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Published: January 15th 2008
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After a solid 20 hours of travel and the utilization of trains, buses, planes & taxis I found myself precariously landing in the Phuket airport - by precariously I mean to say my plane quite literally was reairborn after touching down on the tarmac. Flashes of the failed landing there only months before came to mind and I was quite relieved to learn that the brakes on my Nok Air flight were finely tuned that evening, ensuring an ultimately safe arrival.
For those who don't know, or those who have just determined to block it out of their minds (aka everyone of my folks' friends and/or family), Bea and Rory (aka Mom and Dad) made the gigantic move to Phuket only a wee 2 months ago. In light of the relocation to a stunning, tropical paradise the Enright family decided to celebrate the holidays in Thailand. Okay, twist my arm. There has been lots of speculation from the 40+ crowd as to why in the world my parents would relocate from Kauai to a developing country, but as someone who has been there 4 times now, I suggest you go find out for yourself. Granted, Phuket is not quite as
picturesque as Kauai, lacking the stunning mountains, canyons and waterfalls, but I assure you there are things Phuket boasts of that Kauai cannot possibly offer. Most notable amongst such offerings, lady boys. Few destinations offer a wide array of men who have successfully traded in their gear for the likes of a pair of double D Vus and high heels. Of course the mere fact that they are hotter than those of us that were born with Vus insights a kind of envy that only such issues of vanity can. Moreover in Kauai you don't get to play Russian roulette every time you get in a car. Red lights actually mean stop, where as in Phuket they are merely "a suggestion" and a mediocre one at that. Oh and watch out for the guy fixing his motorbike in the middle of a 5-way intersection, in the dark. This coupled with the fact that my parent's have pigs, water buffalo and elephants living across the road just seal the deal...all retirees should move to a third world nation. But in all seriousness, Phuket is beautiful. A five minute drive to the beaches located closest to mom and dad's abode make the
decision to move there an easy one to understand. With the exception of a handful of weeks in the peak season, Layan Beach is near deserted and just beckons the avid sun worshiper, ocean swimmer or beach walker.
Christmas was a family affair with Sean flying down down from Chiang Mai and Simon making the trek from Sydney. You never know how things will turn out when you bring the boyfriend into the chaos of the holidays for the first time, but I am happy to say in went brilliantly. In fact, everyone got on so well that I have been informed that they are adopting Si and altering my status from "favorite child" to "backup player." Sweet. Sadly, Jube and her massive belly were not able to come down to Phuket as her traveling window had officially closed. Lucky for me I was able to make a surprise trip to Bangkok for Thanksgiving and got some quality time with my sister-in-law and yet unborn nephew then.
Our ten days in Phuket were largely spent lounging oceanside at Layan Beach and trying to avoid the multiplying numbers of Russian tourists. Nothing against Russians per se but suffice it
Layan Beach
This is a 5 minute drive from Mom and Dad's. Need I say more? to say, the way Japanese tourists are with the cameras, Russian tourists are with their unpleasantries - fast, furious and generally snap happy. We did however insist on taking a break from our lounge time in order to give Sean one last good night out in Patong before he succumbed to fatherhood. I recall somewhere early in the night agreeing to come home by midnight, however strolling into the condo at 4AM this agreement was far from our memories. Patong, for those who haven't had the pleasure, is a universe unto itself. Amazingly the Enright family spent two weeks in this adult Disneyland for Christmas 2005. The fact that my parents even survived 2 days there is still shocking. The most famous road in Patong, Soi Bangla, is nothing more than a long strip of bars and nightclubs, each trying to outdo the other with more bells and whistles, flashing lights and most importantly, scantily-clad lady boys. A common comment heard from passerbyes is, "there's no way she was once a man!" Oh I assure you she was, and yes, she's still hotter than you! Only in Thailand can you sit at a bar with your beer in one hand
The Kids
Si, Trace & Sean and a hammer in the other whilst attempting to hit nails into a tree stump. You have to love the lack of concern for personal safety and more importantly, lawsuits. I personally was much more excited by the presence of poles at many of the bars and after some enthusiastic coaxing, decided to show off a few of my S Factor moves. Although sad to discover my 5 months off had drastically affected my pole dancing talents, I still got a few head-turning moves in there! After being exposed to far too many of Sean and Si's moves on the dance floor we finally called it a night and convinced a tuk tuk driver to haul us back to the land of the civilized. 40 minutes, 25 hills and 16 dry heaves later we arrived back at the Enright palace and snagged a few hours sleep before packing Sean up and sending him up to Bangkok to prepare for his son's pending arrival.
Two days before New Years we figured we should probably put some plans into action. Mom and dad made it quite clear they had no interest in joining in on the festivities and thus we settled
on a dinner at a friend's hotel in Patong. As far from the aforementioned street as possible we strove to avoid it at all costs if possible. What we didn't realize is that Soi Bangla was not a required ingredient for a crazy night in Patong. The hotel we dined at was owned by one of Jube's friends and while we hoped this friendship might lead to a few drinks on the house, we certainly didn't realize it would yield a night out with the "IT" crowd, including club hopping and free flowing everything for as many hours as everyone could handle. We threw in the towel around 6AM but rumor has it the rest of the clan kept going until the following evening. Thankfully before the party really got going, we rang in the new year with a champagne toast on Patong beach. We could see at least a dozen different fire works shows simultaneously going off over the ocean but more impressive were the hundreds of lanterns that floated in the night sky. As is tradition in Phuket, people took to the beach to launch large lanterns as a sign of good luck for the coming year. Although
Launching the Lantern
One of hundreds that was launched from Patong Beach. At 3ft high they are quite challenging to set sail. slightly disconcerting to imagine what should happen if a plane happened to cross paths with one of these lanterns, they were simply magical to watch.
The 6AM trip home did not make for a pleasant wakeup call on New Years day, but seeing as how Si had a flight to catch there was little room for wallowing in the misery of our hangovers. We both made it safely back to Sydney with fantastic memories and certainly a few less brain cells and only a few short days later got the exciting call that I was officially an auntie! It is with great pride that I announce the arrival of Sebastian Alexander Enright ("Namo" is his thai name) born January 6th and weighing in at an impressive 7lbs...also known as gigantic for a Thai baby. Although perhaps a little biased, he's gorgeous if I do say so myself.
Now for all those who now wish to venture to Phuket, Bea and Rory have two spare bedrooms and are ready to receive visitors! Shoot me a note and I will see what I can arrange! I am officially back in Sydney now through the end of February and sadly have
Sebastian - 5 Days
I mean seriously, talk about a gorgeous baby! It's those Enright genes I tell you! had to start the job hunt. If you have any event planning leads in Sydney, come one come all because baby tracy's bank account needs to be fed.
Happy New Year my friends! May 2008 prove to bring happiness and success...or at least a lovely vacation...to you all!
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