Updating some of my unpublished posts from 2014, this was an amazing trip to Thailand i wanted to share with you all….
When we hear of Thailand, what do we think of? Unfortunately like the bookstore I walked passed in Phuket airport were titles like ‘ Ladyboys- our story’, ‘ Bangkok Hilton- the real story’, ‘ Memoirs of the a Thai prostitute’- that is what we think about from afar, from the West or from another more fortunate part of Asia. I apologise if you are the minority who don’t think that. I thought I was that too but we sometimes do let out minds wander there and back and I am guilty of that.
My trip to Thailand was to visit my good friend who was out there on her 2 months sabbatical – travelling and yoga- ing. So as it was part of her last week, we decided to enjoy the sun and just chill and let our busy lives in the UK fade into the distance. So destination was NOT Bangkok but lovely Krabi and Phuket.
The locations unfortunately also had the elements we mentioned above but I hope that the selection of Holiday Inn Resorts meant that the locations were relatively nice. I am pleased to say that Ao Nang in Krabi and Mai Khao in Phuket were lovely. Thanks IHG!!
Though we wanted chilling and relaxing, I was keen to get some activities in. Ao Nang was quite busy with the resort being literally on the main road and so we could easily access anything- like food, massages and shops. The food was lovely- went to this lovely place called Banana Leaf where I tasted fresh Thai seafood and lovely pineapple rice in a real pineapple. Yes- slightly excited about that as there was one place in London that did that but they stopped and I have never been able to find another place since. I went to a massage place- one out of probably 20 on this main road and it was just crazy- £4 for a foot massage and £8 for a body massage. There were tonnes of girl sitting outside waiting for their next client. We went to this massage place the ladies seemed nice and we felt obliged to go back to them after we had food. The place was called Orn Massage. The massage was good! Prob on par with mine at home, which is over £30. Ok – you were in a big room and you might have to lie near someone else but they do try to avoid that. Afterwards, they were so good to us, they gave us tea and also fresh fruit. I did go back a second time as they were so welcoming.
Food continued to be a common feature of our days- from a banquet breakfast to lovely pomelo salad in the resort and evening meals on the main road. To allow us to continue to eat and digest well, I was keen to do some activities. We checked out a local yoga place called Marina Yoga – and no it was not by the marina but owned by a German lady called Marina. It was great- it was warm hot yoga where there was a breeze but still quite hot. And it was so reasonable- compared to what I pay in London for hot yoga. It was very relaxing- mostly Hatha yoga which is more about stretching and less fast flow. To ensure we were well nourished, we had more food – healthy Thai food of course! As a keen diver, i took a boat out to visit Phi Phi Island friendly aquatic creatures with Railay Dive Center. The diving was amazing and with the tropical seas, it was the guaranteed amazing visibility and sea life as expected.
Travelling for me is blessing and again i was blessed with amazing weather, people and culture. My last stop was to Phuket where i stayed here. This had an infinity pool facing the beach, and a small pool outside my room which allowed us to swim straight from the patio door from our room. The design was fantastic – the ability to integrate water, light and space in this resort was a pleasure to the eye. Look at these amazing images.
This is a must go country. I continue to dream about when i can walk away from my life in London and own a dive shop and smoothie/juice bar on a beach in Thailand. This will definitely not be my last travel to this amazing part of the world 🙂
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