Busy beaches

---

Phuket, Thailand Oct. 25 - Nov. 3

We flew into Phuket, which still looks beautiful despite the tsunami, though they say it will take 30 years before the waters will return to the clarity they once were, they are still beautiful and clear though, a bit wavier than i thought but they are coming out of the rainy season. We stayed in Patong Beach for a week which is the biggest and most touristed beach in Phuket, I would have preferred somewhere quieter but that's where our hotel was booked. There are a lot of tourist and tourism in the popular areas of Thailand and they are all crammed together. The most disturbing thing of it all is all the old, white foreigners with their little Thai girlfriends everywhere. You see these ancient, gross men sitting in the bars groping these beautiful young girls and it really is disgusting. I don't know who it's more sad for - the girls who are forced into these situations through poverty or the old men who obviously have no one else and who have to pay for companionship. I can't say I was too impressed with Phuket but we did take a day trip to Ko Phi Phi which was very small and nice despite having experienced a lot of destruction during the tsunami. We did some snorkelling there and spent the day on the picturesque bay enclosed beach. Zachary loved it as he could run around everywhere in the water as it is only about a half meter high for a long way out. He also went snorkelling with us in his blow up Mr.Turtle and got pushed around while we snorkelled. He wasn't too sure what had happened to Mommy and Daddy as their faces had grown these really wierd glasses and a tube coming out of their heads. The highlight of our time their were the last 3 days where we stayed in the Mariott Phuket Beach Club, the Mariott's new Asian flagship resort which is currently considered one of the top 3 resorts in the world. It was a really beautiful place with your every luxury available. I could really get used to staying in that type of quality - Justin tells me not to.

---