Part 12 - Phucket

kata beach

kata again
karon beach
patong beach


The next day we were up looking for another place as we discovered the reason why we got such a good deal on our room was because of the construction going on behind the building that started at 7 am!! We found a great spot right across the street - way more peaceful, a pond and lots of plants and also a very nice room!

It ended up being a check out the area/sun-worshipping/shopping kinda day as well as a day to just relax and maybe catch up on some internet stuff. On our final full day together we decided to hop on a bus to Phucket town to take in some temples and a bit of the life there.......then off to Patong Beach - the most popular/touristy beach in the area......fun, but I was happy we were at Kata. The final few shots are of the beaches -- Patong, Karon(from a distance) and then my last morning at Kata before busing to the airport!

I want to end this segment by wishing Ali a safe and adventure-filled remainder to her continuing journey through Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and New Zealand - I am so envious! Finally, thank you for risking the invite for me to join you, for your patience and perseverence while traveling and for your heart felt effort to make my birthday an enjoyable one!!







sunset from our front porch
the head of "big Buddha" high on the hill









Phucket town


Arrived at the pier in Phucket late afternoon and then about a hour long minivan ride to the Be My Guest Guesthouse in the Kata beach area of southwestern Phucket. Ali got us a great room - the best since our second night in Hua Hin - and she was even daring enough to share a king size bed with me on my birthday - brave woman!! Trust me, the rules had clearly been established over the preceding 3 1/2 weeks.

She also made it a very special occasion for me with a thoughtful gift from her visit to Lombok, Indonesia a month earlier as well as some nice brown bread and brie (a rarity in these parts), and afterward a fabulous Indian dinner followed by a few drinks at yet another "live Thai band" bar - actually these guys were probably the best yet though. My experience is that Thai's are very good musicians but they really struggle vocally......and for the most part they all play very dated music - I can't tell you how many times I heard Deep Purples' - Smoke on the Water and Eric Claptons' - You Look Wonderful Tonight over the course of this trip! All in all an excellent birthday.