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Published: October 24th 2011
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The Four Seasons Pool
The pool was finally finished and we even had a couple of days to swim. Some Reflections on Our (Former) Neighborhood:
Phuket is a paradox to the western mind. At one moment you find yourself sitting on the rocks overlooking the sea amidst a cool breeze and a calm sunset. Yet a twenty-five minute Tuk Tuk ride will land you in the endless sea of Phuket’s the night market. The roar of thousands of vendors is deafening - “I make good price for you,” as they sell hundreds of thousands of pairs of sunglasses, t-shirts with Che Guevara and Bob Marley images, Thai wood carvings and Buddha images, while food vendors cook everything from delicious soups to roasted pig parts to any fried food you can imagine. The smoke from the fried oil mingles with the packed isles of people, maze of vendor stalls and mind-numbing buzz of commerce to create a true sensory overload. From the night market you can see the Giant Buddha, glowing at the top of the hill where, a short ride away, you can wander dreamily through the palm and banana groves of the hazy Phuket hilltops. Shrines decorate the museum below the statue where Buddha images with serene face gaze peacefully back, lulling you into a state of
Temple Dogs
Who owns the streets? dogs, street girls, vendors, tuk tuks or motor bikes. I won't even pretend to know. calm revere. A short ride from the tranquil sanctuary finds you in Patong, where the seedy undergrowth of Thai society solicits the less than desirable foreign elements. Patong’s bright lights (picture a massive downtown scene combined with the lights of Atlantic City, a wild carnival and a massive boardwalk) signal the red-light district, where dance clubs, rock-n-roll bars, lady-boys, street girls and ping pong shows compete for foreign currency.
Our neighborhood is a sanctuary, tucked away from much of the chaos of Phuket’s commercial hubs, yet it still embodies much of the islands paradox. Nai Harn beach sits nearly two miles off of Phuket’s main highway. The beach is enclosed by rocky hills on both sides, and the powdery white sand and crystal blue waters combine with the cool sea breeze for a truly breathtaking experience. Just beyond our hotel lies a calm lake with an island park, where at dawn local monks in saffron robes can be seen timelessly practicing a slow and deliberate walking meditation. The lake flows into a shallow lagoon where the local children splash, before calmly flowing to rejoin the ocean. At the top of the lake is the Reggae Bar, an open air
Last night on the beach
On one of our last nights, the entire group held a jam session with beer in hand from the local convenience store. island-style party overlooking the water and surrounded by palm trees which provides a truly picturesque photo opportunity at sunset. At the bottom, one of the many stunning Wats (temples) that have captured the imagination of Western visitors since the days of Marco Polo. Along the street, small food vendors sell fresh exotic fruits, homemade crepes, grilled marinated Thai chicken and papaya salads. The fresh scent of the ocean breeze mingles with the delectable fragrance of the vendor carts to fully encapsulate this uniquely Thai experience. Just above the beach sits a line of outdoor restaurants, glowing with colored lanterns, protected from the occasional Thai monsoons by thatched roofs, yet completely open to the sea breeze.
On a warm (85 degree) autumn night, Tara and I often walk up the street to eat dinner at one of the many Thai restaurants in the mini-town linking our beach to the main road. As we walk, the other side of Phuket is never quite out of our sight. Street dogs, for one, are a relatively common “developing world” phenomenon, but it is still quite puzzling to an outsider. The street dogs are everywhere. On the beach, packs of four or five dogs
Grilled Squid
10 baht (33 cents) gets you a delicious squid on a stick at the night market. challenge rival clans, often breaking away to join us as we relax, acting without seemingly any rhyme or reason. A particularly large faction can be seen taking refuge at the Wat (temple). We are told that the Monks will not refuse any creature in need of their help, and so they will feed anyone that show up at their doors, from stray dogs to hungry people. If a Thai person cannot care for their dog, they can drop them off at the temple. Often times on my morning run, I will have a street dog from one end of the lake follow me, only to be ambushed by the temple dogs, who lie in wait to vanquish the intruder. The dogs can also be seen sleeping inside schools, outside our hotel room, congregating beside the lake, or simply walking down the middle of the road. The only thing more common than the street dogs are the motor scooters (kind of a small motorcycle). Everyone seems to have one! Mothers can be seen driving with their five kids on a metal platform with wheels that has been welded to the side of the bike. Children who cannot be above the age
of ten (no exaggeration!) can be seen riding three to a scooter without helmets on an all too regular basis. Thai street vendors literally have their entire shops built onto these motor scooters, packing up and cruising away when business slows. And of course, the Western tourists “farangs” who cruise around without the slightest knowledge as to how Thai traffic operates. It is nearly impossible to walk up the side of the road without being beeped at by ten or fifteen of them (and this is completely beside the fact that traffic laws clearly do not exist here in any western sense of the term). And finally, lest one forget that not everyone in Phuket lives in a luxury hotel, there are the local homes. As you walk along the road you become aware of a large, green, vaguely transparent veil. Behind it can often be herd the explosions of fire crackers, laughter, and the vague outlines of children playing soccer or bad-mitten appear alongside the small shacks with tin roofs that our cooks, taxi drivers and hotel staff call home. It is easy to forget that for most Thais, relative poverty is also a part of daily existence. It
Dogs in school
Is this dog supposed to be here? Does it live here? I don't know, the kids don't seem to know, the staff doesn't seem to care. is quite sad to think that these wonderful people should feel the need to keep their homes hidden from sight, lest the tourists upon whom the local economy is dependent should find it less than photogenic. Or perhaps, it provides them with a sanctuary from the boisterous, drunken, in your face western tourists who invade their island year-round. As with much of Thailand, the answer likely lies somewhere in the middle.
Such is the paradox of Thailand, the unrivaled natural beauty combined with the realization that this is still very much a developing country. It is a wonderful learning experience in that the people here seem to revel calmly, joyfully and playfully in all aspects of this strange and wonderful world. They are no doubt amongst the hardest of workers when necessary, yet will also lounge playfully for hours on end when there is time to relax. There seems to be little polarity to their moods, everything is always settled in equilibrium. There is a marked simplicity to life, and a very tangible zen-like acceptance of all aspects of their surroundings. For the Thai people, everything seems to be good, from the rolling waves that crash against the rocky
The Wat
It is difficult to describe the incredible amount of detail that goes into every square inch of these structures. hillside, to the street dogs, “bar girls” and shouting drunken farangs (western) tourists. Life is only as serious as the picture we paint it to be, and the people here realize this. As you slowly begin to adopt the Thai mindset, the paradox begins to disintegrate, and the unique world can really be appreciated for what it is. Despite the hardships and seeming absurdities from a western point of view (and I will have plenty more to say on this later), from a Thai perspective everything’s good, no big deal - Mai bpen rai!
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gina rachmaninoff
non-member comment
Phuket
Did you try the squid. I am glad you are both embracing the adventure. :)