Chapter Five

Monday saw us make the journey from Prachuap Kiri Kahn to Phuket. A good 3 ½ hours south which was trouble free. A really enjoyable drive for the first 2 hours or so but once we arrived on the island of Phuket the roads were clogged up and progress in the heat was painfully slow. That said it was still really good to pass landmarks we were familiar with from previous trips, for example the Big Buddah looking down on half of the island. Periodically on the drive the beautiful Andaman sea would come into view with its turquoise sheen seeming ever more alluring as the heat of the day rose. It always is tinged with sadness when looking at that sea and recalling the chilling events of Boxing day 2004. It always seems so calm to look at how could it be so devastating.
Well this week all we have done pretty much is lounge around and chill out by the pool. We have made a few trips to old haunts but not much else. What we have both noticed is that Phuket which was always a busy seaside town but now has taken it all to a new level. It is absolutely manic and if I’m honest not as nice as we remember it. I am not

complaining it is still a beautiful place with wonderful beaches and an absolute plethora of restaurants selling wonderful food. Getting around on the roads is almost impossible even the costal roads meandering from bay to bay are crowded out with large coaches. The southern tip around the Rawai area is still more ‘old school’ but for those familiar with the area Kata and Karon are now like suburbs of Patong – which is I guess their version of Blackpool.
I have still enjoyed the week here and it has allowed me to consider other minor issues about living away from home. The heat has put a stop to me running – which tragically I enjoy – I have had to take up power walking in the mornings. I have come to enjoy this as the relatively easier pace allows you to take in more of the sights and smells of the town waking up each morning. So my new routine is 45 minute walk each morning followed by muesli and Greek yogurt.
This week I have enjoyed watching the local electricity workers installing a new cable. Going from pole to pole with their bamboo ladders and looping cables from one overcrowded pole to the next, somehow not getting knocked over by the traffic. I have also tripped on steps myself a couple of time as well as seen others do it. The cause I believe after some idol thought is that the steps here are never equal in dimensions. At home they are all of equal height, here nothing is equal and as a result the westerners are frequently tripping

on them. 125cc motorbikes are 150 Baht per day to rent, which is a touch under £3.50, no wonder the roads are crowded with them.
Wendy had been waiting for ages with great excitement to visit a restaurant we loved on previous trips here, The Orchid. On our first night we raced off there for our dinner, Wendy ordered her favorite Thai dish Tom Kha soup. A rich soup made with chicken and coconut milk. On the night she drank it all up waxing lyrical about the beauty of the dish and how this cannot be obtained anywhere else with the same flavours. You guessed it, the next day – or even later that night she was struck with what we colloquially call ‘the bum’s rush’, never pleasant.
She has been brave with it as we both understand that this will happen when living over here, but it has meant that we have been more careful with where we eat this week.
This week has sprung three important bits of news for us, with varying levels of excitement. By far the most important news and the most exciting was the fact that as of Friday 23rd March Alexa has had her visa to live and work in the UK approved. This is great news and will allow Anthony and Alexa to get back together as she has had to remain in the US since the wedding, so we can only guess as to how

excited those two will be. We would like to add our congratulations to them on this the first of many achievements in their married life I am sure. Alexa will now be arriving in the UK Thursday 3rd April.
Further down the excitement pole but still important is that as of Saturday 24/3/18 Nico and Laura have signed a contract on their own flat in HK. Up until now they have been sharing and have well and truly grown out of it. Today saw them sign a 1 year contract on a place in the Wings, which I have seen and is a great place to live, they are moving in around 1st May – congratulations to you both. Finally and again much further down the excitement pole but nonetheless important to a degree, is within 3 days of placing an advert to let our house in Flavian we have had 2 offers which is a big load off Wendy's and my back. Big thank you to Kris who is dealing with these issues in our absence.
So a fare bit going on whilst we become progressively more lazy ideally sitting around a pool or the beach.
So Sunday sees us make the journey from Phuket to Krabi, before we leave Phuket, I forgot to mention it is like little Moscow. I think about 70% of the non Thai people there were Russian. Its fair to say that they are generally a rude lot and they didn’t disappoint this time! Of note there were relatively few Brits there, in fact in our week on the island we met more Americans, which was nice as we could at least chat to them.
Anyway, the journey to Krabi was calm, the further we got from Phuket the more peaceful the roads became, I am already liking Krabi area more than Phuket because of the fact there are less people there. That said we have only been here an hour.
The other thing that excites me is that we have never been to this area so every corner brings a new discovery for us which we did not have in Phuket because of previous trips, this is all new.
We are on the third floor (top) of this hotel and we have a view of a limestone cliff and the sea (just about). I will post pictures of the pool and room view of this place next week, and whilst its not 5* you have to view them considering that this place is £16 per night. That goes a long way over here!The last picture this week is Wendy sitting in a strangely quiet Avista restaurant - an enjoyable night and fitting farewell from a five star hotel we have enjoyed in the past!
Checking out for this week but excited to see what the coming week brings. This ee ntry is a little short on text as its would be dull me detailing feeling tired every day for a week or so - so i have tried to make up for it with a few more photos.