We just got back from our week with Jackie and Gord in Phuket. They rented a 2 bedroom apartment on Karon Beach and very generously invited us down. So we headed off for a vacation within our vacation☺
We had arranged to meet at a coffee house close to their apartment and after a bit of searching, we found them waiting for us outside of the coffee house. It’s very weird to meet someone you know in a foreign country!
Our days there soon ran together. We woke up, went out to the balcony area, had our coffee and breakfast, and later would read there on and off, have a dip in the pool just a few feet away, come back out, have lunch, read till cocktail hour, have dinner, chat or go out wandering the market to the left of us, go to bed.
While we were only across a small road from the beach, we weren’t in any great need to be ON the beach. From their balcony area, we had a fantastic view of the ocean and could people watch till our heart’s content.
Some things we did when we actually got out of the apartment:
I had my first Thai massage. I now have a small idea of what it feels like to be beaten up. I am amazed that this small woman was so strong and could exert so much pressure. I’m sure that she was stronger than this big fellow that once gave me a Swedish massage (you know who I mean, E). She used her hands, knees, leg, feet to move me like a doll into yoga-like stretches. The spinal twists were the best ?! I’ve done the twists in yoga but it’s a different story when they do it for you and they take you by surprise because they don’t warn you first. After an hour of pounding and twisting and bending, I was ready for the end. I just read that a session could last 2 hours, I couldn’t have survived that! Still, not bad for $6 Cdn ☺
Facial and body massage – At the mall, there were many salons offering great deals for facials. For just $11 Cdn, Jackie and I got a facial and a quick whole body massage. It was a nice treat after an exhausting day of shopping.
Took the “bus”- From our balcony, we had seen this bus traveling back and forth with many tourists in the back so we thought we’d get on and see where it goes for an adventure. We knew that it would end up in Phuket. Little did we know that this was a bit of a tourist trap. They let you out in an area that was not touristy but some helpful taxi drivers are there to offer you tours. We were snatched up by a nice man who brought us to a gem “factory” and store. The deal was that we would spend 5 minutes in there so he could get some gas coupons. So the four of us walked in and I clearly stood out as the shopper (even though Jackie is the queen) because one sales lady zoomed in on me and away we go. I went straight to the 50% off area even though she tried to steer me to the pearls. I told her I had enough pearls. When I said I wanted to buy a cloth purse, she suggested I needed 2. Thankfully, I was in the mood to fend her off otherwise it would have been very tiresome. I drew her fire while the others wandered freely and go out of there unscathed. I paid a bit too much for my new purses but not TOO much.
Dinners – We tried out our new Thai recipes on Jackie and Gord. When we didn’t cook, we tried some of the popular restaurants. One of the best we found was The Red Onion. A very popular place with foreigners, good food, good prices and the line up was proof that we made a good choice.
But mainly we hung out at the apartment and we would often have all of our Sony book readers out, quietly enjoying our own books.
p.s.
Chinese heritage – I am surprised that many of the people we’ve come across have Chinese heritage here. They celebrated Chinese New Year with offerings, fire crackers and family dinners. When our driver picked us up at the airport, he had orchids tied to the grill of his car and Don asked him why. All he said was that he was “same same” as me. This is a favourite expression here just to mean “the same”.
I've posted a few of our pics from Phuket on Flickr because it's easier. Enjoy!
1 comment:
Wonderful pictures! I am so jealous... :-)
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