Movie trivia buffs, how many movie locations in Thailand can
you visit on a shore excursion from your cruise ship?
Well there are probably dozens, but to start the ball rolling let’s
begin with what is probably the most famous marine landscape
in Thailand, Phang Nga Bay, just off the island of Phuket. Up until
1974, the area was just a fishing ground for local villagers who
would catch shrimp, lobster, cod and cuttlefish. That all changed
when production designer for ‘Man with the Golden Gun’, the
late Peter Murton, saw Phang Nga Bay in a magazine and
convinced producer Cubby Broccoli (easily as it turned out) that it
would be simpler to access than Halong Bay, then North Vietnam.
Nowadays, tourists turn up in their thousands to see Khao
Phing Kan (now known simply as James Bond Island) and its
distinctive monolith, Ko Tapu. Fans will recognise this from the
beach duel scene with Francisco Scaramanga (played by Sir
Christopher Lee) and James Bond (Roger Moore). In fact the
whole island is the evil Scaramanga’s lair, where 007 had arrived
earlier by small seaplane (for spotters, a WWII-era Republic RC-3
Seabee) after a panoramic view of the whole bay from the air.
For visitors arriving at the mainland village of Phang Nga,
northeast of Phuket, the first you’ll see is a fleet of traditional
‘long tail’ speedboats ferrying passengers out to the floating
Muslim fishing village of Koh Panyee where there’s food and
shopping in abundance plus the option to canoe among the
limestone karst canyons at nearby Koh Talu Nok. Apart from the
usual ubiquitous tacky souvenirs, there are some half-decent
pearl jewellery stalls. Just remember to bargain hard.
In 1997, James Bond 007 (this time with Pierce Brosnan)
returned to Phang Nga Bay for ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’. Ironically
it’s to shoot the closing scene, set in Ha Long Bay. Bond still has
trouble getting into Vietnam and the Saigon scenes earlier in the
movie are actually shot in Bangkok.
Not far away, 50km south-east of Phuket in Krabi province, are
the Phi Phi Islands made famous in the 2000 movie ‘The Beach’
starring Leonardo DiCaprio. There was some controversy during
the making of this movie when the movie’s producers decided
they needed to remodel the beach with a bulldozer resulting in
lawsuits that dragged on for years after. The famous waterfall
scene is actually Haeo Suwat Falls in Khao Yai National Park,
three hours by road from Bangkok.
Other recent movies to have used Phuket and the Andaman
Coast include ‘Star Wars Episode III’ (2005), ‘Bridget Jones: the
Edge of Reason’ (2004), ‘The Phantom’ (1996) and ‘Rescue Dawn’
(2005).
Let’s not forget either that this whole region, including the
coast north to Khao Lak, was devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day
tsunami, so much of the infrastructure you see is less than ten
years old. Be sure to pay your respects at one of the many
memorials.
Cruise lines offering shore excursions at Phuket where you can
take either a Phi Phi Islands or Phgang Nga Bay tour include
Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Star Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and
Princess.
More info on Phuket and Thailand: www.thailand.net.au.
