Phuket

My accommodation for the majority of my trip has been quite modest and a large percentage has been spent sleeping on thin single mattresses on the floor of small rooms that people have been kind enough to let me stay in, needless to say that a 2 week stay in a Phuket resort was going to be an interesting change.  The main reason for my stay at Kamala beach was to catch up with my brother, niece and nephew for the first time in 2 years and after some very excited greetings we were soon tanning by the resort pool and sipping on a cold beer. Kamala Beach was quite a good base, the quaint resort town had its fair share of cosy beachside restaurants and a few bars to keep things interesting, it was far enough away from the bright lights and party atmosphere of Patong for some quiet family time but a Tuk Tuk ride would get you in the middle of the bar district quick enough.

It was great to chill out next to the pool or on the beach and I tried my best to make the most of the relaxation, it only lasted for 1 ½ days though before my short attention span had me searching for the resort gym and booking island and jungle tours. I went on a boat trip to Phi Phi islands, some of the beaches we visited were absolutely stunning but they were so full of tourists you could barely see the sand and we spent much of the time pushing our way through the crowds, it felt like we were cattle being herded from one corral to the next. We went snorkelling between islands and I was quite surprised by the lack of coral, I was also surprised to see how many people on the boat couldn’t actually swim, I’d never seen somebody go snorkelling while wearing a floatation jacket before. We snorkelled for an hour and it was time to get back on the boat, as I patiently treaded water and waited for my turn to get back on board somebody grabbed hold of me from behind and started pushing me below the surface. I came up with a mouth full of water expecting to see my nephew laughing at me but was confronted by a frustrated looking Indian guy wearing a floatation jacket trying to swim over me on his way to the boat ladder. I was amazed that someone wearing a buoyancy device would actually push someone not wearing one underwater, especially in a non-emergency situation. I couldn’t resist grabbing his leg and pulling him under as I swam past to the ladder, the look on his face when he surfaced was the highlight of my day.

I also went on an Elephant tour through the jungle, initially I was in two minds about this tour because I had heard that the animals were often mistreated. I can’t speak for all the handlers but mine seemed to have a real bond with his elephant and treated her very gently, even when she was being stubborn, Riding through the jungle on the back of the huge and majestic animal was a very memorable experience. The day trip also included bamboo river rafting, a trip to the monkey temple and a visit to a turtle conservation centre, all of which were fantastic. We had a really great day until they brought us to a small zoo, the enclosures were absolutely atrocious, nothing more than small concrete cells, seeing bears, monkeys and otters in those conditions almost brought a tear to my eye. The worst was a big crocodile which was around 4 – 5 meters in a concrete enclosure with no water and only a foot or two bigger than it was, the big reptile was just lying there, we asked why there was no water and the reply was that the cage filled up when it rained, It makes me appreciate the zoos we have in Australia, why anybody would want to see an animal in these conditions is beyond me.

Between the tours and sightseeing on the motorbike I was able to see most of the attractions that Phuket had to offer but no trip to Thailand would be complete without heading to the red light district to see some of the famous night time shows. We jumped in a Tuk Tuk and headed to Patong’s walking street, when I arrived I didn’t know where to look, I’ve never seen so many bars with Go Go dancers, there were beautiful girls (and more than a few lady boys) in every direction. The ping pong show was a definite eye opener and the lady boy caberet was an absolute laugh, somehow I ended up on stage for both performances, if you are going to have a night out in Patong you might as well make it a big one.

All in all it was a great 2 weeks in Phuket, catching up with my brother Wolfgang in Thailand was always going to be memorable and I had a great time hanging out with Sandra, Dennis and Stephanie. It was sad saying goodbye at the airport, usually I’m the one leaving for my next adventure not the one staying. I had to stay another 2 days in Phuket while I waited for a seal to be replaced on the shaft drive of the BMW, I was very glad when I got the big girl back and was able to get on the road to Bangkok.

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