PHUKET

Author: Deb /

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Have I ever had a busy couple days! No Wifi in the Phuket hotel so here I am catching up on all things email in Railay beach.

VIEW FROM THE BALCONY OF MY PHUKET HOTEL, WATCHING THE SUN RISE.

I checked out of my Ko Lanta resort, sadly, and travelled onward to the island of Phuket on Sunday. Phuket is a huge island( doesn't feel like one when you are driving through it in rush hour though), it's the largest around here with it's own airport. I decided to use it as a base to do a couple day trips I was interested in...no point in paying for nice hotel on the beach with a pool when I am out all day. I found an amazing jem of a little inexpensive hotel tucked in a side street a couple blocks off of Karon beach on Phuket with killer views. On Monday I did a fantastic Kayaking trip around the Andaman islands in the Phuket area... there are tons of limestone islands full of caves, lagoons and mangroves to explore here. Some of the cave tunnels were so low we had to lay on our backs to fit through and they opened up into lagoons with towering limestone surrounding them and mangroves filling the water. It was very beautiful. The Kayaking trip went from 12:30pm to about 10pm...so we were able to watch the sun set on the water, have a seafood BBQ dinner and then the coolest part was when it was pitch black we went back out in the kayaks away from the light of the boat and the water was full of bioilluninescient plankton...as soon as anything touched the water (your hand, the ore, the boat) a million little lights sparkled in the water..it was very cool to be out in the dark water to have your kayak surrounded by glow-in-the-dark lights sparkling in the water.

NARROW TUNNELS OF THE CAVES

MONKEY'S LIVING IN THE CAVES.



LOTS OF STALACTITES!





QUIET WHITE SAND BEACHES
WATCHING THE SUN SET OFF THE BOAT

On Tuesday I did an island hopping/snorkling day trip. We went to all of the phi phi islands, which are stunning. I have never walked on sand so white and so soft in my life...it was like walking on flour. I had a good day just hopping from place to place in a speed boat. Some nice snorkling spots mixed in with sunning ourselves. I've been spending so much time on boats lately that I feel like the room in moving back and forth when I am on land....it won't stop. I think it is me still swaying with the motion of the boat I am no longer on!
Today I woke up early and took a ferry from Phuket to Railay beach. Railay beach is in Krabi and is the most amazing, beautiful places I've ever been. It's only accessable by boat and is pretty small. White sand, aquamarine green waters and huge towering limestone cliffs surrounding you in every direction. It's really breathtaking. I am here for 3 nights then back to Bangkok. I can't believe this trip is almost over. I miss the sun already. I'll post Railay pictures tomorrow night.