PATONG, PHUKET

Playing on Patong Beach, Phuket

With Ken hiding from the sun and heat (Phuket is as hot as we remember!) I opted for a girl’s day on the beach by myself. This was going to be a non-learning, fun day – no seeking temples, ancient ruins or museums and definitely no touring around the city. Enough tours!! While we have done some of the bus tours we have had enough!

We were in Phuket over 20 years ago. It is still beautiful, friendly and hot! Palm trees, limestone outcroppings in the ocean, hills and sun. Easy to like Phuket.

Patong Beach was a tender port so once again the lifeboats ran back and forth all day ferrying passengers to shore and back. This tender run was not very long, but the walk down the pier was long – thankfully shaded – and ended abruptly on the actual beach. Crossing the Sahara hot beach got me to a wonderful tree-lined meandering walkway between the street and the ocean. The beach had tourists, local people and vendors with colorful umbrellas, as well as an area covered long blue tarps where the Thai women set up their massage business!

Across the street from this colorful beach were restaurants, bars and the normal stuff you find in a beach resort community. On the seedy side of things there were many older men with quite young Thai women walking down the sidewalk. The men looked only straight ahead; the women were solemn.

With my beach bag in hand I tucked into the Holiday Inn (yep!) resort and took advantage of the pool changing rooms then headed to the pool bar for a Coke Zero and lime to ponder my options.

With the temp about 95 my first choice was the pool. But non-guests are not encouraged to take a dip so, to do the right thing, I went to reception to check out guest pass availability. After asking, bargaining and finally pleading I had made no progress at all. Next option. Since I was ready to cool off I took the lawless option – found a chair, dropped my sarong and slid into the water which was cooler but not cool. In less than 5 minutes the friendly pool guy was asking for my room number. Busted! He was sweet and I wrapped up, put on my flip flops and headed to the pool bar again.

The ocean dip was next best option and after a plunge into bathtub temp ocean I headed for the massage area, ready to bargain. $25 was the best I could do for an hour. One thing to worry about always, anywhere, is making sure the stuff you have carried to store gets back to the ship with you! A pillow made of my stuff made sure I would still have stuff.

It’s funny how you can lie on a platform with strangers on either side of you, hear all the music, laughter and see motion everywhere when you open your eyes but still drift around and relax. Everything just floats around and you take it in.

On the way back to the tender there was a young couple offering henna tattoos. Fun! I sat and talked with them, and met their young children who were playing in the sand. Just a young couple making money to support themselves. These nice people reminded me of the most important thing I have learned in my travels:

People are more alike than they are different. We all want the same things: homes and the ability to make a decent living for our families, and to just live our lives. My takeaway, yet again, in Phuket.