During the time around the national holiday of 14th July this year we visited Phuket. We include a group of 5 friends. This time is mostly avoided by tourists because of the onset of monsoons. But we wanted to see the beauty of blue clouds overtaking the azure sky above the emerald islands of Phuket & this was an opportunity to boost our spirit of adventure (to indulge in some water sports on the rough waters during monsoon). So we set afoot on the island on July 12.
Day 1
We had booked Villa Japadi at the famous beach of Patong. We booked the villa via a local Thai travel agency LivePhuket.com (from our friend circle back in Denver, we got the idea that local agencies are more capable of knowing the exact local conditions.). As we were a medium sized team we went for a villa as the rent of a luxurious hotel & a villa are not very different. During the monsoons the villa rental are further slashed down & you can receive all the facilities at much cheaper rates. We heard a lot about high quality surfing at Kalim beach. So we indulged in lot of sea surfing there.It is located just at the north of Patong. If you are planning to visit Kalim beach in Phuket make sure to visit Home Kitchen, Bar & Bed, a multi-cuisine restaurant. If you are a water sports enthusiast, make it your religious duty to visit Aussie Divers, Phuket. The institution provides excellent diving education. We enjoyed their daylong trip program. Patong’s famous nightlife & Bangla road are synonymous. The road & its surroundings have many bars. If you are pleased with their service, you may ring the bell & choose to pay for everyone present (bill of a single drink). You may hit the famous nightclubs of Seduction or Hollywood. We enjoyed the bustling life of Patong but as is obvious we felt tired after a hard night of partying. Our villa provided us a well guarded recluse from the city humdrum yet not very far from the center of activity.
Day 2
We took a daylong trip on Phang Nga bay. Passing in between mega limestone islands & stopping by at some quiet beach was really awesome. LivePhuket.com had booked our tickets & we boarded the boat from the northern end of the island. One of the famous islands was James Bond Island. But the rocky pinnacle of the island could be enjoyed from a distance as boats are not allowed to venture too near because of its precarious position. Our boat anchored on the small island of Koh Ping Ghan. The island had many rock caves while the crowded eastern side of the beach was filled with different types of stalls.
Day 3
Next Day we wanted to take a look into the colonial past of the city. That’s why we decided to explore the old part of Phuket. Buildings displayed the influence of Sino-Portuguese architecture. There were many Buddhist shrines, shops, cafés & printing houses. Most famous building that we saw was Thai Hua museum.
At the end of the day we realized how fast time flew. It was our last day in Phuket & the memories associated with the island state would remain in our hearts for long.