Thailand

Well here we go on the next stage, after breakfast we are packed and settle our bill and jump in a taxi to Outram metro station.

We get down to the platform and I realize I dont have my mobile so it's a quick turn around and head back to the hotel, luckily we have left plenty of time for our journey to the airport and we hadn't got very far.

I go back to the room but unfortunately my mobile is nowhere to be seen, I ask one of the chamber maids if she has seen it and two of them come back to the room with me to double check, no luck, I

think that's it, gone forever. I go back to hotel reception and ask if it may have been handed in, they haven't seen it, my heart sinks, but they contact house keeping, they have a phone but is it mine ? We wait a while and a member of staff appears - hooray I can see her cluching it in her hand, I'm so lucky and relieved.

We get another taxi and head back to the metro and catch the train to the airport.

Changi airport is very large and it takes a while for us to find the right terminal for our flight. We are flying with Jet Star Asia, bag check in is automated and self service so you have to print your own boarding pass and luggage label and put your bag on the conveyor to send it off to be loaded onto the plane, once done then through to passport control and immigration which is a doddle here as the staff are efficient and friendly.

We arrive at Phuket airport, the flight was only 1 hour 25 minutes, a transfer has been arranged for us by the resort we are staying at, just as well as the trip takes about an hour.

The scenery is fairly flat with lush tropical plants everywhere, the roads are good and it's very clean. As we get nearer to our destination here are mountains covered with vegetation. We arrive at our resort, The Baan Khaolak Beach Resort which is on the mainland north of the airport.

We are shown to our bungalow, Its great, nestling between the palms and with a glimpse of the sea.

We settle in and explore the resort then sit on the edge of the beach to watch the sun go down, with a beer of course.

Its very hot and humid by now so we head back to the bungalow to cool off, unpack and chill for a while before dinner, at that point there is a dramatic thunder storm and it pours down. When the rain stops we head back to the restaurant to have dinner, a short stroll on the beach and then back for a early night.

Day 2

Today we are off on a guided tour of the island. A friend of Andrew's that he knows from his travel days has arrange a sightseeing trip around the island for us, we have a guide, driver and air conditioned mini bus just for us, how great is that.

We first head off back to Phuket and on the way Dong our guide explains lots about the island and what we can see. There are lots of Palm trees plantations which the oil is used for bio fuel and lots of tall thin trees, these are rubber tree plantations.

Dong explains that the rural land is owned by the government and is leased to people, as long as they grow something on that land they can keep it, if not the government takes it back, so plantations of Palms and Rubber tree's are everywhere as is a good source of income for the farms, however it's not a get rich quick crop as the Rubber tree's take 7 years to grow big enough before you can start to harvest the rubber, they then last for about 25 - 30 years and after that are cut down and the timber used for furniture.

The first place we stop at is a temple at Wat Phar Thong, there are many dotted around in the landscape and town areas. As with all of them they are ornately decorated in red and gold with dragons, tiger, birds, and turtles motifs and always have a Buddha or two inside.

Inside this temple the only part of the main Buddha you can see is from his chest upward, it is thought that it was buried up to this point in ancient times to stop it being stolen, the rest of the body is under the ground but they are not sure if he is standing or sitting.

From here we head into Phuket, it is quite built up. In the old town there is a gate which would have been the entrance to the city and where the merchant ships would have docked to bring all their goods.

The shops along this stretch would have been merchant houses where they would then store and sell these goods from.

The buildings here are all different along the street, they would have been decorated on the outside according to the owners wealth and beliefs, many are set out with a central door and two Windows at the front to symbolize the Dragon, they may also have Tigers, Phoenix, and Turtles along with flowers all carved onto the facade.

The house would be set out with a front courtyard area for selling your goods, then a private inner area for eating and at the rear an open air area which would be the kitchen as cooking would be done on an open fire, the first and second floors would be for sleeping and storage

In the open rear courtyard area there would be a brick stove, the size of which would depend on the size of the family but most would have three fire pits to stand three pots on, one for making soup, one for making herbal medicine and the other for a wok for quick fried food.

From here we head up to Eastin Yama where on top of the mountain they are constructing a huge Buddha statue, it is not yet complete and is being funded by locals that have donated money, apparently millions have been donated so there is more than enough money to complete the project.

The Buddha stand on a lotus plinth and from there towers 45 feet above, it is made of concrete and covered in white marble squares, you can buy one of these tiles, write you name on it and it is then fitted to the Buddha. When finished it will be stunning and you will be able to walk around it on the upper level.

It will also make a great viewing point to see the island and the lovely far reaching views.

Its now time for lunch so our guide knows just the place to take us, somewhere where the locals go.

Its right on the beach, looking across a beautiful estuary where people moor their yachts and come ashore for something to eat.

The restaurant has a great choice of food and Dong orders for us, we have battered sea plant with prawns, sweet and sour chicken, curried crab, and some cooked leaves mixed with garlic, what could be more perfect.

After lunch it's back on the mini bus and a drive up the west coast visiting Kata, Karon, Patong, Kamala, and Surin seeing white sandy beaches and some lovely scenery, this part of the island however is more commercialized with lots of hotels, shops and bars.

It's low season for tourism now but in this area it is still busy, apparently at night many of the streets are closed off to traffic as party revellers spill out onto the streets.

On we go and back to our hotel , it's been a great day and we are so grateful to our guide and driver, they have shown us so much of the island and we have learnt a lot, and thanks to Zak for arranging it.

We arrive back just in time for the sunset so head onto the beach with a beer to chill out for a bit, it's been a tiring day but brilliant, but it's not over yet.

When we arrived back to the resort we noticed there are some local bars and restaurants on the main road only a five minute walk away so we decide that evening we will go out to eat, we come across a great place, The Golden Elephant restaurant and Changs bar which has live music, not the best singer but it gives the place atmosphere.

The restaurant is on stilts with lots of palms and tropical foliage around it making the place feel like it is up in the tree canopy in a jungle. To the front there is a large pond with fish in it and elephant statues on the edge to create a watering hole atmosphere.

We decide to have a set platter meal which consists of rice, chicken green curry, pork with garlic and peppers and spring rolls with sweet chilli dip, what a fab selection and all tasted great, and two beers each, cost only £14 for the two of us, unbelievable and great value.

Day 3

Today we decide to have a lazy day so we have a late breakfast and then head for the sunbeds over looking the beach.

There's a bit of a breeze today so it feels cooler, we have a few swims and a walk along the beach, I do some of my blog and Andrew reads a bit, later on we have lunch at the bar and by 5pm we have had enough so decide to head to the the memorial park which commemorates the 2004 Tsunami that happened here.

In the park is a 80 foot police boat (813) it was washed up there by the huge wave that decimated the area then it struck.

On the day it happened the boat was out at sea some 5 miles away guarding the King's grandson who was jet skiing. Its amazing to think it was swept so far to its final resting place.

Many hotels, houses and shops where destroyed by the tidal wave due to them being made from traditional timber and bamboo, only a handful of properties survived as these where constructed out of brick, some four thousand people were killed.

It is hard to imagine when you look at the area 12 years on that this happened, buildings are now built to withstand such an event and they have an early warning system in place which will give two hours notice for people to evacuate and get to high ground should the need arise.

Day 4

Its another lovely sunny day about 38 degrees but very humid today, after breakfast we have a walk along the beach in a different direction to see what we can find, by the time we reach the end of the bay we are soaking wet from sweating and are uncomfortable, we stop at one of the beach bars to cool off and have a glass of Mango juice, very refreshing in this heat.

We head back to our resort and spend a bit more time relaxing on the sun beds and in the sea to keep cool.

For lunch we head to another beach bar just up from us, it looks very rustic and maybe a cool hangout place, the food however is a bit basic. After lunch it's back to our resort and time to relax a bit more, Andrew decides to have a massage which last about an hour and cost only £8.00, he thoroughly enjoys it and is very relaxed afterwards.

Well it's evening time again so we head to the resort bar to watch the sunset again and try a cocktail to start the evening then it's dinner time so we both have Thai noddles, mine with chicken and Andrew's with prawns, very nice.

Well it has clouded over and there is thunder and lightning in the distance so we head back to our bungalow and whilst we are sat on the veranda the heavens open and the storm intensifies, it is so bad it causes a power cut, oh well time for bed anyway.

Day 5

Its another hot sunny day but not so humid, after breakfast we head to the supermarket to get some bottled water and some nibbles to go with our evening drinks that we have each night back at the bungalow before dinner, how civilised. The rest of the day is spent swimming and sunbathing, its a lovely relaxing day.

Tonight we decide to walk down the beach to Laguna resort to try something different, the staff don't seem to understand when we ask if we can eat there so we have a wander through the building and decide it looks very expensive so head across the road for another meal at the Golden Elephant which as it turns out has lots of people there so a good atmosphere, once again the food is excellent.

Day 6

We wake up to another beautiful day but apparently last night there was another big storm and lots of thunder and lightning so Andrew tells me, I didn't hear a thing and slept right through.

Today is another relaxing day but I think it's not quite as hot so we decide to take a walk along the beach as far as we can go up to the next rocky peninsula, it's a lovely walk past lots of small beach bars and other resorts, when we get to the end it's time for a well earned drink to cool down before we head back.

Once back at our resort we spend the rest of the day in the sea and on the sun beds relaxing, it's been a great day.

Day 7

Its our last day here and we have had a great time relaxing, swimming, eating and drinking and today is no exception, the sun is shining and it's hot again.

Today after being away for 3 weeks it is time for a hair cut, I bought some clippers and scissors with me as I had decided we could cut our hair when required.

I set up in the bathroom, "Tate's Trims is open for business" - here we go.

Neither of us have any experience of cutting hair but I think we did a pretty good job.

The rest of the day is spent relaxing on the beach, a little light lunch sat over looking the sea and at the end of the day a beer watching the sun go down again.

As we are sat looking at the view the sky darkens and the heavens open for another downpour and a thunderstorm, hopefully it will have stopped by the time we head for dinner.

Tomorrow we leave the resort at 10.30am and the hotel is providing us with a transfer to the airport, this will take about an hour then it's up up and away, next stop Bangkok.