Not Another Birthday!

Trip Start Dec 26, 2005
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33
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Trip End Jan 25, 2009


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Sunday, January 29, 2006

Given the distractions as of late, I have barely had the time to even contemplate my 32nd birthday, but here it is... I couldn't have chosen a better location to spend this birthday. I am loving everything about this country so far and I know that I will return many more times throughout my life... no other country has really had this impact on me so far (except Canada I suppose). A 3 week allocation to this country is simply not enough... I was speaking to this Italian guy who initially came for 3 weeks but ended up staying for 4 months. But given that I am due to start my tour in Hanoi on 20 Feb so I can't stay forever! The smiling nature of the people, along with the outstanding value for money, beautiful sights, and food is making this place so infectious. I'm also falling for the Buddhist way of doing things - the religion comes across as being so positive in nature, non-judgemental and all-inclusive:)

Phuket continues to impress me.. A Touch of Paradise
A Touch of Paradise
 . even though I hate being around throngs of tourists, having tourists ensures that the facilties are aplenty and tourists are well catered for, especially with the entertainment side of things. Last night I spent several hours watching Cabaret shows... outstanding stuff.

One of the major reasons for coming to Phuket was to visit Maya Bay near the Phi Phi Islands which was the set for one of my favourite movies... The Beach with Leonardo Dicaprio (1999). This tale of a failed beach utopia caused significant controversy amongst the Thai people. When the Hollywood players turned up in Ko Phi Phi to begin filming, immediate controversy ensured; protestors were concerned that the production would turn Ao Maya into a wasteland. In reality, the production crew left the bay cleaner than it was before. For filming to begin, the crew had to remove an estimated 3 to 4 tonnes of rubbish and even plant some new palm trees. I was in awe at the beauty of the sight - it would of been nice spending a night here without all the tourist boats etc.

I am glad I didn't stay on the main island (Phi Phi) - way too many tourists. And the prices of things are over-inflated. During the tour we used a speed boat to visit places such as Monkey's Beach, Ton Sai Bay (Phi Phi) and several other bays along the east coast of the island Along Phuket's main stretch of sand.
Along Phuket's main stretch of sand.
 . The trip from Phuket's bay to the island was torturous - the seas were rough and it was up, down, up, down - far from the relaxing tour of yesterday. I didn't enjoy this group as much as yesterday either - half of the group was a loud and obnoxious group of Italian guys who were more interested in lying about the boat building on their tan rather than seeing the sights. But I did meet a couple of guys from China who were keen to practise their English. Overall, even though this tour provided many wonderful sights, it was kind of a let down from yesterday. The lunch, for example, consisted of bony fish and other pretty bland Thai dishes.

I'm all toured out and am looking forward to relaxing on Ko Samui's beaches. From what I've seen so far, I don't think Thai beaches rank anywhere near that of Australia's beaches. On this trip, Langkawi's beach has been my favourite so far.

During the evening, I met up with my Thai friend, Tri, who took me around to several bars etc. around the main entertainment strip in Patong. It was good meeting some of his friends and contuing to gain a local perspective on things. My night out ended up being one of the best so far! A fantastic birthday.
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