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Published: February 15th 2006
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a Thai wedding
picture perfect on Kata Beach, Phuket Sand, sun, water and friends just about sums up my time spent in Phuket! Phuket has turned into a major tourist destination, and I now understand why. There are powder soft beaches, blue-green water, beautiful weather and tons activities day and night. Depending on what kind of holiday you are looking for, Phuket may or may not be the place for you. I wanted quiet days and exciting nights, and I found just that. Our original plan was to move from island to island, but due to lack of flights and hotels during high season, we decided to make Phuket our home for the next 7 days. We were very disappointed at first when we figured this out; however we had a great time there in the end! From Phuket we also made two days trips, to Koh Phi Phi and Phang Nga Bay (blogs to come!).
We spent our days at three beaches: Patong, Karon and Kata.
Kata Beach is the most remote of the three. We spent a quiet day there lounging on our chairs, swimming, reading…complete relaxation! You can’t ask for more really! We saw a Thai couple having their wedding photographs taken in traditional outfits.
lounging
Kata Beach, Phuket There were tons of tourists asking to have their photos taken with them….. I thought this was asking a little much of them, so I just stood in the background and tried not to bother them.
Karon Beach is about 4km, being one of the longest in Phuket. When we were there, we were treated like queens! There are areas of the beach which (I think) are rented and maintained by different people. The spot that we chose was looked after by a fantastic group of people. This family didn’t speak much English, but we communicated just fine. They were overly generous to us….giving us plates of fresh pineapple, sweeping off our sandy feet while we were sleeping on the lounge chairs, cups of coconut milk….it was unreal. We went to the same restaurant, “Cat and Boomroong”, two days in a row because the owners were great! Cat is the wife and Boomroong is the husband. They were so welcoming and smiley that I felt I had known them for years. They also had the cutest, tiniest puppies hanging out in the back! Our last evening at Karon Beach we watched one of the most breathtaking sunsets that I’ve
Happy New Year
Iona and Maribelle on Patong Beach ever seen.
Patong Beach is the hub of tourist activity. We went to this beach the day after the New Year’s celebrations. This was a mistake because the sand was mixed with garbage. Even without the garbage Patong Beach wouldn’t have the same appeal as the others (I don’t think). It was absolutely packed from end to end with people. All the water activity from the swimmers and boats churned up the sand so the water wasn’t as clear either. What the Patong Beach area was good for was nightlife. We cruised up and down the main streets checking out the bars, people watching, and eating some GREAT food. The cost of the food was ridiculous too…..for four of us to feast on fresh shrimp, crab, fried rice, prawn soup, fruit, and pad Thai, it cost us each about $5!! Patong was crawling with “lady boys” as well…..a very popular trend for guys in Thailand to look like (and sometimes transform into) females…..and all too well at times!!
Randomly one evening in an internet café, we met a Japanese guy named Ryo. (check out his pic…he’s 30 years old, can you believe it!?! I didn’t when he told
Happy New Year!
Malyn and I on Patong Beach me!) Iona, Ryo and I ended up hanging out most days. He was a cool kid. My favourite Ryo moment?....after he had his first ever shots of tequila, he screamed at the top of his lungs “I LOVE THAILAND!” Hehe. We met some other friends along the way On New Year’s Eve day we went on a day trip and met two girls, Maribelle and Marlyn, from the Phillipines. They joined us that night for the party, and the next day at the beach.
On New Year’s Eve we were required to purchase a Gala Dinner ticket from our hotel. It was a big buffet dinner with live entertainment. For $15 it was not a bad deal. We met a family from Sweden who had been staying at the hotel fro over a month (extended vacation?) Peter (the son) and his parents invited Iona and I to join them at Patong Beach fort he countdown at midnight. Since we hadn’t found the beach yet at that point, we decided to tag along. They picked up some bottles of champagne on the way I guess they knew all the beach staff as well, because as soon as we arrived there
the New Year's crew
Peter, Maribelle, me, Peter's dad & mom, Iona was a table, mats and a bucket of ice laid out in front of us! It pays to know the right people! They sky was filled with floating lanterns that had burning candles in them. It was a beautiful sight, but hard to capture with a digital camera The fireworks seemed to go on for ages, and the loud dance music never stopped. I’m not sure if there was an actual countdown or not…it was too loud! I just randomly asked someone what time is was and we realized “Happy New Year, it’s 12:15!!” For the rest of the night Iona, Peter and I hopped around different parties in Phuket until the sun started to rise.
A happy 2006 to you all!
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Roothie
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Love Sunsets!
Just gotta turn those 2 pics into big posters!!! Best ones I've seen!