Beaching About
Nearing the end of my time in Phuket, I wanted to make the most of my time at the beach. And what better way to do so then to visit the set of The Beach, starring everyone’s 90’s teenage heartthrob, Leonardo DiCaprio?
What a mighty idea.
But you see, over the past few days, the weather decided it had had enough this “warmth” situation and chose to put on its cold face on. And where one says cold, one also says storms, rain and wind.
And so after booking a day-trip to see the Phi Phi islands, a storm stalked us throughout the day and threatened to bring our entire trip to an end.
Moreover, the beach from The Beach (called Maya Beach) wasn’t accessible, due to excessive tourism. The Thai government had closed the beach for 5 months ago to allow the land to recover after thousands of tourists had pilfered and sullied it to the ground. More recently, the government had deemed that it remain closed indefinitely due to unsatisfactory results.
Luckily, our tour guide brought us to a less crowded area, where we could begin diving into the shallow waters below.
I don’t have many high-quality photos of me swimming about, but the tour photographer gave me a USB with high-quality shots (so stay tuned for those).
After Phi Phi Lee, the first island, we made our way to Monkey beach on Phi Phi Don (the main island), where I snapped a few quick shots of the small beasts who lived there.
After the monkeys came the fish. The boat made its way to a designated diving area, and we put on our snorkeling gear to ogle the hundreds of tiny colored fish and coral who lived there.
[Missing: a video of myself surrounded by fifty fish nibbling at a banana in my hand]
Once the fish had had their fill, it was my time to eat. Our lunch was provided by the tour at an all-you-can-eat Thai buffet, and it was a much-needed respite from the exhausting swimming experience.
Lunch was followed by some more snorkeling as well as a tour of a private island, where we got to relax on lawn chairs while sipping cocktails.
[Missing: A picture of me not caring about the stresses of life]
Before long, our journey was over. We had spent a good working day at sea, and by the end, I had made new friends and new memories!
The rest of the evening, as well as the next day, was spent wandering around between my hotel and the beach. I’m a bit sad that the sun didn’t come out, but these things can’t be predicted. At least I got to work on my tan.
Overall, my time in Phuket was lukewarm. I admit not having prepared much beforehand, and I was disappointed by the general state of the beach and its surrounding area. It also didn’t help that I was traveling alone during low-season in an area that was extremely quiet and low-key.
I do, however, want to commend the Thai for their amazing hospitality, generosity, friendliness, professionalism and overall great warmth. Every single trip I embarked on gave me a great feel for the people here and their hard work and amazing culture!
Shout-outs to the following legendary people, for making my stay in Phuket even better:
Pa, the cashier at the Beergarden with a killer smile
Greg, the Canadian owner of the Beergarden and a gold mine of wisdom
Amy & Louise, the Australians who made the trip to Ko Phi Phi all the more lovely with their great energy and tales of their adventures
Dasha & Nina, the Russians who also shared our journey to Ko Phi Phi, and with whom I had some very enlightening conversations about oceanology, Tinder, Thailand, and entrepreneurship
Thank you, and next stop: Singapore!