Destination: Koh Talibong

07.15 N 99.23 E

Koh Talibong (not "Taliban" as it is often referred to) is situated at he entrance of the Kantang river which is navigable and leads to the town with the same name. It was this river which the late Tristan Jones in the late '80s navigated all the way to it's head waters to prove that a "sea going vessel can navigate from the west coast of Thailand to the east coast without having to go the long way around Singapore" as regaled in his book To Venture Further, 1991.

Koh Talibong itself is a rural island which, other than it's a pleasant place with friendly people, holds few outstanding attractions.

Noteworthy is that Talibong is the centre of a nature reserve set up to protect the very rare Asian dugong. Dugongs are similar to manatees, a.k.a sea cows. Around Talibong there is a herd of around 40, the largest herd in Thailand. Dugongs are shy and not easily spotted so you need a fair bit of luck to see them.