Phuket Island, Thailand

After several tiring days of exploring the temples at Angkor Wat, Thomas and I were ready for some much needed beach time. We stopped into Bangkok for a night and then hopped a bus down to the Island of Phuket. I know what you are thinking, but it is pronounced with a silent h people! Think Puket, with no h! We made the same mistake…

Phuket is absolutely beautiful. The white sandy beaches are paired with rolling, rocky mountain sides that contain some breathtaking lookout points. Our first stop was at a little resort called Seaside Cottages. We stayed two nights in this tiny beach bungalow that looked right out at the sea with a HUGE mosquito net. It was adorable and entirely secluded. You had to walk down the beach 2 plus miles to find any kind of civilization. It was breathtaking and so relaxing. The beach was ours. We enjoyed traditional Thai food at the resorts restaurant and explored the almost empty beaches in the area. We loved it and wish we could have stayed longer.

Our next stop was in the Kata beach area which was pretty busy but not as busy as other beaches near by. We rented a motorbike several times and road long the coast to find quieter beaches and secluded areas. It was a tropical paradise. Most days we got up late and headed out to the beach until sundown. I mostly laid on the beach and read my book. Thomas discovered a new found love of snorkeling. He spent most of his beach time avoiding sharp rocks and hunting for fish. After dinner we would wander back to the beach to check out the stars. At night you could find guys selling paper lanterns that you could light and send up into the air. We saw as many as 20 in the air at once floating out and over the sea. It was so beautiful!

On our second to last day there we decided to take a 45km mountain biking tour along the west coast of Thailand. It was amazing. AND we got to ride super nice trek mountain bikes that we would only dream of owning one day. The bike tour took us out of Phuket and along the west coast of mainland Thailand. The nice thing about this tour is that they only allow a small group to go on every tour and it’s not touristy at all. There were six of us total, including our guide. We went through small towns and villages, and through a bunch of rubber plantations. We stopped midday for a traditional Thai lunch. Then we visited a turtle sanctuary and finished at a national park with a small hike out to a waterfall. It was a really beautiful ride and some much needed exercise after laying around on beaches for the past couple of days.

By the time we jumped on a bus to head to Malaysia, I was not ready to leave! It was definitely an awesome chapter to add onto our trip. Hopefully someday we will be able to go back!