Four days in Phuket. July is hot, some rain for two days. There were very few tourists, also few Thai, and quiet is good.
We flew to Phuket because otherwise it was a 12 hour bus ride from Bangkok where we lived.
Cute yellow truck with alloy wheels. The 7-11 convenience stores are literally everywhere. In our neighborhood in Bangkok, on one street, there were four in a 3 minute walk.
We stayed at a nice hotel on a hill, a 5 minute walk to the surf. Lots of Chinese tourists. It was hot but Thu wears clothing to cover from the sun as is usual for Vietnamese, but not Thai women.
Tourists at the beach. Guy selling those woven matts like we used to get in New Jersey when I was a kid. Water is a prettier color than California water
Yes the hotel makes the poor maids spell out stuff on the bed with leaves.
Our view. The hotel was boring, just tourists there, more fun walking around the streets. We were going to go on a boat trip to other islands, but in the morning there were black clouds and then downpour, and I don’t like rough seas.
Looking into our room from the balcony, a cool bug while Thu was taking care of the leaf junk.
This is not our hotel but nice elephants.
Another 7-11. Inside they are similar to the US. Outside you have ATMs, a produce market, and a muslim lady selling snacks to Russians.
We walked away from the tourist (beach) area and went to a local muslim restaurant the first night. This is southern Thailand, the sign is Thai language, the people are Thai mixed with Malay, although the family with the forever crying baby were Middle Eastern tourists.
It was basically halal Thai food. Phuket is pretty safe, but the next 3 or 4 provinces closer to the Malaysia border have jihadi bombings and shootings every week. Never stops, since 9/11. Mostly they target Thai police and soldiers, who then retaliate. Will islamic terrorism convince Thailand to give back land they have had since 1700s? Not going to happen.
Mynah birds are smart and funny like crows.
Hillside jungle just outside the hotel.
We rented a motorbike, the middle of the island is a hill.
This is a shop outside a temple, where you buy stuff to put in the temple. Some Chinese brands. The girl is making buddhist garlands for offerings. Taxis always have tuberose garlands hanging on the mirror for superstition, can’t even compare to the scented cardboard things that US carwashes give you.
Many kinds of transportation here. The orange scooter is electric, the green one is tiny. The red Honda motorbike is standard in Vietnam, prices start at only $1000 new.
Fried rice and a noodle dish, that’s not my green drink, at a beach restaurant. Phuket is the Thai beach that was devastated by the tsunami in 2004. This restaurant (to the left is Kata beach) must be all new.
Fruit snacks wrapped tight with utensils. Some very weird fruit combos. See the tiny bananas?
Rustic tourist resto. It was surprisingly quiet there but it was weeknights in the low season.
At night the beach road is full of sellers. This guy wanted money for photos but I just sneaked a shot. I used to work around people from animal rights orgs, they would lose their minds to see wild animals on the street for petting. Well life is different in the 3rd world.
I did pay another guy for photos, I think 50 baht, $1.50. It is called a ‘slow loris’, a shy monkey-like thing. Search google images for ‘phuket lemur’ for similar pics.
A shady spot.
Spirit house with figurines.
Yes this sign points up hill, for the next time.
And back to Bangkok!