Phuket, Thailand- Living the Dream

Pink juice splashed everywhere. I took another swing, the sharp knife piercing the tough skin and sinking into the flesh beneath. No, I wasn’t committing some horrific crime, just trying to cut a watermelon. Not exactly what I’d had in mind for my holiday in Thailand. When I think of Thailand, I picture perfect beaches, azure seas, elephants in lush jungles, sipping coconut water, sticky rice, infinity pools. But also bright lights, humid streets stuffed with stalls, chaos, color, traffic, mega malls. I was determined to experience it all, and so set about planning a whirlwind tour of the best of Thailand- a week split between the island of Phuket and capital city Bangkok.

Arriving in Phuket early morning, I was greeted by that warm, humid rush of air as I stepped of the plane that makes a 13 hour flight in cattle-class worth it. Through the haze of jet lag I took in the scenery as we headed south from the airport; lush jungle spreading from the hills, rubber plantations, small houses with grills on their windows, market stalls lining the streets, palm trees waving in the breeze. By noon we’d arrived at our base for the next three days, 6th Avenue Surin beach. I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. Clean, modern, with a handy kitchenette and a steal at $44 a night! The pool sealed the deal- the infinity type of my dreams stretching toward the sea.  I had claimed a bright blue floating beanbag for myself in all of five minutes and spent much of the afternoon lying limply in the bright sunshine, floating on the still water.

This was to become an afternoon ritual- after a busy day exploring, we would return, hot, sweaty and exhausted to the hotel and I’d make a beeline for that pool and thank who ever invented floating bean bags. In general, the pool area felt like a beach club, but in a relaxed-barefoot-anything goes kind of way. No loud music, booze or dive-bombing, just birdsong. The mornings there were even more sublime; I’d be the first one in the water, as the sun broke through the early clouds, the sea dotted with sailboats, bobbing peacefully. Myna birds would call, somewhere in the village a rooster would crow. Dream like.

But getting back to watermelons. Much in advance, I’d booked an excursion to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket, to spend a morning mucking around with ellies. I’d been desperately looking forward to this for some time so even the lack of sleep and early start that morning couldn’t lessen my excitement. Our ride to the sanctuary was a pick-up, the back converted into benches, with a vague plastic roof above our heads. Primitive, but I was so up for an adventure! We flew down quiet streets, the day still getting underway. School kids on the backs of motor bikes, women setting up market stalls and receiving the day’s delivery of fruit. People eating breakfast in roadside cafes, the smell of cooking wafting past. We hurtled over hills covered in jade green foliage, catching glimpses of deserted beaches with coconut milk-white sand. We clutched at each other as the pick-up flew round the bends and an hour later, the truck was climbing a steep slope in the middle of the jungle. We had finally arrived.

We met the others who had also signed up, as well as the mahouts, and got to work preparing the elephants’ breakfast. I volunteered to cut the watermelon, which as I already mentioned, proved to be a slippery character. The others prepared bananas and sugar cane, then we all wandered over to meet the ellies. There were six in total, including an adorable baby and a very naughty youngster. I was delighted to be able to actually get so close to an elephant; you could truly feel their presence and intelligence. They were picky eaters, some only liked bananas and would throw the sugar cane to the floor in disgust. The youngster charged people he wasn’t keen on and the baby fussed and had to be fed by the mahout. I was in heaven, patting them, feeding them. Feeding time over, it was mud bath time. The elephants waded in, throwing themselves into the slop without further ado. The rest of us followed more slowly, then joined in, splashing each other and the elephants with mud, so we emerged looking like Jungle book characters. The baby wasn’t sure and stood seriously in the mud and was quick to make her way to the elephant sized shower. We all joined her there, to wash of the muck and freshen up.

After saying bye to the elephants, we were served a traditional lunch (sticky rice, yum) and were given some souvenirs to take home. The little bag I was given was to come in incredibly handy for the rest of the week as I lugged around my phone and Gopro in it on all our adventures. We piled back into the pickups, exhausted, sunburnt but happy.

Elephants, tick. Next on my list was the beach. Phuket has plenty to choose from, but I wanted to take  a long-tail boat to one so decided on Freedom Beach. We got a taxi to Patong Beach, from where we boarded a long-tail boat for the half hour ride across the sea. It was just us and the boatman, the sea and the sky, both impossibly blue. We passed hidden beaches, karats covered in jungle-green, granite headlands and miles of sparkling sea before we arrived at Freedom beach, a half-moon of banana- yellow sand with the jungle spilling on to it, like unruly hair. We ditched the boat and the beach and headed into that tangle of vines and ferns. We clambered up steep steps, got bitten by red ants and I generally felt like a Bond girl as I grasped at tree roots to climb higher. All this for the view, but what a view it was; palm trees framing the ocean below. Worth all the sweat. We took a wrong turn on the way down and ended up with no choice but to wade back through the sea, adding to the adventure.

Our mission over, we decided to head back with our boat and leave the beach to the hoards that were starting to arrive. The wind tousled my hair, sea spray stung my sunburnt skin but I was buzzing (as Bond girls do when they’ve completed a mission). Long-tail boat, tick. I decided it was time for some pampering, so back in Patong, I steered us into a beauty parlour just off the beach. Our nails were tended to by petite Thai ladies, their nimble fingers delivering the best pedicure I’ve ever had. Bond girls have to look their best, you know.

The next day, we decided to explore Phuket Town. The old historic center is well preserved and perfect for a wander. Buildings came in salmon pink, powder blue and cardamom brown, each one housing a traditional store. Some were crammed full of dried food and spices, others with hundreds of car parts, others still with traditional medicines. We haggled for a short taxi ride to nearby Rang Hill and its viewpoint. Chugging up, we passed bougainvillea festooned hillside and a Buddhist temple with its proud red pagodas. The view encompassed almost all of Phuket, and the sea speckled with smaller islands, like emerald stones in a sapphire necklace. Back in town, lunch preparations had begun, the aroma of a thousand spices wafting into the hot air. We headed back to our favourite place for lunch- Surin Beach.

  By now we had a well-established lunchtime ritual- a beach picnic. Surin beach is a long, vanilla hued stretch of sand washed by the Andaman, frequented by families and hungry people (like us). Because just of the beach stretched a line of rainbow coloured sun umbrellas, each one sheltering a stall-holder offering something good to eat. There were tropical fruits galore- golden coloured mangoes, spiky pineapples, gigantic watermelon, and the even more exotic dragonfruit, lychees and durian (the king of fruit and banned in most public places due to its odour). Then there was the seafood- the delicious aroma of fish roasting on charcoal almost making me regret becoming vegetarian. But not for long. I headed over to my friend, a stall-holder with whom I by now had a standing order for a huge box of sticky white rice. Hot and fresh, I’d greedily wolf it down with a plastic spoon whilst sitting on the sand.

Main course over, it was time for desert. We ignored the awesome smelling banana pancakes and instead bought a large coconut. The lady grabbed a knife and hacked its head right off (thats how its done, I saw, one swift movement, no juice sprayed everywhere. Clearly this Bond girl has a lot to learn). She gave us a straw each and we ran back to the beach. I was surprised by how much I loved the taste- sweet and refreshing. Just like Phuket.

Later that afternoon, we strolled to 7-ll for the groceries, passing through the little village behind our hotel. Hens clawed at the dirt, dogs lounged in the shade of palm trees. Granny did the washing whilst junior looked on, bananas dried in the sun outside. A man was lacing up his football boots, getting ready for an evening’s kick-about. He jumped on his motorbike and puttered past us up the road. We wandered along, drinking ice-cold Milos, the heat of the day determined to linger. I thought how lucky we were to be able to get this glimpse into every day life, a different side that not every tourist gets to see. Sure, I had been able to tick-off my must-dos, and they had been amazing, but it was small moments like these that make a trip special.

That evening, we sat outside, by the pool as a basketball game was played in the village below, and birds sang their goodnights. The sky was crimson, then violet and then full of stars. Over the sea, lightning danced, perhaps a storm was on the way. Right then though, there was nothing but peace. Tomorrow we would be heading to Bangkok for the last couple of days of our holiday. Phuket had certainly surprised me. I came expecting it to be full of annoying tourists, sleazy resorts and overcrowded beaches. Instead, I was leaving a place that felt like home. Phuket is undoubtedly touristy, but its easy to see why. Its safe, clean and so easy to explore. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. The food is amazing, the beaches are beautiful. You can play with elephants, and watch the stars shine at night. What’s not to love?

I closed my eyes. For now at least, I was living the dream.

Practical stuff:

Getting here- Phuket has its own airport (one of the reasons its so popular). We flew in from Bangkok with Thai Airways, they have several flights a day.

Where to stay- I can’t recommend 6th Avenue Surin Beach, where we stayed, enough. Its new, clean, modern and rooms come with kitchenettes so you can make full use of the good food on offer plus there are 7-11s everywhere to stock up. The pool is to die for, plus there is a well-equipped gym, a nice common area to lounge about in and a restaurant. I booked through Agoda and got a steal of a deal.

Getting around- Unless you rent a car, taxis are your only choice so are obviously expensive. Still, Phuket is a big island with lots to explore, so factor this cost in.

What to do- The choices are endless. If you want an elephant encounter, make sure you do your research. I chose Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket after reading hundreds of reviews. They don’t offer riding which is very important. Baby elephants are stolen from their mothers and put through hell in order to be trained, and carrying people all day damages their spines. In short, DON’T RIDE THEM. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary rescues all their elephants, and don’t use hooks or sticks to control them. There are lots of good beaches around Phuket, I chose Freedom Beach since it needed a long-tail boat to get to. Get one at Patong beach, the boatman will wait and take you back too (get here early for your own boat and Bond moment). Pedicures are cheap as chips in Thailand. The place we went to was in Patong. Travel Fish is a great source of info on travel to South East Asia and Thailand in general. Check it out for inspiration and practical advice.

Other stuff- Be prepared for crowds if you visit between November and March, since this is the dry season. We had beautiful weather for our trip, and its still inexpensive compared to so many places, so I say go in the dry season and ignore the smug types telling you to go in wet season because its cheaper and ‘will barely rain’. Yeah right.

All in all, I had an amazing time in Phuket. You can read about our time in Bangkok too. Thank you to Maya for the beautiful photos. You can read about her take on Phuket on Nutmeg and Pear.