After running around Cambodia for a month we were, to use a phrase, plum tuckered out. We were looking forward to staying put for a while in Phuket, our next destination.
Most of what we had heard about Phuket from other travelers we had met was negative, but we had already realized that our criteria for living in a destination were very different from those used by people on a one or two-week holiday.
Heavy development and crowds are fine as long as we can get away from them, and it seemed like Phuket afforded lots of opportunities to do so. And development usually comes with big, Western-style grocery stores, which – to paraphrase a recent film character – really lights up my board.
Our apartment was in Kamala, about 15 minutes north of Patong. Patong is the place most people are thinking of when they describe Phuket with distaste. It’s crowded and developed down to the last inch, with bars, massage parlors, tattoo studios, restaurants, kitschy souvenir shops, and hotels crammed into every possible corner. It’s the farthest thing from a quiet, palm-tree-lined beach you can imagine.
Kamala, on the other hand, is relatively quiet. There are two main streets, each with its share of shops and restaurants, but the vibe in Kamala is distinctly more family-oriented. So we chose Kamala, and thought if we wanted a little excitement we could always drive over to Patong.
Our flat was huge, bright, modern, had a separate space for Braeden to work on his art, and best of all, had wall-to-wall views of the Andaman Sea. We were in heaven.
We wasted no time settling in. We enrolled Braeden in a local football camp, Phuket Soccer School. I joined a newly refurbished gym in Patong that conveniently had a full “functional fitness” area that was barely used. We located a fantastic Western-style supermarket, Villa Market, to the north of us in Chalong.
(Too Short) A Visit to Siem Reap
We were soon in a steady, relaxing rhythm. I would wake early, make breakfast for Braeden and I, then head to the gym. J would work with the boy on “Mommy School”, teaching him reading, writing, and arithmetic. After that we would either run errands or head to the beach for the morning, enjoying lunch at one of the many little beachfront restaurants in Phuket.
Then we would take an afternoon nap, maybe hit the pool, and cook a nice meal at home or head out for an amazing dinner.
There wasn’t much pressure to see sights while we were in Phuket. We had over five weeks and just a few “biggies” we wanted to tick off the list. Our main focus was hitting as many beautiful beaches as we could and enjoying life together.
One afternoon we decided to see Big Buddha, a large statue on a hill overlooking Phuket Town. We climbed the steps to the top, wandered around the grounds, and enjoyed the panoramic views of Southern Phuket. It reminded us of our visit to Gunga Talao and the huge statue of Shiva in Mauritius. Shiva was bigger, but Buddha had better hair. We called it a draw.
One of the places on our uber-short list of things to see was the Phi-Phi islands, a small cluster of islands southeast of Phuket. Many of the classic pictures of Southern Thailand – white sand beaches, crystal blue waters, and colorful long-tail boats – are taken in these islands, and we wanted to experience them for ourselves.
There were many tour companies to choose from that provided day trips to Phi Phi, so we just threw a dart and picked one from the top of the list on TripAdvisor.
The winner, Phuket Sail Tours, turned out to be an excellent choice. We were picked up by a van at our apartment in the morning, given breakfast at PST’s office, and then we hopped on a speedboat for the trip over to Phi Phi.
Our first stop was Maya Bay, the site of filming for The Beach, the 1999 Leonardo DiCaprio pic.
[Hint: don’t bother with the movie, save your money instead and take a vacation to Phi Phi.]
We arrived at about 9am in the little bay bejeweled with its pristine beach, and it was already hopping with tourists. I had a hard time imagining just how overrun it would be later in the day.
Despite the crowd the bay was gorgeous. We swam in the gin-clear water, stood ogling the scenery for awhile, and hiked inland to the other side of the island where there was yet another another idyllic spot, Lohsamah Bay.
We spent an hour or so exploring Koh Phi Phi Le and Maya Bay, then we boarded our boat and headed off for a swim at another small island. Braeden and I took turns jumping off the boat with the other members of our group and we splashed about in the water. He had never jumped off a boat so high before, so he kept climbing into the boat and jumping off until we had to drag him out of the water to head for our next destination.
The tour included a stop at Koh Phi Phi, the largest of the Phi Phi islands, for some relax time and lunch. After filling our bellies with the typical delicious Thai food we walked along the beach, admiring the incredible turquoise waters fringed with jungle-covered mountains.
The highlight of the day, however, was snorkeling. Over the previous couple of weeks Braeden had become comfortable with his goggles in the ocean, so we decided to introduce him to a mask. He wasn’t a fan of it at first, but once he jumped in and he saw the coral below teeming with colorful fish he was hooked.
There wasn’t a small enough snorkel on the boat so he went without one. This meant he had to hold his breath. He would plunge his face into the water for as long as possible, then raise his head for a breath, yell something to J and I like “Mommy, a striped fish!”, then dunk his head for another look.
Juliann and I swam with him between us until it was time to get back on the boat. As we were drying off Braeden talked excitedly about everything we had seen, and we knew that we would have to plan another snorkeling outing soon. He was completely in awe.
We finished our day with some down time on another beautiful beach on Bamboo Island. Braeden and I cooled off in the water while Juliann relaxed in the shade and snapped the occasional picture. We lazed about for an hour or so, then climbed aboard the speedboat for the trip home.
Phi Phi provided us with a hell of a day, and I would love to go back. But as it turned out, there were many, many more islands to experience.
Next: More of Phuket, and Phang Nga Bay!
Incredible buddy! Enjoy Italy