Two hours’ flight south of Chiang Mai, and part way down the narrow isthmus of Thailand that eventually becomes Malaysia, is probably the #1 resort destination in SE Asia: Phuket.This is the biggest island in Thailand, with miles and miles of beautiful beaches, and hundreds of 1-star to 5-star hotels and resorts. The island is big, with a total area of 570 sq. mi, and from north to south (where shabby Phuket Town is located), is about 50 km by 20 km wide. The topography is mostly hilly to mountainous. Much of the island is covered by rubber and palm oil plantations, and either scrub or tropical forests
On Boxing Day, 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand's western coast were devastated by the great tsunami we all remember. Almost all the major beaches on the west coast, sustained heavy damage, and waves destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing 5,300 people, plus tens of thousands more throughout the wider Asian region. Reportedly, 250 people died in Phuket Town alone, including foreigners, as well as possibly 1000 immigrant Burmese workers building new beach resorts. It took a full year before many damaged (plus the undamaged) resorts were back in business, and through 2005 life slowly returned to normal. In late 2006, Thailand finally installed tsunami-detection buoys around the Indian Ocean as part of a regional warning system. For the next 7 days, our home will be Marriott’s Beach Villas Resort, a timeshare property into which we have traded a week of our ownership in Marriott’s Palm Desert California timeshare resort. It is a spectacular place, with very upscale facilities due to its physical integration with the 5 star JW Marriot Hotel on the same site.
The only problem we see so far is that it is remote, on the northern part of the island, on a beautiful, undeveloped beach, 15 km from any non-Marriott restaurants, and even further to a grocery store. Roadside markets and Thai villages abound, of course, but tourists are never advised to buy food there. 
Accordingly, we soon rented a car and entered the world of driving on the wrong side of the road, of weaving motorbikes, of people who pass on shoulders and who even drive in the wrong direction (day and night) on the shoulders! We have quickly learned that there are no police patrols on the highways or streets; instead, police set up highway checkpoints and catch violators there. So, the highways and secondary roads are freewheeling!
[Don't forget: you can double click on any pic to enlarge it].This week is about relaxation and getting ready for the upcoming China marathon tour. But it is tough to relax when there are elephants on the beach to watch, feed, and ride, and interesting places on the island to seek out and explore. The weather is perfect here: 85 degrees and a gentle breeze, every day.
The beach is stunning, and the lapping seashore memorizing... and it is nearly empty day after day!
We have made some new friends – Tamsin & Richard from Singapore, and Elly & Dave from England – and by the end of the week, we have dined with each of them a couple of times.
The beach is stunning, and the lapping seashore memorizing... and it is nearly empty day after day!
We have made some new friends – Tamsin & Richard from Singapore, and Elly & Dave from England – and by the end of the week, we have dined with each of them a couple of times.
During the week, Barack Obama is elected, and the world breathes with new hope. 
Day 5 turns out to be our highlight day, and one of the top experiences of our 3 month trip, so far. We take a John Gray Sea Kayaks Excursion. At noon, we are collected from our hotel and shortly after join about 20 others on a large tour boat that motors 60 minutes out into the calm waters of Phang Nga Bay – the bay that separates Phuket Island from the mainland to the east. Spectacular uplifted limestone mounds called karsts rise out of the water, towering above us.
Three times during the next 6 hours, we get off the boat and into very stable kayaks to paddle into different sea level caves in these karsts, and into interior lagoons open to the sky.
Day 5 turns out to be our highlight day, and one of the top experiences of our 3 month trip, so far. We take a John Gray Sea Kayaks Excursion. At noon, we are collected from our hotel and shortly after join about 20 others on a large tour boat that motors 60 minutes out into the calm waters of Phang Nga Bay – the bay that separates Phuket Island from the mainland to the east. Spectacular uplifted limestone mounds called karsts rise out of the water, towering above us.
Three times during the next 6 hours, we get off the boat and into very stable kayaks to paddle into different sea level caves in these karsts, and into interior lagoons open to the sky. [This is a video. Click play button]
The openings through which we have come can only be used at certain times; at high tide, they are submerged. At one point in the day, we suddenly encounter John Gray himself, the 70 yr old founder of the sea kayaking industry in Thailand. At another point, we all gather at the boat’s center table and handcraft 10 traditional Thai floating lanterns, called krathongs, from banana and lotus leaves and flowers.
An hour after a spectacular sunset, and wonderful buffet dinner on the boat, we descend into the kayaks once more and head for a last interior lagoon in the dark. Once inside the lagoon, we silently light the candles on our krathongs and set them afloat. What a glorious day and evening!One more day of beach time and a beach massage, and the week was over. Memorable time. Really exotic resort. Want more of this!
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