Kata Beach and Phang Nga Bay, Phuket

Hearing: Starstrukk - 3OH!3 ft. Katy Perry

((I have finally gotten around to putting together another post about my Thailand trip. It is extremely overdue but at least its done now. Sorry for taking so long!))

The penultimate leg of my trip was Phuket. Flying in to the island provides for some breathtaking views from among the clouds. A 600bhat taxi and almost 2hrs later (due to traffic) i arrived at the lovely Kata Beach in a newly opened hotel which had the most pools I've come across, I think at one point i counted 9! The hotel and the views were an absolute bargain for the price.

Oh my gosh, such a comfy bed!!

Phuket is a touristy island anywhere you go, some like Patong Beach, moreso than others. Kata is very pretty, not overcrowded and only a short drive to Patong. I spent a lot of time on that beach just people watching, soaking up the sun and enjoying some beautiful sunsets. I confess i didn't swim though, i just played around in the shallow waters. It was monsoon season, there were flags along the beach and signs warning of strong undercurrents and I'm not a strong swimmer and didn't have much confidence in the almost non-existent life guards.

Remember in 2007 the One-Two-Go plane that crashed at Phuket airport after sliding off the runway? You can still see part of the plane covered in tarps in the photo. There is also a nearby shrine set up for those wishing to pay their respects or remember those who lost their lives in the accident.

Some views on the way to and from the accident site

On one of the days i joined a tour to Phang Nga Bay, James Bond island and lunch at the floating village. The weather wasn't great but i had so much fun!! I met a lovely girl travelling with her family also from Sydney, we partnered up for the canoe trip. It was on of the many highlights of the tour. It was high tide but the guide expertly maneuvered us under teeny-tiny openings in the rock faces to tranquil lagoons on the other side teeming with fish with feet! And they jumped on the surface of the water if you splashed them before they dove in! The scenery was beautiful, you can see for yourself. I can imagine if the day was sunny how its beauty would be magnified ten-fold.









yes its as tiny as it looks and yes we did get through it without a scrape ;)

you might need to click on this picture to see the tiny fish and its feet...

This little guy came right up to the edge of our canoe, he was tiny, bout the size of the palm of your hand but apparently they grow quite large. Our canoe guide told us that this was the local "7 Eleven"! heehee





The well known images of James Bond island.

The final day of my time in Phuket was spent on the beach again :) I also got a couple of henna tattoos, ate lots of yummy seafood and said goodbye to my lush bed, the beautiful views and went to bed with the sound of some critter honking away through the night. The next day i hopped in to my shared airport transfer (at 200bhat it was much cheaper than a taxi) and headed back to Bangkok.

VP

Read More

Hello from Kata Beach, Phuket

Hearing: Waves crashing on the beach

Yours truely is currently walking along the beach and splasing around in the shallow waters. Ive been taking some photos and just generally enjoying the view, sun, sand and the sound of the waves.

Its monsoon season and red flags are dotted right along the beach which means strong undercurrents and no swimming allowed. But everyone is ignoring that and taking a dip anyway. I actually find that a bit worring because if something should happen there are only a couple of life guards around and they are mainly towards one end of the beach.

Anyway, im not a strong swimmer so i´ll be sticking to tanning, taking photos, people watching and playing in the shallow waters to cool off. I feel very lucky because im sure it must be freezing back home and here i am on a beautiful beach with a cloudless sky and perfect water...

VP

Read More