On my drive to Kamala, I couldn’t help but notice the beauty these parked boats added to the landscape. I pulled over and decided to wander back to take a few photos.
A great place to dry your laundry.
These wooden shacks are everywhere along the roads providing shade to the taxi or boat drivers.
This is my favorite shot.
I joined a local and sat along a concrete edge for a bit to simply admire the view before taking off again.
I’ve been here before but had not seen it from this perspective.
This is the first beach north of Patong.
Love this giant swing! I almost stopped here to eat but it was mostly seafood so I scurried on.
I’ve driven past this sign many times in transit to other beaches but for some reason today my instinct told me to explore. I parked Tia, never knowing where these trails will lead and I started my hike down.
She continues to be my steady companion here in Phuket 🙂
This one at least looked civilized with steps and hand rails along the way. This is a view looking up when I was walking out.
Then I spotted this view and thought are you kidding me? You never know what you will discover on this island.
The bartender was showing me a photo from last year of this same beach and there were a ton of rocks blocking the water. They moved them this year.
My new shades Blair made me buy so the man would leave us alone at the bar last week. Beach hair, don’t care.
Sat in the shade and sipped my pina colada with this view.
I would love to lounge on the pillows with my hunny at sunset.
A view up from the beach toward the bar area.
These rocks were huge. The one has a face look to it don’t you think?
These hidden gems of nature. I’m so fortunate to have time to discover them.
The sun was starting to come down and was beautifully shimmering over the water.
Would be a great spot to take in the sunset with a cocktail one day.
I started my day determined to go see a new waterfall. (I’ve been to two so far) I google mapped my way to Bang Wan but stopped at several amazing places along the way. I thought, what am I in a hurry for anyways? By slowing down today and letting my gutt guide the way, I discovered a beautiful new beach, watched a sunset, hiked a tough trail to see a waterfall and made it home alive and revived.
“Get lost in nature and you will find yourself”
View from the beginning of my hike looking down toward the village I drove through.
Started hitting the jungle trail with this rusty sign leading the way to a path barely visible.
I thought this was it until I climbed higher.
Yep this is my jungle trail. I was not quite equipped to climb it but took my time and used as many roots as I could for stability. My only hope was not to meet a snake along the way.
Trying to find the source of it all as I climbed. This was looking up. I was debating whether to jump out onto the rock and cross to take a look at how much further up I would need to go.
My trail was looking less and less travelled, so I decided this was as high as I would go.
The bamboo trees had a camouflage pattern to them.
It looks like they are building to try to make this more of a tourist spot. This structure looked brand new. All around this was mud and construction.
“Peace is seeing a sunset, and knowing who to thank.”
Today I followed my instincts on where to go and what to see. As I was returning back to Kathu from my waterfall adventure in Kamala, my heart took me on a detour to a beach to catch the sunset. I parked Tia and joined the ever growing beach crowd at Patong, and so glad I did!
As I sat in the sand with my Bacardi cooler in hand, my desire was to just sit and admire the changing colors as the sun settled into the water. But I could not stop taking photos! The minute I thought it couldn’t color the sky any prettier, it transitioned again. Wanted to share the moments captured for those who also admire and appreciate this spectacular ,tranquil, everyday occurrence.
As I see my friends and family on video chat wearing sweaters and hoodies preparing for the winter months, I have to say it’s beautiful this November in Phuket. Getting prettier if that’s possible.
I forced myself out today since the clouds were fluffy and filled with protection potential. I hadn’t been to Surin Beach in awhile and wanted to see if the crowd was starting to transition to the High Season. This beach is located in a Muslim community and not very touristy at all. It’s like a hidden gem surrounded by a local community.
I did get a chuckle out of seeing a tuktuk exit a mosque with Jesus mudflaps on his back tires. Love a little irony.
Driving Tia gaining excitement when catching this view.
The umbrellas are out and adding color to the landscape.
Local booths set up ripping off tourists by providing convenience. Paid 30 BHT for a soda that is only 12 in a 7/11.
These blow up loungers are the new rage at this beach. I was tempted to buy one but figured I’d wait til my kids came and then maybe we could test it out. People napping in them comfortably in the shade.
Gorgeous sand.
I think I just sat here for about 20 minutes on my beach mat taking it all in.
I went for a walk to the northern side of the beach where all the rocks are. Love this combination of nature.
I mean seriously. I’m so fortunate to have this just a scooter drive away.
Trying to show the length of this beach. It’s quite small but totally worth visiting.
No filter. God’s beauty.
Palm tree heights fascinate me.
The waves were fierce. No rest when in the water. Wiping out constantly.
Bucket list- Need to learn to surf. I’m all talk and no walk. But I swear I’m on it next year. 2020!!!!
Guess maybe I am posting too many of these rocky photos. I found a new way to upload my photos all at one time instead of individually. I need to now learn how to filter.
But you have to admit this is a great shot!
Lifeguard off duty.
More people at the beach than I’ve seen. Civilization returning.
These look fun. I wonder if they are hard to get out of? 🙂
Local market.
Stopped to snap this photo on my drive heading home. Just love the variety of the umbrellas with the view through the grass.
Nature always helps me feel connected. Grounded. Part of beauty in this world. I am doing my best to not allow work to reconsume my soul. Even though my jobs are remote, I still struggle to balance the time spent trying to make money for others (and a little for myself ) and not wrap my self worth into that package.
So flipping lucky to be here. Looking forward to getting out more in days to come.
Just as I was saying I needed to buckle down and not spend money due to car repair expenses of the kid’s cars, I ended up out and about all weekend acting like $ is no object. But it was totally worth it!
I was invited to an expat party celebrating Jeanette’s birthday. It was a lethargic Saturday. I wasn’t sure if I could muster up the energy to go but I am so glad I did. This group is entirely eclectic and beautifully diverse. I love all of them in their own way and feel completely honored to be invited to join in the fun of this already established group of friends.
We had a long table and Rebecca assigned seating which made it fun. I was put between Non and Jason. The food just kept coming out. Dish after dish. Was so well orchestrated and made our time enjoyable.
Rebecca is at the head of the table. (rightfully so) The white guy next to the gal in teal lives 6 months in America and 6 months in Thailand. (love the idea!)
Love this guy! So glad he accepts me into his life here in Phuket.
Jeanette turned 40 and started running marathons recently. She qualified and is running the Boston marathon soon and just finished Chicago’s. There’s this race where you run a marathon on every continent in one year and she is doing that next year! I wanted to go to Antarctica with her, but she explained that trip is about 8,000$. YIKES. What an amazing race that would be to see!
I just met Tek last week at a luncheon. He’s from Singapore. Recently moved to Phuket with his husband.
Non is a local from Northern Thailand. Partners with Sterling the diver from Ohio. He is an amazing photographer. He needs to start publishing or finding a way to get some of his nature shots exposure. They are beautiful. The world needs to see them.
Sunday I planned to go to Paradise Beach with Blair. (The Patong gal that dared to go to the ping pong show with me) It was her last day in Phuket and was heading out to Singapore and then eventually back home. I dragged my hungover ass over the crazy mountain and joined her for a coffee poolside. The weather was overcast and threatening rain, so we decided to hit lunch and of course bar hop a bit after. I mean it was noon already!
I’ve heard about this bar named The Drunken Leprechaun. Their happy hour started at 1pm, so that seemed right. We parked on stools along the street for enjoyable people watching and a pint.
These guys would just walk around and put their hands out and say “Happy Happy”. It was hilarious. So Blair and I got our picture taken with them. She is squatting down to their height so I look like a super model!
Blue skies started showing up, so we headed back to her poolside and chilled until the band started playing at 7pm. (felt like we entered a time warp)
She was staying at the Pride Resort which was right on the corner. Perfect for swimming, drinking, beach watching- in the heart of it all.
Blair is from Upstate NY but now lives in NYC. She is quite successful for 33-!She recently quit her job which was tearing her down, saved $ and has been travelling in Asia now 2 months.
We are kindred souls. Spent 12 hours just talking. Was never boring. She was making fun of how I approached her at the bar the weekend before. I was so direct it threw her for a loop to the point where she started questioning herself. She had been travelling a week before completely alone in Chiang Mai and was used to being in her own world, and then I busted right in. No regrets! Been such a fun adventure.
I’m heading out to Greze to meet Virlane for lunch. She is moving back to the USA in February. We only have a few short months left to hang here together and it will be terrible to see her go. One thing I am learning here in Phuket, is nothing is permanent. Then again nothing in life truly is. It just is a tad quicker here.
One of my Cambly students wanted me to experience an Aloe Thai Facial. I never had one before so I googled some of the best facial places in Phuket and landed myself with an appointment at Tarn Tarn Spa. We were going to talk the next night, so I challenged her to watch a movie I liked (Phantom Thread) and we were going to discuss both when we spoke again. (odd side note, but did you know any movie can be watched on the internet for free in the Ukraine?)
The day I picked to head to Chalong could not have been worse. I ended up literally drenched upon arrival. I packed an extra set of pants just in case I got caught in the rain. (smarter than I look these days with experience in the unpredictability of the rainy season here) But the drive back was an experience I won’t soon forget.
Arrival to the spa. Everyone was taking shelter as the rain was coming down hard.
My view while sipping some hot tea trying to shake off the chill.
This spa is located right beside the Wat Chalong Temple and is a compound of its own.
There were boardwalks to many different houses that were part of the various spa treatments. Had it not been pouring down rain, this would have been a beautiful walk. Unfortunately I was trying to concentrate on not slipping, avoiding the random downpours from the overhangs and stepping onto towels they threw onto the floors.
A lady named Tar came and spoke with me because I had a lot of questions. She decided a facial with a mix of aloe and cucumber masks along with an hour long massage would be best for my skin needs.. It was amazing! They wanted me to shower first, but it was cold water only and I had enough of that already. But listening to the pouring down rain hit the roof while being pampered was perfect. I literally feel asleep at one point.
When I was leaving Tar read how I found the location and said if I left a review I would get a free gift. This was the free gift. 🙂 Basically one of those menthol sticks everyone is addicted to sniffing here, but this concoction was made at the spa.
The weather radar showed that there was no rain happening in Phuket. It is literally the most bizarre radar system I have ever seen. I don’t know why I ever bother looking at it. Guess more out of habit but it truly is useless here. I decided to suck it up and throw on my rain poncho and head out. I started encountering roads that were flooded.
This one looked too deep for Tia and I. So I google mapped a turn to see if there was an alternative route. While I was driving along the side roads the locals were literally giving me that look. I’d seen that look before. It’s a look of “where does she think she’s going”. I should have known.
Ended up on this jungle road. Completely alone. Mudslides started to come down. Running on an empty gas tank, I laughed at myself literally for getting myself into this situation. But nonetheless enjoying the view of the shacks in the mountains and wondering if they would welcome me should Tia run out of gas here.
It literally downpoured for 2 straight hours. I have never seen it like this since I’ve been here.
When I got to the top of the mountain, google maps told me to turn right in 200 meters. Then it said turn right, turn right. The only thing to my right was a dirt path. No thank you. I stopped only to discover there was a local man on a scooter following me. As if I knew a way around and he trusted my directions.
I did my shoulder shrug and he spoke fluent Thai to me. Then he turned around and took off. I took the phone out from my helmet and cursed google. Decided I was going to have to risk the flood waters and head back in that direction. Oddly, if I was on a jungle road in America and found a man following me, I would have the fear of God for what he was going to do/try. But here, it never occurs to me. I love the safety I feel here living in a non-predatory environment.
Was quite an adventure. I arrived back at the condo with 15 minutes to spare before my next student appointment called in. I was able to squeeze in a hot shower and pulled my hair back answering the call jovially as if all was perfect in Phuket.
I’m doing my best to try new places to eat out at, as I can see myself falling into the groove of the same routine. We Cafe for salad, Bike Cafe for fried rice and Wine Connection for pasta. Routine and complacency are death to me. My joy is in exploration. And yes I know I am not adventurous with food. I don’t love Asian cuisine, but I don’t think that means anything in regards to my appreciation for trying new places with menus I do like.
Virlane mentioned this Greek restaurant that she tried so I got the address from her and headed over. It’s only a 6 minute scooter ride from my condo which is great and on the way to the mall which is bonus.
The restaurant was colored in Mediterranean blue and white. The menu was a mix of healthy vegan choices ,Greek options, plus pancakes and smoothies. I mean, why not?
I’m definitely taking Zoe and Sedona here for breakfast one day.
Place was perfectly clean which was nice. Looked brand new.
This is Pitchey. She is the owner who introduced herself to me while apologizing because the electricity had gone out. She is married to a Greek man and they started the business with Greek yogurt, then expanded from there. They also have another Greeze location in Rawaii. She gave me two free cookies and wanted me to also try the homemade coconut milk but I explained that I would not honestly use it and it would go to waste.
Shelves are stocked with healthy granola and nut options.
The refrigerator section was filled with take home meals and snacks. I may go back for the homemade almond butter. She was proud to explain how all are made with no sugar added and many vegan.
Some chocolate dessert options.
I tried the iced coffee protein drink and it was fantastic!
I also had the Greek chicken wrap sandwich which was amazing. I wanted to take half home, but couldn’t stop. It came with a side of these amazingly spiced tortilla chips and sundried tomato dip. I’m so glad Virlane told me about this place. It was great and reasonably priced. I wish there was some way to get word out to let others know of her new location.
Pitchy explained that she got bad reviews on TripAdvisor because her staff doesn’t speak English and they couldn’t help many customers who needed more information on the products. Could be a problem when I can see the menu and health food aspect is targeting Westerners. Not sure what her solution is. Regardless I’ll be back.
I spent an entire month in the Kata Beach area back in May and never discovered this cool eclectic place which was literally one block from my hostel. I thought it was only a tattoo parlor and I recall taking a photo at one time. Leave it to June and Kathy to discover the restaurant and get to know the owners.
The place was like walking into a museum of art but yet kindly felt like you were also eating in someone’s home. It had such a unique vibe. The food was amazing! Came out one dish at a time, being hand prepared by the owner’s wife. She is also the artist who does all the big eyed art you may see in the photos AND is a tattoo artist herself. Quite a creative talent!
You can see behind June the eclectic nature of the place. The owner literally chases people out that are only coming in for look or to snap photos.
Art collected and created by the couple.
This is a cool photo of the couple, I believe possibly getting married?
Everywhere you looked you were bombarded with color and sculptures. This was June and Kathy’s last night in Phuket. They were heading to Chiang mai next on their Thailand adventure.
My chicken sandwich was HUGE. NO way to fit it into my mouth. And yes, I ate the entire thing. Was delicious. Came with a special sauce of some kind and the bread was fresh.
I swear half of the items I didn’t even notice until I dropped in these photos. There was so much to take in.
This spirit temple was hand carved and beautiful.
Almost had a junkyard feel but yet was comfortable.
The owner and I outside the place. Truly is worth the trip to Kata for! I don’t eat hamburgers but June assured me they were amazing! Hand pattied and fresh high quality beef. Tough to find in Thailand.
Witnessed this sunset on my drive home. The skies were literally a purple tint with just a hint of the sun showing. I love the drive along the coast, especially during dusk.
My weekend started off with lunch and a ticket on Tia. It all just got crazier from there! You’ll want to read to the bottom of this one, if you dare.
Alison, Steve, June and Kathy at lunch.
A cute outdoor seating cafe called Annie’s Bowl. I would’ve walked right past it as there is no sign out front.
I sat with a view of a boutique which was part of the alleyway. Tempting me to buy many things I didn’t need.
Cute little statues and planters lined the bench behind us.
We decided to meet up later that night in Patong at Bangla Road, the ever- crazy -always- party -walking street. It is known for its bars, live bands, lady boys, strip clubs, people watching- you name it! It’s all there.
We planted ourselves appropriately at a bar named The NewYorker. It had a live band. which rocked on the heavy metal tunes. Found a perfect spot for both people watching and bar life.
The gang as we were just getting started. I think we must have had at least 6 beers each here. And truth be known I had one in the cab ride over. So I was lit! Beers here were not cheap either! 150BHT. I kept telling them there were other cheaper places we could go where drinks were 80BHT. But we all were happy and comfortable, and they were on vacation after all. So 5$ a beer wasn’t unheard of.
Many people were selling things on the street and would come up and try to get you to support them. This gal captured Steve’s attention because she said she could custom make any bracelet for him in less than 10 minutes! I think June recorded her. It was seriously amazing at how fast she went. His bracelet sweetly was made to say “I Heart Ali”. (his wife) Ali is such a badass. She rides a motorcycle and was showing me photos of Bagdad where she was just on a business trip. I can see why he adores her.
This is Blair. Partner in crime as you can see! I picked her up at the bar 🙂 She was sitting alone drinking and she reminded me of me. So I asked if she was living in Phuket, she said no. I asked if she was travelling alone and she said yes. She has been kicking it around Asia for 6 weeks while in between jobs. So admirable. I asked her to join us if she wanted. A couple beers later she did.
This little person was challenging everyone on the street to a fight. He was in killer shape! Blair mentioned she wondered what he was packing. (I knew we would get along!)
June always seems to have a good time teasing the servers and chatting with others nearby. This server showed him how playful Thais are and brought his beer to him unopened. You can see the expression on his face and Steve laughing along. She later brought him another beer that was literally encased in ice. Hilarious.
Kathy kept wanting to buy the tattoo sleeves they were selling and finally did. It was a blast. Everyone tried it on and took photos
Ali was showing off the sleeve next to Steve’s true work of art. They are such an adorable couple!
I’m thinking I could rock one of these for real.
These folks were sitting behind us and we passed it their way.
About this time, we were pretty drunk and the gang was ready to head back. Blair mentioned wanting to go see the pingpong show”. I had always wondered what that was about and was just drunk enough to go do it with her. I withdrew another 1000 BHT from the ATM since I was running short on cash. The cost of going in was one drink. Sounded do-able.
There are men and women outside the venue with a menu showing you all the shows you can see if you go in. Some of them sounded quite vulgar and I told the lady I didn’t want to see those, I only wanted to see the ping pong one. She assured us that it would only be about a 10 minute wait for that part of the show to come on. So we wandered down the basement steps to basically enter a strip club. (I have never been to one before)
Blair and I saw the menu for the drinks and both literally laughed out loud, because one beer here was 900 BHT. $27—well, now the one drink fee makes sense actually!
There was a 5000 BHT fine for taking photos. It may have been worth it during certain parts of the show! 🙂 I saw a woman pull a live bird from her vagina. Then she put it back in! Another woman pulled a hamster out and let it run across the stage. I kid you not. I was in awe. It was almost as much fun watching the audience. Everyone was just speechless. There were a lot of women in the audience. A group of elderly Chinese women up front and center, a cluster of teenagers drinking Sprite and myself and Blair included. Guess mostly women are the ones truly fascinating by this skill set.
One lady who looked about my age, shot darts from her vag and popped balloons being held by audience volunteers. Truly impressive. A new Annie Oakley.
Two women came out in leopard bodysuits and were cracking their whips in a masochistic way. They pulled a guy up from the audience and whipped him. Then they literally depantzed him and he was butt naked with his junk hanging out for all to see. The Thai ladies laughed and he quickly exited. I felt a little bad for him, but not at the same time. He had nothing to be embarrassed about.
Finally as I was about to pass out, the ping pong talent came out and showed how she could bounce ping pongs out of her feminine parts. Was worth the wait. Made me want to try. But I can see it now, me at a Thai hospital trying to get it out. 555!!!
I have heard of the banana peeling show in Amsterdam, but never had the guts to check it out. Now my curiosity is satisfied. It gave me new perspective on this art form. I stumbled out and grabbed a tuktuk home. Video chatted drunkenly to Justin the entire drive home. I’m sure that conversation had his head spinning. Was quite a Saturday!
Tonya Takes Thailand 