Part 4: Phuket

As many of you know I'm a slight bit of a perfectionist (or obsessive compulsive...whatever) so it's been wearing on me that I hadn't finished my posts. It's been 8 months and 10 days since we returned but I'll do my best to give you some tips on visiting this area. I think I'll break it down into the three basic spots to visit: Patong Beach, Koh Phi Phi, Phang Nga Bay.

Patong Beach

Not very far from Phuket Town (the island/penninsula is also called Phuket) so just take a taxi from the airport. This is a city on the beach. So here you'll find hotels, lots of bars and restaurants, and city noise. The beach is beautiful and they've done a good job reclaiming it since the tsunami. Usually huge waves so we did our boogie boarding here. There is one street that will excite/scare you at night. Lots of lady boys, flyers for ping pong shows (don't ask), and clubs with fluorecent lights and loud music. So a neat place to stop for a night or two if you have the time but really...I wouldn't go again, especially if I was on a shorter trip. If Patong does't sound like quite your thing then Kata Beach is just down the way and might be a less busy option with basically all the same stuff.

Koh Phi Phi

Easily one of the huge highlights of the whole trip. This place is the definition of paradise. Amazing looking islands and just so much to do. It caused us to change our plans a few times to extend our stay on Koh Phi Phi Don (the main island). Try to get 3 or 4 days here minimum. On the to-do list are:
- hike up to the view points to get a better view of the islands and some amazing pictures
- take a combination cruise where you go snorkelling, see Koh Phi Phi Lei (with the famous beach from the movie...The Beach), and watch the sunset.
- for those who are more adventurous I highly recommend the limestone climbing (just make sure the monkeys don't steal are your stuff)
- the cliff jumping was great too
The rest of your time can be spent eating at the great restaurants, watching the fire jugglers (our bar of choice was the Apache), and just relaxing on the beach. There were a few other hikes and tours we didn't have a chance to experience that are probably worth it.

Phang Nga Bay

This is also a must see but only takes up a couple days. From Koh Phi Phi you can take the ferry back to Phuket Town and get on a bus to take you up to the north part of the bay. Stay overnight and head out early the next morning on an overnight boat tour. There's not a whole lot else to do in Phang Nga but there are some caves to check out if you arrive a bit early. The tour will take you around the hundreds of islands stopping at a few of the more interesting ones. High on the list is James Bond Island where they filmed scenes from The Man With The Golden Gun. Very cool. You also stay overnight on a floating village (well...it's on stilts). Great place to buy some pearls and other jewellery for the moms and girlfriends back home.

So 6-7 days are needed for this side of Thailand. It really is a must see but the season may change your mind. During the monsoon season it can get REALLY rainy. We experienced a couple huge showers. There were also some nice islands that were closed due to rain during the time we were there that we heard were great to see.

So I hope these overview posts help anyone thinking of travelling to Thailand. There are definitely some things not included in this overview that must be included if your trip allows: Angkor Wat, Kuala Lumpur, and of course some time in Bangkok. Next reporting mission for me...Costa Rica. Adios amigos.