A Tour of Some of the Most Photogenic Places in Thailand: Follow Our Thailand Travel Diary

by Noreen Flanagan May 7, 2018

We have just left Panyee, a Muslim village on stilts, and are en route to a beach picnic on the island of Rang-Yai when our photographer Arkan Zakharov yells: “Stop! Can we shoot on that little island?” He points to a rocky islet cropping out of the Andaman Sea. “Sure,” responds Teddy Kongsawatt, one of our guides. “But we’ll have to be quick because the tide is coming in and it’s going to disappear!” Once we reach the islet, Shaughnessy and Eliza Grossman, our fashion editor, scramble out. (You can’t see Grossman because she’s lying flat on the ground behind the tiny knoll.) We pull away, leaving them marooned. It’s a stunning image—just one of the many visual memories I will have of our time in Phuket.

Thailand Travel Diary — Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Dress, $1,400, Ellery. Shoes, $275, COS.

Today the sky is blue and almost cloudless, but when we landed last night, it was in the middle of a torrential downpour. The rain was madly ricocheting off the pavement, stirring up humidity-drenched misty clouds. June Na-Songkhla, our guide, must have sensed we were worried about the shoot the next day. “We say our weather is like a woman’s mood,” she assured us. “She may be angry but not for too long.” Our “weather mistress” had indeed settled down by the time we arrived at Tu Kab Khao, a restaurant in Old Phuket Town. It was here that I had my first encounter with galangal, or Thai ginger. When I bit into a slice, I was expecting something pungently spicy, but my confused taste buds registered citrus and pine flavours. It was the first of many new taste and textural sensations. (Steamed cubes of doughy white bread dipped in bright green panden custard was another highlight.)

Later we checked into the Nai Harn resort, which is about 17 kilometres from the town of Phuket, and set our alarms for a 5:30 a.m. start to our island-hopping adventures. Morning comes quickly, but fortified with coffee, we head out to the harbour. It’s early, but I can already feel the heat and humidity kicking in. I board the boat and head to the front. As we pick up speed, en route to James Bond Island for our first shot, I turn my face into the wind and let my hair fly. I suspect I look like a blissed-out retriever poking her head out the window of a pickup truck.

The next day, we’re back on land and heading to the Phang Nga Elephant Park. It’s a small family-run operation in southern mainland Thailand that offers ethical elephant tourism. Jake Thaotad and his cousin Lek Songkaw set up the park in 2015 after Thaotad returned from London, England, where he was working as a microbiologist. Thaotad tells us that his family have been involved with elephants for 150 years and that helping domesticated elephants is paramount to their mission.

“We let our visitors interact with them in a way that isn’t exploitive,” he says. “It hurts me a lot when people say that all Thais are cruel to their elephants as it is simply untrue. But what we have to realize is that without tourism, elephant owners have no means to care for these wonderful animals. It is unrealistic to think that thousands of elephants can be homed in a handful of sanctuaries. And talk of turning them loose is unrealistic firstly because Thailand does not have the land and secondly because domesticated animals cannot be left to fend for themselves. So what I want is a world where healthy and contented elephants can be used but never abused.”

While we’re taking our last shots, a dark bank of clouds rolls in over the hills. It seems our weather friend is about to have another one of her moods. As the doors to the van close, the rain starts, but it’s a short-lived, blustery fit. When we arrive back in Phuket, the sun is setting. In the distance, I can see the glowing and peaceful silhouette of Big Buddha sitting atop the Nakkerd Hills. It’s another picture-perfect moment.

Find out more about our travels in Thailand and enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Hong Kong and Thailand valued at $7,500 CAD here.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Dress, $1,400, Ellery. Shoes, $275, COS.

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Thailand Travel Diary

“Travelling gives me the rare privilege of having the time to think deeply about finding my true self and to think about what life I want to lead.”

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Shaughnessy is standing on an islet in the Andaman Sea. The tide is coming in, so it will soon be covered—but not before we get our shot.

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“My hair has always been a window into where I’m at in life. It’s my soul telling me how I feel.”

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Shaughnessy is standing in the waters surrounding Khao Phing Kan. James Bond Island is behind her on the left.

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This tiny port is where speedboats and traditional Thai longboats moor while visiting Khao Phing Kan. It’s one of more than 40 protected islands in Ao Phang-Nga Marine National Park. The islands’ distinctive shapes are formed as the limestone is weathered over time by wind, rain and waves.

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Thailand Travel Diary

“I bring a masculine facet to these feminine clothes. It’s completely fine to be active and elegant, but oftentimes fashion can lose its utility.”

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Thailand Travel Diary

Panyee island is a 200-year-old Muslim fishing village built on stilts in Phang Nga Bay. Shaughnessy is photographed on the soccer pitch that floats alongside the village. The original floating wooden field was built in 1986 by a group of local boys who wanted to play rather than just watch soccer on TV. Away from the field, you can walk through a maze of stalls where villagers sell souvenirs (everything from T-shirts to pearls) as well as the village’s famous shrimp paste.

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Thailand Travel Diary

“Travelling gives me the rare privilege of having the time to think deeply about finding my true self and to think about what life I want to lead.”

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Thailand Travel Diary

Shaughnessy is on the grounds of the Phang Nga Elephant Park.

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“I’ve been photographed with animals enough times to know that I’m there
with sentient beings.”

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Thailand Travel Diary

“This was our last shot by the pool, and it captures what I want the next phase of my career to be: enlightened.”

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Thailand Travel Diary

Shaughnessy is at Reflections, the rooftop terrace/bar at the Nai Harn resort. On the right, she is standing in the resort’s pool, which is lit by a galaxy of tiny lights that mirror the celestial display above.

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