Just Phuket (Part 2)

Now that I'm able to load images, here are some of the top 10 highlights (and lowlights) of our Phuket vacation.

1. The beach. My love for the beach is well known. Add a good book and a great friend into the mix and I'm in heaven.

2. The pool. When we got tired of the beach, we came here. Not to shabby, eh?

3. The elephant ride. Honestly, we thought this was going to be a lot cooler than it was. I mean, we knew elephants didn't walk quickly but we were not prepared for the slow (and steep!) journey we experienced. We half-joked that our elephant and its mahout (aka driver) were both about 300 years old, but it was true. They were both up there in years and the whole thing made us feel kind of sad. On the one hand, we can say we rode an elephant in Thailand, and how many people have that opportunity! On the other, we wished we'd asked how much to just take our picture on top and then left.

3 1/2. Needless to say, given Jen's distinct dislike of monkeys, we did not patronize the monkey show on the same property. It was all I could do to convince her to take this photo.

4. The views. Since we had plenty of time on the elephant (30 minutes seemed like an eternity), we had the chance to see some beautiful scenery. This was actually taken at a separate vista point, however.

5. Bangla Road. This is where the major party scene is. About a 15-20 minute walk from our hotel in Patong, it was close enough that we could enjoy it but far enough away that we could get away when we were over it. Sure, there are some normal bars and clubs with live music (see number 10), but there were also a lot of seedy entertainment options. Bangla Road was both a highlight and a low light because we literally saw a little bit of everything. Let's leave it at that on the blog.

6. The architecture. These old shop houses were located in Phuket Town in the center of the island. We weren't overly impressed with Phuket Town (shopping not nearly as good as Bangkok or Bali), but we thought these buildings were beautiful.

7. The food. Of the countries I've visited, I think Thailand has the best food, hands down. Poolside food isn't typically great but this pineapple rice was amazing!

8. The Thai massage. Simply wonderful. If you've never had one, it's much more physical than a normal massage you'd receive in the U.S. It was our first time and we were in the same room (kind of like a couples massage but not like that either!). You have to wear these big fisherman's cotton pants and they put a towel over your bare skin while massaging, beating, kicking, elbowing and slapping the stress away. Whatever, it worked. It was kind of funny when Jen's leg fell off her Thai lady's shoulders and the woman giggled, "strong woman!"

9. The ridiculously inverted cost of some things. For example:

- 60-minute Thai massage: $250 Baht/$300 with tip (approx. $7.50/$9)

- Driver for most of the day: 400 Baht (approx. $12)

- Drink at a show: 500 Baht (approx. $15) Note: drinks elsewhere were less expensive, only 50 Baht on the beach so only $1.50 but still!

10. Funny things and inside jokes. 69 Baht foot long. Gross Street. Elvis and Tom Jones memorial cover bands (um, last time I checked Tom Jones was alive?!). They were funny to us, anyway.

Unfortunately, one thing we didn't get to do was take a boat to Phi Phi Island. It rained a ton on Sunday morning when we wanted to go, and we just didn't want to risk the chance of the boat not making it back in time for our flight on Monday. We both said if we ever return we might actually want to stay in that area for a different experience, but it was great fun overall.

Next stop: Jen's currently in Cambodia, and this weekend we're going to Kuala Lumpur (it's my last weekend in Asia!).