Phuket
Phuket is a quick hour flight from Bangkok and it has amazing beaches and resorts.
We stayed at the Kata Beach Resort which was both relaxing and close to stores and restaurants. We definitely indulged in massages and I think I had a hour long Thai Massage every day. It was $10 and outside on the hotel property but close to the beach where you would hear the waves crashing as you relaxed under the skilled hands of the masseuse.
It was nice after the hectic days in Bangkok to be able to lay out and enjoy the sun & water. We stayed one night before we headed off to the Jungle.
We had booked an overnight trip through Siam Safari which would take us to Khao Suk National Park. We would kayak, hike, and stay at the Earth Lodge. The earth lodge was very simple (& earthy), clean and did a good job keeping the bugs out. The lodge had a central area for people to dine and they had a very stocked bar. That was the main entertainment since there wasn't any televisions or anything else to keep you occupied. I can imagine during the busy season how much crazy the nights must get at the Earth Lodge.
It was my first time kayaking and good think Kathy had been before so she was able to help us navigate. We luckily did not tip over. I had gotten sick the day before so I had enough energy to participate in every activity but would sleep in between as much as I can. We also added on an Elephant Trek which we later regretted since not 5 minutes after we got on the elephants there was a crazy Typhoon style downpour that keep us soaked for 30 min. Not so cool when you are already sick. Plus we of course did not have umbrellas which would not have helped much anyway.
The lodge we stayed at made home cooked meals for us and since it was offseason their was only one other couple that stayed at the lodget with us. A very nice older couple from Belgium. The meals would always consist of mutiple dishes and fresh ingredients. On our second day of our Jungle trip we went on a hike and we would have a lunch prepared for us in the jungle. They had a designated rest area where we stopped and a cook assigned to us began to show us how he prepares the meal. They made a salty BBQ pork that was cooked on an open fire, a coconut chicken soup, and a omlette. They showed us the spices used for each dish and how to get the juice from a coconut. That was one of my best meals in Thailand.
After our Jungle trip ended we went back to the Kata Beach Resort and it was nice to be able to lay out on the beach and get more Thai massages. We had some dinners at some open air seafood restaurants that allowed you to pick your meat and the cooking style and they would make it however you like. I finally tried Tom Yum Soup (spicy seafood soup) which I absolutely love and recommend. Nightlife was a bit disppointing - the main area to go out is Patong which is basically a larger red light district. The bars are mostly go-go bars and to get to the clubs you have to walk through the go-go bars to get to the club. Most clubs played house music and difficult to find large crowds due to the off season. It was sad to see the girls who have to work at the go go bars to make a living and pretty icky to see the male patrons who are drawn to these places and to these girls. The other thai bars that are throughout the island are not regular bars you have in the US or most places but they are all like go-go bars (without the poles but with the working girls). The seediness of Thailand I can do without.
We stayed at the Kata Beach Resort which was both relaxing and close to stores and restaurants. We definitely indulged in massages and I think I had a hour long Thai Massage every day. It was $10 and outside on the hotel property but close to the beach where you would hear the waves crashing as you relaxed under the skilled hands of the masseuse.
It was nice after the hectic days in Bangkok to be able to lay out and enjoy the sun & water. We stayed one night before we headed off to the Jungle.
We had booked an overnight trip through Siam Safari which would take us to Khao Suk National Park. We would kayak, hike, and stay at the Earth Lodge. The earth lodge was very simple (& earthy), clean and did a good job keeping the bugs out. The lodge had a central area for people to dine and they had a very stocked bar. That was the main entertainment since there wasn't any televisions or anything else to keep you occupied. I can imagine during the busy season how much crazy the nights must get at the Earth Lodge.
It was my first time kayaking and good think Kathy had been before so she was able to help us navigate. We luckily did not tip over. I had gotten sick the day before so I had enough energy to participate in every activity but would sleep in between as much as I can. We also added on an Elephant Trek which we later regretted since not 5 minutes after we got on the elephants there was a crazy Typhoon style downpour that keep us soaked for 30 min. Not so cool when you are already sick. Plus we of course did not have umbrellas which would not have helped much anyway.
The lodge we stayed at made home cooked meals for us and since it was offseason their was only one other couple that stayed at the lodget with us. A very nice older couple from Belgium. The meals would always consist of mutiple dishes and fresh ingredients. On our second day of our Jungle trip we went on a hike and we would have a lunch prepared for us in the jungle. They had a designated rest area where we stopped and a cook assigned to us began to show us how he prepares the meal. They made a salty BBQ pork that was cooked on an open fire, a coconut chicken soup, and a omlette. They showed us the spices used for each dish and how to get the juice from a coconut. That was one of my best meals in Thailand.
After our Jungle trip ended we went back to the Kata Beach Resort and it was nice to be able to lay out on the beach and get more Thai massages. We had some dinners at some open air seafood restaurants that allowed you to pick your meat and the cooking style and they would make it however you like. I finally tried Tom Yum Soup (spicy seafood soup) which I absolutely love and recommend. Nightlife was a bit disppointing - the main area to go out is Patong which is basically a larger red light district. The bars are mostly go-go bars and to get to the clubs you have to walk through the go-go bars to get to the club. Most clubs played house music and difficult to find large crowds due to the off season. It was sad to see the girls who have to work at the go go bars to make a living and pretty icky to see the male patrons who are drawn to these places and to these girls. The other thai bars that are throughout the island are not regular bars you have in the US or most places but they are all like go-go bars (without the poles but with the working girls). The seediness of Thailand I can do without.
posted by BacktoCali at 3:08 PM
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