A warm green bath and a fishermen’s cave 

From our anchorage between Koh Kudu and Koh Kudu Yai it was an easy dinghy ride to the gorgeous hong made famous by Tilda Swinton. 

Each year she organises an international film festival here and yet there is not a trace of razzmatazz and no film infrastructure remains in this sumptuous location. 

There was not a soul there when we arrived and we indulged in the fantasy of it being our own secret hong. 

The shallow, silky water was like a warm green bath and as we swam lazily round our massive private pool we were awestruck by the beauty of the towering cliffs reaching up out of the water. 

Our peace was broken after an hour or so but actually it was fun – two small groups arrived- one with a group of 25 -30 year old Americans, the other a mixed age and mostly French group – both in traditionally built boats (powered by the non-traditional but ubiquitous longtail car engine).


It is always fascinating people watching and the two groups did not disappoint. The young Americans spent the time eating, enjoying the view quietly and taking crazy group photos in the water. The other group smoked a lot and dipped themselves sedately in the water while talking loudly. Vive la difference!

Very soon they left, leaving the hong to us to enjoy. Before returning to the boat we decided to make a return visit to the nearby Fisherman’s Cave. 

When we visited before there were fishermen there using it and we didn’t want to disturb their peace. 

This time it was deserted and it was fascinating to walk around and see how they lived – the blackened fireplaces where fishermen had cooked their meal over more years than any of them could remember, the hammocks, the make shift sleeping platforms and tables, the bucket under a stalactite to collect water to drink, the bags hanging from various places containing everything from cooking pots to spare clothes. 

Clouds were beginning to form. It was time to get back to the boat, so we sped away across the bay feeling very content with our day so far.