Above photo from my arrival at the Baan Mai Khao resort on Phuket Island. ( Read about my Delhi – Bangkok – Phuket travel day. )
Below is a snapshot from the Google Map of the area where I am.
Today, we went cycling around this lake – right across the road from the resort. It’s called the Pru Jae Son Lake and has some dried and left over mangroves right in the center. The entire area – beaches and lakes and roads are intermittently marked with “Tsunami” warning signs. There’s literally no where to go if a tsunami hits!
Waking up to a window that’s overloaded with green is beyond lovely. From there, the day jsut got better. The cycling idea was great. With cameras and bags in the front basket, we were off. We also ventured to the beach and saw some massive waves crashing. The Sun was out so there was a lot of color in the ocean. Months from May to November are not considered safe for swimming because of the weather and because there’s a huge / deep drop off into the Andaman Sea shelf not very far from the beach. Even if you are an experienced swimmer, it’s a bad BAD idea.
But there’s no restriction on wetting your toes in the surf. And there’s the lake – where local people fish as well. And then of course there’s the endless swimming and jacuzzi pools at the resort, which is where we spent the early evening, just lounging around, trying to make underwater videos with the Go Pro. When the light drizzle turned into rain and we could no longer protect our mobile phones, we returned to our room and proceeded to chill out there. The swim might have been a bad idea for me because of the persistent sinusitis and itchy nose I’ve carried with me from the Delhi pollution. The water was cool and I had just sweated on the bicycle ride. Within a few minutes of getting out, I had a headache and my nose was stuffed. Still is as I type this. The hot shower and spicy food helped clear it up a bit later and I’m hoping I’ll be up to speed by tomorrow morning.
It is nice to be able to go to bed without any plans for the next morning. REALLY NICE.
The locals are really nice. Strangers will wave at you while you’re walking down the road or on your bicycle. We stopped at a local shack to purchase some beer and because we were buying in bulk, we got a tidy discount as well. Prices in this part of Phuket are very hig and not at all as cheap as the more touristy parts of Phuket are. Food, groceries, travel are all much more expensive. The Thai Baht is double the value of the Indain Rupee, so the “expensive” bit feels just a little more than usual. It reminds of the first time we traveled to Havelock on Andaman and Nicobar in India and everything was way more expensive than the mainland – mainly because the cost of transporting it to the remote area was tacked on. Which is how it works.
The weather forecast for the next few days is not very encouraging, with lots of cloud cover and thunder showers predicted. To top that, my parents have discovered how to work the television and I’m pissed that I’m not carrying my ear plugs.
There isn’t much to do in the Mai Khao side of Phuket except vegetate on the beach or in the pool and take long walks or go for long bike rides or just relax no matter where you are.
Here are some photos from the second day of my first ever trip to Thailand!
The indigo colored bag you see me carrying around in the #EyesForThailand series is the Indigo Bobbie by Chiaroscuro Bags. It is one of my favourite #MadeInIndia brands and I have worked with Smriti previously on stories for two of her other delightful products. The Bobbie is one of the latest pieces she has added to her beautiful arsenal.
Chiaroscuro Bags : Website | The Bobbie | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Follow along on my first ever trip to Thailand here : #EyesForThailand
