My electricity was due to be off from 1-4pm today, which means no air conditioning on a hot day. I needed an escape. Wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for, but we all know discovering new places gives me an easy high, so I set out to explore a place on the island I have not yet been to. I haven’t been here before, mostly because there are no beaches, so wasn’t quite sure what there would be to see.
This is a northern tip of the island that seems quite untouched by tourism. Was only about 35 minutes from my condo.
On the way to the pier, it started to rain. Of all days I thought. So I pulled over for a beautiful cup of coffee.
In typical Phuket style, the rain hardly made it to the ground, and by the time I finished my drink, skies were beautiful blue again!
Stopped at the Ao Po pier and met a Rastafarian named, wait for it……Sunshine Cokecoke. We of course exchanged numbers. He may set Traci and I up on a private tour and also find me a job on an island across the way. He was super fun! Kept saying “Man everything’s going to be awlright”.
Ao Po Pier. Not very busy due to the off season.
Captured this guy fishing. It’s how they do it here. Just thigh high with nets.
Boats parked out in the water. Look at that view!
I don’t know why but I like this photo capturing the fishing boats on shore being repaired and the pier off in the distance.
The sky continues to be such a beautiful blue. Long tail boats with their spirit ties in the front.
I needed gas because I knew I was heading next on an adventure in the middle of the jungle. So I finally stopped at one of these bottled gas shops. I was finding the humor in the gas positioned right in front of the eggs. Talk about merchandising! There was a Muslim woman running the shop. She asked me my name and asked where I was from. When I told her the United States, she said she didn’t understand. So then I said America” and she said “really?!!” and then checked me out sizing me up and down. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Did she think I didn’t look American? Or maybe never saw one before?
Houses here are so colorful.
John Mellencamp’s Pink Houses alive and well in Phuket!
Full tank of gas….heading to the marina and another viewpoint! I love my wandering days. I hope you all are enjoying adventuring with me in blog spirit!
Lately it’s been typhoon like rains here. Even lost power for a little bit last night. I was out of food. Ate some peanuts and pretzels for dinner and knew regardless of weather, I was going to have to go out tomorrow. It’s interesting here, you can look at the weather radars and it shows rain non -stop, but you just never know what part of the island that it’s hitting at any given moment. I was told that radars don’t lie, but I have news for you…..they don’t work accurately over here. That’s all I know.
My goal this week was to get out again and discover new places. Wednesday I did just that. Today I decided I needed to find a new restaurant. My usual chicken fried rice at the Bicycle Cafe was getting a little boring. I used Trip Advisor to locate a highly rated cafe near me that I haven’t yet been to called Bar We Grill”. I googled the directions, no kidding, 5 times, because I did not believe where it was taking me. It appeared even from the satellite views that it was a dead end residential area.
Jumped on Tia who was a bit congested this morning, and headed out only 4 minutes from my condo. Discovered the most hidden gem! I have no idea how anyone would find this except for looking up random restaurants or word of mouth in the neighborhood.
Such an open natural feel to the cafe.
Plants everywhere.
Fantastic meal for 6$. Salad dressing about burnt my lips off but otherwise good old fashion fresh food.
When walking out I noticed they had their own organic farm inside a greenhouse beside the restaurant. Felt very futuristic to me. I’ve seen people stopping their scooters and going into the jungle to cut greens”- assuming they are for cooking. I loved the idea that nature just provided them what they needed and there wasn’t any monitoring of the food. But this is good clean living directly on the premises.
I went to the grocery after to be sure I had some water to get me through the night. But of course, as always, I hit the store between 2-5pm so was unable to get any beer for my weekly Friday night in-house solo party at the condo 🙂 Never fear, I jigged out for a 6 pack again between the clouds. Got a little wet, but at least there will be a cold beer waiting for me when I get off Cambly tonight.
I’ve driven past this area many times on my way to and from other places, but never took the time to stop. The locals line up their food carts at sunset and Thai families lay out their mats and eat while they watch the sunset.
I decided to park and do a little rock climbing. This was a spur of the moment scooter stop on my journey home from my pineapple rice dinner. It really helped put perspective on what I am here for. What brings me peace.
Pano shot. Came out a tad blurry but still felt worth showing.
The sun was starting to set and the clouds were rolling in over the previous blue skies. Watching their transition and movement was my entertainment.
Had to concentrate climbing these. Didn’t want to get my ankle stuck without anyone else on the beach. Would not be fun. Guess I could always scream for help. NOW THAT would be a story to tell!!
I sat for a bit and just watched the waves crash in. At one point even though I was high up, I felt threatened by their power.
Travelling alone allows you to make the choice to randomly stop. To climb onto probably unsafe structures and just live.
A nice capture. You can see how the clouds were rolling in low.
I heard a DJ start up some tunes so I climbed down from my perch and wandered into the Sea Salt Lounge where happy hour was just starting. There were several pits like this. I can’t wait to take over one with friends some day.
I let the waiter pick out whichever drink he wanted for me. He selected a mai tai. Is it just me or does the pineapple look like a heart?
Sun set view before I took off back to my condo. Magnificent way to end my Dora the Explorer Day.
Just when I thought I had seen them all, I was googling a new restaurant to explore in the Kamala area and when following the roads found a new beach. Not a swim-able one, but still a beautiful spot to sit in nature and kill a few afternoon hours.
Up close and personal with these gorgeous condos on my way. This road was virtually empty which was such a treat for Tia and I.
Rayee Beach. There is so much construction in this area. But for now secluded.
Just have to make my way around this rock to get to the bay.
Love the hidden crevices that the crabs scamper from when they see me coming.
Selfie.
Love this perspective. Takes on a new beauty.
Nature at its finest. Rocks, sand, water, mountains, clouds and sun. Rugged and smooth. Hot and cool. I am so happy I got out today to appreciate this island again!
Seriously no color filter, the sky was so blue today.
Found a swing to rest on for an hour.
Was appreciating the feathery leaves against the sketchy clouds.
Okay I took a lot of photos.
The greenery added is surreal to me. All the different textures. And no I wasn’t stoned.
Pano view.
The sign outside the area.
Decided the original restaurant I set out to eat at was going to have to wait. I wanted to keep touring down this road to see where it would lead It took me around million dollar gated villas and up mountains with views like this.
One of the many construction projects . I ended up stopping at a restaurant across the street from this.
Walked up this path to reach the restaurant which I was the only person at. Made sense. The roads were empty and the area looks up and coming. Not sure how they stay in business.
View from my seat. Lots of construction. This will be a beautiful dinner location one day.
So happy. I swear exploring new areas is what I love most! Going down roads unknown. Talking Tia up hills and trying to convince her she is lucky I purchased her so she did not have to retire.
Lime soda. My favorite drink here. Fried rice in a pineapple. Classic Thai cuisine. Was delicious!! My adventure did not end here. But feel like I should save that for another blog post.
Such an important personal subject. My friends mean the world to me and was one of the hardest things to consider (besides family) when deciding to move to Thailand. Keeping in touch with my friends via this blog, marco polo, and other apps has saved my sanity many times. My friends continue to be there for me at my lowest points and help encourage me along this journey. Explaining what this means is beyond words in my vocabulary and never, ever, will they be replaceable.
I met a few friends here that you have read about. Min and Mimi- from the Art C hotel. Local residents here. Their hotel is closing next April, the owner is selling. It was the saddest news to me. My launching pad. My first two connections here. Not sure where they will end up. I am hopeful we will continue to keep in touch, but it will be different. I won’t be able to just pop into their hotel and chat casually over coffee.
Barbara, my second friend I met who introduced me to Cambly and shared some fantastic lunches and outings with, is moving to Vietnam. Her retirement visa got denied because she left the country to go to Portugal while the visa was processing.
Virlane has been a true midwestern connection for me. She’s authentic and adventurous, following her instincts through life. Hitting quite a few hard lessons along the way which we all can relate to. She read my cards again today using a new deck.’ I wonder if you can guess who these are about. She is travelling to China for a month where she will be using these decks to help children learn and grow in their communication.
Virlane showed me her visa photo which I find hilarious. They basically take a photo of you and then photoshop your head into the outfit. She said even her son has the same shirt and jacket with his head plopped on.
Some views from Virlane’s apartment. She is on the 15th floor.
Showing the true living in Phuket Town.
So true.
So remember Jason? The Malaysian relator I met at the last expat party over a month ago. I gave up hope of reconnecting with him. I loved his energy and knew from meeting him he would be such a fun person to get to know. Well, he texted me out of the blue and invited me to a luncheon with 7 of his other expat friends. I was thrilled! A bit intimidated since they all have known each other for quite awhile now, and have lived in Phuket much longer than I have. But a fantastic opportunity to meet new people!
The guy sitting across from me ended up being from, I kid you not, Columbus, OHIO. He was a diver and trained with Greg Louganis. Such a small world! Loved him and his story. The other people were from the Netherlands, UK, & Australia. One gal ran a marathon that morning and won it here. She’s heading to Chicago for their marathon soon. Such a great new interesting mix! All appeared to be normal, open minded, full of tales -good hearted people. Jason said he’d let me know when they meet up again. 🙂
Next week TRACI SIPPEL is coming!!!!!! I can’t wait. We are going to tear up Phuket on our scooters!! I purchased a vacuum cleaner and a mattress pad for her comfort in my simple small condo. My rug has not been swept in 2 months….getting narly. Now I just have to figure out how to put the vacuum together!
Yesterday for Taco Tuesday, Virlane and her son David picked me up and we made it for the 1/2 price timing! I ate four tacos which won me a free shot of tequila. Yes please!
Such a great colorful capture! The dude in the hat is the owner of the joint and a past neighbor of Virlane’s. He’s obviously a hoot!
On our drive back from the taco stand, Virlane was telling me about a road that is a back way to my place and goes through more jungle areas. I was intrigued. She gave me the British International School as a landmark to Google map my way there. In true Tonya style, I of course wandered off that path and followed a local scooter that went into what I thought was a golf course area. I passed a gated un-guarded entry and discovered a dam that led to a work- out area. I may go back this weekend with my sneakers and see where it all leads.
Rawat Sata Bear Bang Dam
I saw a ton of people in work out gear running their way into this wooded area. So I decided to start walking in but then got distracted by a staircase.
Nobody was going up them, but it looked like a good leg work out to me. So I decided to adventure up to see where it led.
It was going quite high up and between the trees was a clear view of the scooters and people that arrived for their evening jog after work.
I turned a corner and now I was a bit worried. Was I headed to some personal property of some kind? Being farang I felt I had a legitimate excuse for being lost so I continued up.
This shrine was at the top. Complete with fu dogs guarding the entry. The most intriguing part to me was the soccer balls in the alter area below the statue. ( Mimi later explained to me that the soccer balls are an offering to the tiger statue that is there)
Guard for the temple. And that’s a baton so get your minds out of the gutter!
I started following a path to the right but then decided against it since mosquitoes were starting to discover me.
You know I love the view through the trees!
This was out front of the temple. Clean dishes. I am mystified as to why they are there, and who does them?
On the way back to my condo I stopped at this street market to see if there was anything I could eat for dinner. As much as I love exploring, when it comes to food I am not so daring.
Any idea what the green things are? Look like giant pee pods to me 🙂
For some reason this stand intrigued me. The colors just do not look edible. Almost like a take on pepto, or is it just me? I ended up landing myself at a very classy road side Italian restaurant. I will definitely be going back there. Homemade ricotta and spinach ravioli with butter sauce….6$ dinner. Not bad!
Virlane introduced to me to the We Cafe. It’s an adorable chain cafe in the middle of nowhere that is clean, nicely decorated, and has organic salad. It’s the one place I go a week to get my veggies. I have purchased fruit twice so far in Thailand and both have been left to rot, only to end up as food for the garbage. I know better than to buy vegetables when even fruit seems to get ignored in my fridge.
I texted Virlane to see if she was available in the middle of this afternoon to meet up. We both love an excuse to get our mid-western butts out of the condos where we seem to sink at times.
Tia needed air in the back tire yesterday. It was actually a bit scary driving her to the grocery as I didn’t have a lot of control and she was wobbling a bit. That’s when I discovered the flat. Only after buying groceries and attempting to safely get back home.
Knowing this happened yesterday, I was concerned that the tire may be flat again this am. Sure enough, it was. So my trek to meet Virlane was intersected at long traffic lights with texts telling Virlane I may not make it and could use a rescue. I am worried about Tia’s health. She coughs a bit before starting and I worry one day she won’t be able to turn her engine. But I am not giving up on her.
It was about 4 pm so not crowded at all. Love the decor with the woodwork and ferns.
I’m not sure what they are saying but looks like a designated lover’s corner.
Check out that cat on the cappuccino! And the salad is the best I have had. So glad she introduced me to this place. Total cost of this meal was $6.50
At lunch we put a game plan together to drop Tia off at the Yamaha shop that she was last repaired in. Even though they would be closed, Virlane would give me a ride home and I could follow up with them tomorrow about needed repairs. But my tire at this point was way flat and that place was 10 minutes away. We tried to put air into the tire but it would not accept it. I was getting a tad nervous, until Virlane spotted a tire repair shop that happened to still be open!!! Love my luck.
Yep an official Thai repair shop. Quite a garage. They kept insisting I sit down, but all the chairs were filthy. They dug one out that wasn’t too bad so I nicely accepted.
His jeans say it all. I got a new innertube and they sent me on my way for $4.50. Heroes. So kind. No hassle, no appointment, just fix and go. I enjoyed my drive home and got to see a new neighborhood to boot. Adventures never end here.
Another beautiful day at Tri Trang Beach. I decided to head there so I could actually swim. The waves along the main coastline of Phuket are fierce today and I didn’t want to just go and sweat my ass off in the sand. I wanted to enjoy the whole shabang. Tia and I know our way around that area easily and I am thinking I need to look up some new neighborhoods to explore. Keep me appreciating and seeing”.
While on the beach I decided in attempts to keep my head appreciating Thailand, and not finding myself absorbed back into work world, I am going to write a poem everyday of what I see. Fun right? Maybe. Something new to try- to explore. A new form of creativity.
When I arrived the tide was so high, there was hardly any beach to sit on. I ended up in the grass and the waves still occasionally hit my feet. Must be something with the moon today.
Even the volleyball court was starting to be threatened by the tide.
Definitely could not walk the length of the beach today.
Selfie shot. Still alive and well, rosy cheeks and all. Beach hair, don’t care.
Overcast which kept it pretty cool. Perfect view of the mountains.
This was a beautiful resort along my walk on the beach. Looked quite exclusive. There were bungalows that had their own gate from the beach to walk into. Guards everywhere making sure scooter riding schmucks like me don’t get in.
My spa day finally arrived. Was looking forward to my four hours of pampering and taking the evening off! I headed out a hour ahead of time, to allow a little time to get lost. WELL LOST I GOT! Sometimes I literally hate google maps. “head southwest, head north, do a U turn, in 200 meters turn left (no road there) in 400 meters turn right…” I literally was driving in circles for a half a hour and was so flipping frustrated. Definitely was going to deserve that relaxation package by the time I got there.
Beautiful welcoming committee. (yes I made them pose, and they were happy to!)
Stunning plant life displays.
Can you imagine making this out of leaves?
Was off the beaten path with only one hotel nearby.
But man was it ever gorgeous!
The below was my package. (I literally smelled like cereal after the body scrub 🙂 Right now I am so smooth—like butter! A damn shame nobody is here to touch it, I have never been this soft! The body wrap I have never experienced before. They wrapped me up in saran wrap. Little bit reminded me of American Psycho, when he had the plastic on the floor before he executed the guy. I was beginning to wonder what they were going to do with my body.
You can just imagine what this smelled and felt like! So cooling and fresh. A literal cucumber mask. I asked her to grab my purse and take a picture. Pretty certain she thought I was nuts- but she straightened out the towels and took pride in snapping this shot! My face feels AMAZING!
This was the lady that took care of me all afternoon. She nearly killed me with her massage skills which were much needed to work the kinks out of my back and legs. I literally was telling myself in my head that a bone would not break with her pressure. Check out how high up we were.
Afterwards I decided to head the opposite direction from which I came to see what I could discover. I was due for an adventure. The red line is where I drove poor Tia, through chickens and dogs, gravel roads then dirt, to eventually turn around and head back to civilization.
This is what I found down that road. Lots of local housing among the jungle mountains. The sun was starting to set and I was running low on gas so my sensibility got the best of me.
Was such a luxurious treat today. I have honestly never been pampered this way in my life. A thousand thank yous to Justin for being so dang thoughtful and always being there for me. Even with me half way around the world!
At the beginning of this month I started teaching online conversational English on a site named Cambly. The nervousness you can obviously see on my introduction video. I wasn’t quite sure how difficult this was going to be. But sticking to my mantra of staying real and being me’, I didn’t really care if I was liked or not. I just put myself out there for students to consider using as their tutor.
I have been reading this quote every morning in the month of July. ” God spare me from the desire for love, approval or appreciation.” Love is what you are already. Love doesn’t seek anything, it is already complete. Not sure which book I copied this out of, but I stumbled across it in my journal and felt I needed to deeply consider this.
This tutoring job has turned out to be the most fun I have EVER had at work. I meet the most interesting people and have deep conversations with the screen as our barrier of trust. I wanted to blog about it because it has been a lifesaver to me financially and personally. I thoroughly enjoy getting up every day and meeting my students! (well except last weekend when Carla woke my ass up with a phone call only for me to discover I was 15 minutes late to a reservation) Imagine the beauty of just waking up, pulling your hair back, throwing on a decent top- no bra necessary, not brushing your teeth, and not needing to pull off you pj bottoms and working for a couple hours.
I have to tell you about some of my favorite students! Now grant it, I have heard about dick picks (although I have not yet had the pleasure) and I do get my fair share of Saudi children just playing around with the free trial at 3 am their time, but for the most part I have met the most interesting, intelligent, future bound internationals.
I have a couple from Taiwan, who speak to me for a half an hour every night. I never know if I am going to get the wife or the husband on the calls. I think it depends on which one of them is putting the kids to bed that night. I’ve talked to them about their hunt for a new home, their children’s sleeping habits, the difficulties of raising children while both parents are working full time and grandparents are not nearby. I love this couple. They both are so very thoughtful when they speak and we laugh a lot! They are both in IT and work for the same company. Many of the students who have spouses or boyfriends meet at work. Makes you wonder who’s a couple at your job eh? 555 (remember that means lol in thai)
Another student was an Indian 31 year old guy who has passed all of his aviation classes and is now being sponsored by Luftansa Airlines to get his flight time in Arizona. He wanted to make sure he was able to have a fluent conversation with a native speaking American. The excitement and nervousness of his next step in life was contagious. I of course told him about Sedona and how expensive flying time can be. He was excited to hear that she was already flying as he has not yet been up”. He was smart to get sponsored as a flying cadet with an airline. I put Sedona, Arizona on his bucket list to visit.
Likewise yesterday I met a 20 year old Brazilian student who is an only child and is taking a job at a ski resort in Seattle this winter. No, she has never skied before or seen snow! She learned all of her English by watching Netflix. It will be her first time away from home and she is wanting her independence. She did not understand the word customs’ and I worry that she has gotten most of her words and understanding of the USA from Gray’s Anatomy 🙂
My Turkish 31 year old bio chemist is by far the most entertaining. He cracks himself up when I attempt to correct his pronunciation of words. A lot of times I make him type the words so I know what the heck he is trying to say. We talk for an hour every night. His wife is due in October with their first child and he will be moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan to work in their labs early next year. He has been to the Cleveland Clinic and many conventions around the world where he is the presenter. We discussed the effects of estrogen and calcium in regards to menopause 🙂 He wanted to review an article on online dating. Then we also reviewed a historical article on the discovery of vitamins. Did you know vitamin D is not really a vitamin, its a hormone 🙂 Then he was worried that I may get bored. So he linked me to an article that I need to read to discuss tonight on textiles. He was so happy when he took a Canadian man out to lunch today and was able to use some of his new words he learned.
Can you see why I love this? I speak every other day with a PE teacher in Taiwan who just recently moved apartments and is working on her English skills to get into a University in the USA to obtain her PHD. We discussed how other’s expectations effect us and how we sometimes judge people on appearances. (she hates sloppy people)
My sweet Vietnamese student has studied in Russia and is now working in the IT department back home. She claims she has no friends and is overworked and cannot find time to have fun. I eventually got out of her that she has a boyfriend. For homework I asked her write about him using descriptive words to read back to me the next day. She said he was big and fat, along with many other kind adjectives that she glowed about when reading. ADORABLE. My time when speaking with her goes so quickly I hate it.
My Ukranian student said she looked at over 40 tutor videos before selecting me. I went back and looked at my video and I crack myself up. I’m such a goof. I think she picked me because she is also interested in design. She is sweet, kind and shy. (all of which I am not, so I have no trouble correcting her English) She argues with me sometimes on words and I question my vocabulary. I mean, we all know the Findlay school systems were not the greatest in that department. Feel like you may know that already from my repetitive simplistic writing in my posts.
Two of my new students I am looking forward to: One is from Korea and is a 35 year old doctor whose parents are failing and he has had to put aside his dreams and own desires to care for them. The second new student is writing a presentation on natural disaster warnings that go out to the public. She picked me because she said we are opposites and would not get bored learning from each other!
I have learned so much from the people I have talked to. So far I have met a total of 205 students. Can you imagine in one month talking casually to people from UAE, Saudia Arabia, Brazil, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Ukraine, Japan, India, Morocco (these boys are never serious) Jordon and Egypt. Is this not right up my happy alley? People from around the world and I get paid just to chat with them!!! I have an entire notebook filled with notes I take when in conversations with them. I’ve learned so much about the middle east and the power women are finally feeling there with new their ability to drive.
One young 12 year old girl from Saudia Arabia had 60 minutes on her time and I thought, Oh No, how am I going to keep her busy chatting for that long?! We had a blast! She tried to show me her new purse she purchased and when I told her the camera on her side was off, she was pissed. I told her it was okay, most Saudi women do not show themselves on video still and she immediately turned hers on! She showed me her nail polish collection and I taught her words like glitter and iridescent. She told me she wanted to cut her hair and dye it sky blue. I was cracking up wondering if her parents knew what a rebel they had on their hands. Most Saudi families have a minimum of 5 kids. I learned this quickly.
The difference between those large families vs the Chinese single child is eye opening. The single Chinese children are under such pressure to be the best and be the star! Their parents have worked them hard and expect nothing less than perfection. They are not rebellious and take life very seriously. I asked an 11 year old Chinese student of mine (who always wears black, so I taught him wild cat names and asked which one he was- he knew he was the panther) if he had all the money in the world and did not have to ever work, what would he do? He answered probably start up his own electronic company. I asked about travelling, seeing concerts, etc but this escaped him. His summers are spent continually learning online for self improvement. My challenge is always to get a smile out of him.
Possibly this is way too much writing about people you don’t know, and maybe don’t care about. But it is the most fascinating thing to me. I can’t stop talking about them and their stories. There should be books written about all the lives I have learned about and how just for 1/2 an hour I get the honor of speaking with them, being taught by them about their culture, and sometimes even get to see the joy and pain in their hearts.
Don’t worry, I plan to visit a beach this weekend and am hitting the spa (gift from Justin) Friday. But I wanted to share what this month has been like teaching. A true blessing with a hint of income.
Tonya Takes Thailand 