PICTURES: Intrepid Travel


TRIED & TESTED panorama II


Here we have our first snorkel expedition of the tour, and for some of the guests – mainly retired British, Australian and American couples enjoying the freedom of newly empty nests – their first try at snorkelling ever. With some hand- holding from our guide and dive expert Golf, it’s a gentle introduction; the calm, warm waters are home to a rewarding amount of marine life, including schools of barracuda, bright angelfish and elegant Moorish idols darting among the coral. Then the long-tail boats that function as our tenders bring us within wading distance of Ao Mai Ngam beach. Splashing through the shallows, we find a family of clownfish darting around an anemone, then settle down on the almost-deserted sand. After a lazy, idyllic few hours of sunbathing, swimming, eating and meandering along the beach, we do something a little more intrepid – and a little more quintessentially ‘Intrepid’. The Moken people, known as sea gypsies, have special


travelweekly.co.uk We are taught


to make a fiery som tam papaya salad as the sun sets the Andaman ablaze


dispensation to settle in the national park; after all, these islands and waters have been their home for hundreds of years. At their village – a collection of basic wooden huts by the water’s edge – we learn something of their unique culture, language and Animist belief system, and have the chance to support their community by buying the wooden and woven handicrafts they make to sell to visitors.


A REXING RHYTHM This pace – interspersing a little activity, a lot of relaxation and a dash of culture – is maintained


Panorama II’s 25 wood- trimmed, blue-hued cabins are comfortable, if compact, with twin or double-berth layouts. Most have windows, though a few lower-category – and lower-deck – options come with a porthole. The public areas reflect the sociable, low-key style of cruising, with a wood- panelled lounge, a lounger- lined sun deck and a shady bar-restaurant. Meals are friendly occasions, with free seating at communal tables, and a varied buffet of Thai favourites and Western choices. A swimming platform


throughout the cruise. In Laem Son National Park, almost on the border with Myanmar, there’s the chance to experiment with the Panorama’s sea kayaks in a sheltered bay, or simply kick back on the beach in the hours after lunch. Back on board Panorama II, our guide Ay organises a cookery demo, teaching us to make a fiery som tam papaya salad as the evening sun sets the Andaman Sea ablaze. On an unassuming stretch of coast on the mainland, we visit the simple fishing village of Ban Tale Nok. The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 hit this quiet hamlet of just 56 families hard, destroying half the homes and taking 47 lives. Intrepid’s payments for our tour go to a community fund, and as well as wandering the quiet streets, we get to sit down with two women, Ma and Cha, who teach us to make kanom jak, a local coconut snack. They also show us the process of soap-making, one of the cottage industries the widows of this predominantly Muslim village have adopted to keep their


at the stern makes the Andaman Sea the swimming pool, and fins, masks, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are free to use. The crew are friendly


and approachable, from bartender Ricky to the captain himself, who operates an open-bridge policy.


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