Thailand

Ahhh, Thailand, wonderful warm Thailand, how do I miss thee. Although I can't complain, I was colder on Philip Island than I am in London. I'm told it's unseasonably warm here though, and that much worse is to come.

The replacement holiday went very nicely indeed. Car? What car? I had a fantastic time in Phuket, and look forward to going back someday. I didn't get to ride an elephant after all...

I met up with Andrew in Singapore, and we spent an interesting night camped out in the Budget Airport before getting our super cheap flights into Phuket.

The next night's accommodation was decidedly superior!

I spent a little while snapping photos of our resort. The pool was fantastic, brilliantly laid out so that even with quite a few other people around (all Swedish - go figure), you felt like you had a private bit of pool.

Look, waterslides.

We finally worked out that the hotel was affiliated with some Scandinavian travel company, and maybe a Korean one as well. For most of the week, the only English to be heard was that between two non-native english speakers (guests and staff). When we finally did hear another aussie and a pom talking, we ran a mile to avoid them.

Picture laying back in the comfy lounge chairs on a warm humid night with a faint cool breeze playing over you, listening to the gentle sound of the water lapping against the side of the pool, watching the magical lights twinkle in the ripples knowing that the toughest decision is whether to go for another swim or another $3 cocktail (the correct answer clearly being both!)

Every tree had beautiful orchids like this. They turned up in those cocktails.

The breakfast buffet catered for all tastes, but I normally stuck to noodles and rice. Who needs bacon and eggs when you can have kway tiao?

Like a lot of Asian places I've been to, Phuket was that fascinating mix of old and new, poor and rich, traditional and weird tourist cultural blend. Here's a photo of our neighbour over the way...

and here our more immediate neighbours.

There were plenty of wealthy people around building fancy houses and holiday villas, like these in the hills.

On Tuesday of course we went into Patong to find a bar showing the Melbourne Cup - I haven't missed one my whole life and I wasn't about to start now. And what a race! We were so lucky, I'd stuffed up the timing, and we thought we had plenty of time but only wandered in as the horses were parading.

Here's pub we found, and the race in replay.

After the cup, we wandered the town a bit, and got a bit of a feel for what it might be like later on in the evening, with long rows of tiny bars waiting to fill up (I didn't notice that they all had poles until later).

but we were too tired to stay, so headed back to our part of the island, Surin Beach, via tuk tuk (and after a day in Patong, we felt a lot in common with this guy).

Here's Surin beach itself, although we didn't find it for a few days, the pool being so good. Just a little stretch of sand, for someone used to Australian beaches, and weirdly full of umbrellas for hire, but a very pleasant place to have a late lunch that stretches into happy hour[s].

One night we went back into Patong, the somewhat more colourful area of Phuket, and the main attraction for some people I'm guessing.

The food everywhere was just deluxe. We stuck almost exclusively to Thai food, like the remains you see here, which is at one of the little beachside cafes we went to quite a bit. I don't know why people would pass up a great pad thai for a more expensive and very ordinary hamburger, but there you go, that's what lots of western tourists seemed to do. Although that coconut's sitting there because of my burning tongue :/.

I was really intrigued with the blend of cultures. Check out this sign for example. In Thailand, Japanese cuisine, in a Scandinavian style, advertised in English. People complain about the "commercialisation" of tourist traps like Phuket, but I think that in a way the tourists have turned the place into an altogether new sort of hybrid culture, worthy of a visit for its own sake.

The weather was great, although I got a bit burnt one day out on the boat touring the islands (including where the place where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed), but it was lovely really. Of course, it did get a bit humid. This is what happens to your camera if you walk out of an airconditioned room...



This has all taken me a while to post (photos uploaded in Singapore, written up in London, learn enough html to format better in Newcastle), but it's been great to relive the holiday. Tomorrow.....(gasp)....I start work for the first time since the 29th September.