June 13, 2024

The last few days have been just what the doctor ordered. I guess they didn’t start so well, with a 17 hour overnight bus from Bangkok to Phuket, including a 30 minute waiting at a transfer station around 6am. But hey, glamour comes in many flavors, and this was certainly a very particular flavor. The softly brightening dawn mingled with mild sleep deprivation, sitting on concrete benches with a few dozen other backpackers waiting for their busses to various cities in southern Thailand  made for a very surreal few moments. My next leg took about 4 hours and was one of the most cramped rides I’ve ever had, but so it goes. Nothing to complain about with scenery like that to distract. One interesting thing is that my resting heart rate hit a new high (low) score of 39bpm! Not bad. 

I arrived in Phuket old town around noon on Monday and had a super chill day. I took a tour of the small yet charming markets and got a 90 minute massage (for like 15 bucks). The massage was fantastic, the woman working with me did not hold back. It was so good that I almost feel asleep despite her digging and grinding into my muscles. It definitely made me want to learn proper massage techniques. Maybe I’ll have to come back to Thailand and take a course! I ate a fantastic meal of spring rolls, pad thai, and mango sticky rice before having an early night. I figured out pretty quickly that Phuket, the city, is not the main draw of Phuket the district in Thailand. Instead, the resort-y beaches on the west coast of the region and the islands are the hot spots of tourism. 

Knowing this, I booked myself a ferry to Koh Phi Phi, one of the main islands in the Andaman Sea, and a hostel for one night. Man, was I glad. The ferry was gorgeous, two hours of warm sea breeze and passing glances of striking islands charging proud of the azure waters. As we approached Koh Phi Phi, I went above deck and could not help but grin ear to ear. The harbor was packed with small wooden boats with massive janky motors, ready to tour around. Palm trees lined the walkways, and small rocky mountains loomed with foreboding warmness in the background of it all. The sun was hot and the air was warm, and the scuffle of a completely tourist town was interesting on my ears as I walked along the beach to my hostel. Immediately after checking in and dropping my shit, I embarked upon a hike that I’d found online (shoutout Strava), hoping to summit the tallest mountain and earn a view of the sweeping bays. 

The hike began with a stroll out of the main town, through a more familiar neighborhood of locals. I scored some smiles and nods before I took a turn left onto the beach. When you picture a desktop screensaver of tropical paradise, this is probably where they took it. Blue-green waters, stony and also sandy beaches, little skiffs rocking gently in the wind, and impossibly mystical islands floating on the horizon. Holy shit. After a while of dilly dallying and frolicking, I took a turn uphill along a narrow, unkempt trail. My first foray into Asian jungle did not disappoint. The thin track was bordered by thousands of flora I’d never seen, as well as plenty of new fauna. I saw a large black bird with a haunting call who had two long, thin tail feathers, almost invisible, ending with a large black plume. Just like in Nat Geo!! The whole thing made me want to be a Nat Geo photographer, even more. Maybe they’re looking for bloggers…

The hike down included a few panoramic viewpoints where I got to soak in the just gut wrenching beauty of the whole island. The Phi Phi islands are a small chain of about 6, with Koh Phi Phi being the largest. I got a decent view of the whole chain from up there, as well as some nice golden hour light. After making my way beck to the hostel I got some massaman curry, one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, eaten on a beachside deck, watching the sunset over the sea. Yeah. Not much more I can say about that moment. The island is a big party magnet, naturally, so I decided to try my hand with a couple bars. I met some nice folks and played lots of pool, including some of my worst play but best individual shots ever! I called an early night. 

The next day (yesterday now) I woke up with the sole ambition of chilling and tanning, preferably at the same time. I went to the south side of the island and went for a little swim, barely containing my elation at just being able to play in that water with the perfect sun overhead. As the tide encroached upon my blanket setup, I migrated over to the north bank where I swam again and laid in the sun for even longer. Mission well achieved. Well too soon, my ferry back to Phuket came to whisk me and my crewmates back to the mainland. I sunned a bit more on the top deck as I bade farewell to one of the most insanely gorgeous places I’ve ever been. 

The night was calm, just a simple meal and spending the last of my cash on a souvenir hat. I went for a brief 2mi run and probably sweat about a liter. I made some friends just too late in the hostel and got an early night in order to catch a 5:30am taxi to the Phuket Airport today. That flight done, I’m now in Don Mueang airport, in Bangkok, waiting for my flight to Cambodia. My sleeping through takeoff streak extends to 7! We’ll see if I can keep it going today…

I need a small passport-sized photo for my visa on arrival application in Cambodia. Funnily enough, I’ve been carrying one of those in my wallet for the last year and a half, for the sole reason of a vague “in case I need some weird visa thing some day”. Well… vindication! Super good luck, and it saved me the hassle of finding a place in Phuket or Bangkok to get it done, or else risk it at the Cambodian border. 

As this visit to Thailand concludes, I can’t help but feel a little guilty. I had absolutely no idea how rich the country is in experiences, sights, nature, size, food, and kindness. The whole place is like the wild west, a massive party. Of course, it’s far from perfect. But I feel like I could have planned to spend my entire free month just exploring Bangkok, let alone Thailand. In the usual balance of depth vs breadth in travel, I would say that this time is likely leaning a bit too far away from the depth category. However, that’s okay. I have a very deep month in Japan planned, as well as a good bit of time in Taiwan, which is not as massive as any of these countries on this leg. By no means do I mean to say that this trip is bad or spoiled or a waste. No, it’s freaking awesome. I just mean to lament that Thailand deserves more care, attention, and time than I’ve allotted on this trip. I hope I can do it justice next time.