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very tan guys with no sunblock data. The region is a sea kayaker's holy grail, a medley of
mountainous islands, craggy coastlines, beaches, steep-sided limestone pinnacles, conical upthrusts capped by forest and jagged rock formations. Some islands' shorelines are blessed with sea caves, their mouths gaping two stories high. Kayaking here requires minimal effort to silently cruise at a brisk
walking pace. We paddle around stadium-size rock-tower islands, their faces tide-chiseled with one-way caves, and tunnels through which powerful surf ebbs and flows. Navigating these rock-rimmed islands is akin to a gentle roller coaster ride, a magic carpet glide against a soundtrack of tunnels gurgling and roaring with frothing seawash. The in-and-out water vales in the cave tunnels produce a guttural chorus that would scare Godzilla. The strong tide action alerts mud skippers and rock crabs to scuttle along the stone facades. Herons stand still , peering while eagles circle above. Spotting beaches between the rock faces of nameless pinnacles, we pull in for a Frisbee toss and watch scampering monkeys. This island zone of blue-green water is little touched by tourism.
With only a handful of outfitters-mainly servicing serious divers-in the area, the Mergui Archipelago is alive with parakeets, blue herons, horn bills, flying fox, jungle dogs and fish-eating eagles. The hills and mountains are smothered in vegetation, yet there is a surprising absence of palm trees, which dominate most other Southeast Asian landscapes. Mangroves in the lakelike channel zone of Salet Galet, cupped
between Lampi and Wa Ale Kyunn islands, are the domain of flying fish that bounce like skipped stones on a strong tidal flow into dense rhizophora trees. The swamps of the American South come to mind. We time ourselves to ride high tide into mangrove tunnels and then exit on low tide via vine- encased, mineshaft-like highways and side roads. Kayaks allow you to sneak up on hornbills and macaques. We are much quieter than the ecosystem's natural croaking and popping chorus that the tides rouse twice a day. Massive roots, twisting and intertwined around and above us, form a mangrove church, light twinkling through clusters like rays through stained glass. All art, all education, can be merely a supplement to nature. -
Aristotle PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE, THE REST IS POLITICS
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