Blogs from Phuket, South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 7

We survived Cambodia!! It was so hot there but a great experience!! Much more raw than Thailand, more poverty and dirt. But! We made our way to Phuket! Yesterday, we toured the islands, what an amazing experience!! We were a little disheartened at our first stop. Maya bay on Phi Phi Ley is where they filmed the movie The Beach... There were about a thousand Chinese tourists there. We could barely walk on the beach. It was beautiful though and I'm glad we saw it. The day got better from there. The rest of our tour was mellow and without lots of people. The islands are beautiful!! We snorkeled and got to see monkeys... The monkeys are keen on grabbing snacks from tourists. We saw one jump on this lady and grab a bag of peanuts ... read more

Experienced a very hot week but also a very quiet week in what is known here as the low season because it is the hottest time of the year. Still had a great time, daily runs on Parong Beach in the reasonably cool morning (630am), then back to our hotel, Royal Phawadee, for a cool dip in the pool. Had some great meals at Sams steak and grill Holiday Inn, Baan Rim Pa over looking Patong Beach, Wine Connection at Central Festival and watching the sunset from Solemio on the beach. Coming back in November to stay in our own condo which will be finished in a few weeks and ready for occupancy!... read more

My next adventure to teach in Thailand has officially begun! It's safe to say that continental hopping is quite habitual for myself, and is surely a characteristic that will stick for the long run. Some people know exactly who they want to be, where they want to be, what they want to do and when they want to do it, from the start. Then there are the people that wait on the chance of opportunity, and choose to spontaneously play "trial and error". And of course, there's the people scattered throughout this broad spectrum of lifestyle. I find that several walks of life are incredibly enticing. Sure, a beautiful house, stable career and a family sounds fulfilling, and like everyone's ultimate aspiration. However, the route of beautiful, unconventional disaster is full of exciting promise as well. ... read more

Geo: 7.97501, 98.3515I never thought in a million years I would be living on a William Gardiner designed 47ft vagabond yacht, she is really stunning... traditional in style and looks like a wooden boat even though she's fiberglass. Built in Taiwan she has one previous owner who lived on her for years and is a real classic but does need a lot of work. There is always plenty to do from the basic living on board stuff, cleaning, polishing, varnishing, stocking etc. to all the main safety and seaworthy jobs and we've got our work cut out. Although it wasn't my intention to stay on the boat once my passport arrived I guess Drew and I were having way too much fun and there was always something to do and he's really appreciated my help, you ... read more

Geo: 7.97501, 98.3515A friend from the Yacht Club was taking his boat from Phuket to Antwerp on a cargo ship, Sangtong and I ended up sailing to the ship with him to give him a hand with the ropes but I didn't realise what I was letting myself in for.We got on board at the marina, unfortunately Drew and Tony couldn't come as they had to sort out visas to remain in Thailand, so we wave them off and set off on 'Colonel' a stunning schooner and head south. The weather conditions were perfect but because Roel has packed all his boat up to be shipped there's no sailing involved but it's only a few hours journey to the ship anyway.On route there are lots of local fishermen in their long tail boats, they are scooping ... read more