Ao Yon Beach

Another Trash Hero beach clean up was scheduled for today at 4:30 at Ao Yon Beach. I had been down to that area of Phuket before when I met up with Tim, the charter boat guy, but I don’t think I actually took the time to explore much or enjoy. Decided to go down there for lunch. I invited Jason, my new expat friend, but he had to work. He told me to go to “The Cove” and it was beautiful! A great recommendation.

The Cove is a resort with this restaurant attached.

Ordered a Thai Orange Cosmo and it was fabulous! A hint of ginger in it. Was amazing. When I was leaving around 2:30 the waitress asked if I was coming back for happy hour. Between 3-6pm they do two for one! Unfortunately I have to scooter home sober, but definitely need to come back with a friend.

My view. The day was zero% chance of rain. A perfect Sunday.

Barbara is a bad influence. I opted for some dessert today.

The beach right out front of the lunch spot was filled with boats. You could walk practically up to them in shallow crystal clear water. After lunch, I stayed on the beach for a couple hours wandering in and out of the water, reading, napping, and taking in the sounds.

The pattern in the waves and sand were so cool and water clear as can be.

Met up here with a few other expats and swept the beach picking up trash. It feels good to be part of a community that is helping out in Thailand. Some local women who were enjoying their Sunday with their families came up and thanked me. A couple of kids asked if they could help out and then later the team gave them free tee shirts. When I went to pick up trash near any locals, if they spotted anything they would then also stoop down and put it into my bag for me.

I get what Trash Heros is doing. They plan their pick up events when they suspect beach activities of locals, so they can see us doing a job that they should also consider. Making them aware. The little girl that helped out, when I showed her how many plastic straws were on the shore, she said she uses a metal one. The next generation here is learning and doing a great job at trying to help make change happen.

Banana Rock Beach

I was determined to get my butt out of the condo today and I researched Phuket beaches I haven’t been to yet and picked Banana Beach to try to find. (Tiff and I had taken a boat to a Banana Beach and I wanted to know if this was the same one) It’s another one of those hidden beaches and google maps could not locate it. The instructions from the website said “You have to have sharp eyes to spot the beach through the trees that line the road. Pass Trisara and slow down when the road dips down. Park and walk down through the trees.”

Now see, this sounded like fun. What I didn’t anticipate is taking a wrong turn and ending up near Kamala Beach which I knew was totally the wrong direction! (proud of myself for recognizing that) Also in my lost travels I noticed that Surin Beach area has a big Muslim community. Once I turned myself the right direction, I was well on my way. It ended up taking me 1 hour, instead of 35 minutes but I was glad I didn’t give up.

View from the top where the path began. NOTHING like the hike of Freedom Beach.

Where the path forked, I obviously picked the wrong way and ended up maneuvering down this drop off. Thank God for tree roots!

Another swing just waiting for someone to pose.

Not a soul in site. I was alone for about 2 hours. I was loving it.

The waves were quite fierce and a storm was brewing. It started to rain, but watching the wind and the clouds I figured I would just stay and get wet. I sat in the rain and watched the waves crash against the rocks.

I swear if I were stoned I could have solved the world’s problems sitting here.

The sand at this beach was more like little pebbles. And there were hermit crabs just running about. I watched them fight, hide, some without shells, all different sizes. They are actually quite quick.

When I finally left it was about 5 pm and a lot of people were starting to come to the beach. It must be an after work spot. Many took the risk to swim in the waves. Others tossed coconuts like bocce ball. This photo was taken as I walked up the right path back to Tia. She used 1/2 a tank today!!! A total trooper. Totally amazing day.

Freedom Beach

The last beach I wanted to see before I left this coast. What a flipping adventure. Tia is such a sport! She has been through a lot and I think she’s now on board with my spirit. The dirt road going up the mountain was rocky beyond belief! Imagine driving and trying your best to go the best route -trail to avoid a flat tire, barely balancing, legs out to the side so you avoid slipping into the many deep crevices. Getting to the top made me concerned about going back down if you can imagine. No civilization on the way up except random chicken, roosters and dogs.

Once you are at the top and parked you need to hike down a trail for about 15 minutes to reach this beach. It’s the only free entry. I’m all about conserving my funds at this point with no job yet on the horizon. You know how usually the way back is always faster than the way to an unknown destination? SO NOT true in this case. Let’s just say I’m out of shape.

Road conditions Tia conquered. No way I could have done this with Tiffani on the back!

The start of the trail down. You can see how high up it is.

View coming down to the beach from the trail.

For my last beach day for awhile, I think this was an excellent choice. The sand was so soft!! And colors amazing. Unfortunately I forgot my beach matte and didn’t have a towel. I thought there would be more civilization here where they would rent chairs etc. But it is low season, so you never know what to expect. I laid out on my clothes and try to position the majority of my beastly body on them. Then rinsed them off in the water when I was ready to take off and hiked up wet. 🙂

Long boat hoping to convince people to ride back.

Walked over to the rocky section to get even better views. I took a video but can’t seem to email it to myself to load.
If I can figure out a way to upload it to this site, I may add it later.

Lots of cute crabs in these rocks! Water was crystal clear. I may need to invest in some snorkeling equipment. Of course that would be more to carry down the hike. As I was hiking back up I believe I stopped to catch my breath about 8 times. I kept thinking, which one of my friends would do this with me?

Khai Islands

I discovered a new website when looking up something on South Korea. It’s called “klook” which was named after the idea to “keep looking”. http://www.klook.com I highly recommend you use this site if you are travelling anywhere internationally. It is helpful in many ways and the tours offered are at a price about 1/2 you will find anywhere else. Thought I would test it out to see if it was legit. I mean for 20$ USD I booked a three island hop complete with transportation to and from the port. I was hopeful the boat floats.

Right on time, the van arrived to pick me up at my hostel. We traveled to the port and loaded up on what appeared to be a legit vessel. I met a wonderful New Zealand couple on the ride there and hung out with them the entire time. They taught me how to snorkel. Jumped off the boat in the ocean of Thailand to experience snorkeling for the first time. Was fascinating!! The coral, fish, and just floating as part of nature! I swear I saw Dora. (no kidding! Just one small bright blue fish swimming with the school of other zebra patterns)

It was an overcast day, but never rained. Was a little touristy, but not too overcrowded. Heard some Post Malone playing at the bar that said “stay calm and smoke weed” – which will land you in a Thai prison for life, but I stopped for a beer to support them.

Loading up on the speed boat out of Asia Pier.

Loved watching these two crew members sitting on the front of the boat being free and loving their work. The boy I believe was in training and was thoroughly enjoying the ride. Crew were the only ones not required to wear life jackets.

First stop was Khai Nai. I learned that nai= big.

I would rename this island Coral Cat Island. How often do you see cats on a beach? And who brought them to this island to live? Things that make you go HMMMMMMM.

The island was filled with coral and wasn’t the best unless you had water shoes with a hard bottom on.

Today’s selfie. The number 9 shows which ship I belong to in case I get disoriented I guess 🙂

I was the only tourist that made my way to this part of the beach.
The rock formations were beautiful and the sand at this section so soft!

Love the backdrop of the mountains in Phuket!

The trees form such a window to the landscape!

The touristy part. It’s all for the buck on these tours.

Mark and Deb, from New Zealand, now living in Perth, Australia. (the most remote city on the planet) I loved listening to their stories which mimic my kids! They have an 18 and 12 year old that they left at home. Mark was saying how his girls are into KPop and he convinced them that he was a huge fan also. They didn’t believe him so they made up a quiz for him to take. He snuck a peak at it in advance, and looked up all the answers and acted like an expert when they finally asked him the questions. Cracked me up! His daughters were pissed not knowing how her knew.

This was Khai Nok. I swam at this beach which had less coral. Clouds are amazing and in constant transition.

Every place I look is breath taking. Was such a great day. Not hot. Great people. Post Malone and a Heineken. Natural Beauty.
Funny tour guide- who basically announced that we shouldn’t poop in the ocean or fish will come to eat it. (why does that need said?)

Hat Karon Noi Beach

Awhile back I was turned away at the gate to Le Meridian Resort and have been determined ever since to go in. I see this beach from many view points and I had to try it out. But the only way to get there is through the resort. I emailed them and arranged for a day pass which was not cheap but included an amazing lunch and an outstanding beach. I was literally the only one in the ocean!!

When I got to the guard shack I told them I was here for a day pass. The sweet gentleman said are you Ms. Tonya!? It was great! Then on my way out he waved me farewell and I felt like I was welcomed. This hotel is in such an amazing location between Patong and Karon. Pure luxury. Was great to pretend for a day.

This was the first pool I walked around and later went back to it to put in some laps.

Love how the building is colored green to blend in with the mountains. This place felt like one of those beautiful all inclusive island resorts. Complete with entertainment.

Pool #2. They assigned me a green towel, so everyone knew I was an outcast. Was a bit weird. Everyone else had a yellow towel. I just pretended I was special 🙂

I mean the colors! I am so appreciative of God’s creativity here.

This is what they mean by private beach!! The water was crystal clear.

I guess I just cannot imagine getting tired of this.

Oven fired teriyaki chicken pizza with a corona. Heaven.

The lobby view. I will admit sometimes it’s difficult not having someone to share this with.
On the flip side, I truly feel it all soulfully when it’s just me.

Paradise

There’s a reason this beach was named Paradise Beach. It is such a hidden gem. Tia had quite a workout and did very well with her new mechanics. The road to get there was up and down mountains on a less travelled road. (which I liked because not too much traffic to worry about)

There was a designated parking lot for Tia. The assistant there guided me to a free shuttle bus down a very sharp incline further into the jungle. I was very thankful I wasn’t driving. They charged an entrance fee to the beach – about $6.00.

Remote. Food and drink service at your chairs. Music clubbing it up. Shade. No waves. Clear water with a pathway through to another section which took you to an even softer white sand beach. When the tide was low you could walk over there, but during high tide you had to take the path. Anyone that comes to visit I will take them here. It was such a find!

I met Scott and Alexis on the free shuttle over. They were already drinking their Chang beer and I initiated conversation about how there are never any garbage cans. I ended up sitting next to them and swimming with them for about an hour. They were fun! Scott was/is considering retiring here and we ironically had a lot in common. His daughter turned 21 so they went on this big trip together! It was her first overseas adventure and you can tell it will be life changing.
They were from Orlando.

View when you first walk into the beach area. They had volleyball, ping-pong and other games set up.

I rented a paddle board for 1/2 hour and it got pretty rough the further out you went. This is my sit down view of the beach. Later I paddled over to the second remote beach and there was a lot of coral and fish which I could see through the clear water. I could stand up during that part.

A beautiful view from my paddle board. Love the shape of the island and clouds together.

View from paddle board facing Patong Beach. You can always tell Patong from the white sky scraper building.

The more remote beach view from paddle board. It’s quite tiny. Interesting how the water color looks different also in all the photos.

View from our chairs. Admired the colors. They also had round bed seating.
Can you imagine making round sheets?

Paradise Beach. So quiet and calm. I did read that this beach has an all night dance party during full moons!–Can’t wait.

Love the angled palm and cute cozy cabanas you can rent.

I honestly have never seen a real pineapple!

View from the pathway looking onto the remote beach. The guy sitting there alone reminded me of myself.

Stopped along the road on the drive back to snap this view. The mountains and the beaches are just spectacular.
And there’s the Patong white sky scraper.

Found these marooned boats interesting on my drive back during low tide. Like—it’s okay, the water will come back and then they will float again.

Kata Noi Rocks

Another beautiful day so I decided to hit a nearby beach, one I had been to at sunset but never swam at. I headed to Kata Noi and remembered that last time I climbed down the thousand steps to the beach, other locals had turned the corner and I later saw them on the rocks fishing. I wanted to see where they had gone, to see what I could see. I was wearing flip flops and worried about their stability, but I took my time carefully planning each step. (knowing if I fell or if my leg got stuck in between the rocks with the crabs, I may not be found for hours :))

It was so beautiful on the rocks, I sat there for an hour. Meditated. Prayed. And just soaked in the view. I feel so lucky to not be in the weekly bustle of life anymore. My days are so simple, but yet more meaningful .

The first view when I got onto the rocks. Then I kept climbing around.

The colors were unreal. I love how my orange contrasts.

Selfie of the day vintage style. Yes my freckles have returned!

This was a hotel above the rocks which I later read about. It was a famous architect and artist’s summer home that they turned into a hotel. Mom Tri’s Villa.

Surin, Kamala and Kata

I mean three beaches in one day, why not?! I was escaping storms and promising discovery to myself along the trek. I drove 45 +minutes to see Surin Beach. It was worth the drive and I got a lot of practice” on the downhill curvy roadways. The hardest part for me is to not get distracted by all there is to see along the way, because you are literally driving along the mountains where the beaches are. So many photo opps!

Note that you can always smell an elephant sanctuary way before you see them. I have yet to get a photo of the elephant crossing signs, but one of these days! I have to have one. I mean where else are you going to see that?

Selfie of the day. Pulled off at a viewpoint.

Better photo of the viewpoint. Beach deserted. I want to find a way down!

Surin Beach. If you walked far enough down, you could find shade under trees. Bonus as the sun was HOT today.

They lined the pathway of the beach. Tons of vendors on the other side.

Lifeguard, but nobody on duty, since you shouldn’t be swimming anyways. Assume we are at our own risk when the red flag is up.

Opposite view of Surin. Storm coming so I headed south.

Took a U turn on the 4 lane highway to see what Kamala Beach was all about. It was trashy, literally. You can see they are trying to grow more palms, and I walked the entire beach and it was quite sad. There is a lot of construction going on, so assuming they are still recovering.

Rocks outside of Patong Beach. Patong area will take me several days to explore, so saving that for when I have time.
It’s by far the most popular beach and area of Phuket.

Naked baby on the beach. Uncircumcised and I kept thinking that’s not going to be fun to clean. The mother was busy on her phone and made me nervous as he would just run around.

This dog came right up and laid down on the beach with me at Kata. I thought maybe he was hungry so I tossed him my leftover peanut butter sandwich. Can you see it in the photo? He wouldn’t touch it. I talked to the dog for a bit, feeling reassured that no tsunami was coming or he would be in higher hills. But another storm was brewing so I asked him if I should head out. We agreed I should, and it started raining on my drive back. Luckily I was only 2 minutes away because dang those raindrops hurt on a scooter!

Beach Time Baby!

The main reason I wanted to stay at a different hostel location was for the beach! I have no regrets, today was an amazing beach day. Overcast, not crowded, shade found under a tree- perfect! I was out for about 3 hours. Then I realized I hadn’t eaten anything so I started googling restaurants nearby. (it was now 2:30 pm) I found one called On the Rock Restaurant, and when I google mapped it, there wasn’t a road leading to it, so that intrigued me.

I hopped on Tia (my new temporary name to encourage her to move) and we set out to find it. After parking, it was a hike through a private resort’s jungle paths only to end up at the edge of the rocks overlooking Karon beach. I had to stay for bit eh?

Just a note, because its so me: When I was leaving my scooter wasn’t starting, and I was like…..well…..alright….what to do. Then a security guard came out for what I thought was to reprimand me but instead he showed me how I was starting her wrong. He kept starting her and stopping her until I understood Was awesome!!! (now if he could just be there when I go up hills :))