Phi Phi Islands

Last weekend a gang of us spent the weekend at the Phi Phi islands. It is funny that somehow, with such a beautiful place only an easy boat ride away, that I have only been out there a handful of times and have not stayed overnight since my first visit to Thailand 9 years ago.

Well this weekend everything slipped into place for a trip away. We had a few friends around who were free for the trip so 11 of us set out for Phi Phi. You get the ferry at Rassada Port, which is the other side of Phuket Town. They leave about 8:30 in the morning and the return fair is about 600-baht.

Phi Phi has changed a lot since the first time I stayed and jeez, Phi Phi is busy. With the rest of Thailand suffering a tourism downturn, I assumed things would be relatively quiet at Phi Phi. How wrong I was. Phi Phi seems to be immune from the credit crunch. There are at least a dozen ferries doing the return trip daily from Phuket and also from Krabi and Ao Nang. There are dozens of speedboats buzzing day-trippers around the islands. Maya Bay (made famous in the movie ‘The Beach’) was crammed.

Still there is no denying the beauty of the place. The limestone cliffs are stunning and at this time of the year, the sea is flat, blue and inviting. There are some good diving sites and some of the snorkeling is quite sumptuous.

The ferry docks at Tonsai Bay. I saw this area not long after the tsunami and it was flattened. You would never know now. There are two bays here that almost meet. They are separated by a sandy plain only 200-meters wide. This entire strip of land has now been developed with hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and bars.

We wanted some cheap beach bungalows, which we thought would be easy enough to find. Well it wasn’t that easy. We found a few basic bamboo huts starting from 800-baht a night but we ended up settling on some slightly plusher bungalows for 1,500 baht. They were next to the beach (the one opposite where the ferries land). This area also seems to have become a bit of a party area for the young crowd. They have nightly beach parties with disco music and spinning flame sticks.

In the evening, we looked for a relaxing restaurant. Every restaurant was full, they are all doing great business. We finally found a place where they could squeeze in 11 people and had a decent meal. Then we drank beer on the beach while watching the party revelers and the spinning flame sticks.


The next day we hired a longtail boat to look around Phi Phi. It was a lovely trip. We visited Monkey Beach and despite the number of people, we still found a couple of isolated coves that were beautiful and quiet. We found some lovely snorkeling. Ben may only be 5 but he wasn’t going to be left out so he soon had his life-jacket and mask on and was swimming amongst the fish.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip although it wasn’t exactly what we had expected. Phi Phi is certainly changing. There are more 4-star hotels and less backpacking accommodation. It seems that Phi Phi is going a bit more up-market. There also seems to be a large young party crowd. In fact, there is quite a crowd, full stop.

Despite the crowds, Phi Phi still has a lot to offer and I hope it will not be another 9-years before we go and stay over again.

Visas and Stuff

There are always things going on in Phuket. We have recently had children’s day, a fair at Saphan Hin, a party at the university and soon it will be Chinese New Year. It all helps to keep Phuket fun. As well as all the regular attractions such as trips to the beach, you also have these special events for a bit of variation. It is not as if you are ever really struggling to find things to do.

I have just got back from my annual (well 15-monthly) visit to Penang to renew my marriage visa. I normally get a 1-year multi-entry. This visa allows you to stay for 90-days each visit, as many visits as you want for the 1-year duration of the visa. That is, you have to do a visa run every 90-days by hopping over the border to another country and hopping back again. It was an arrangement I was happy enough to accept. A visa run every 3-months is not a great hardship and we usually turn it into a family trip.

It is the fourth time I have made the Penang trip and I was beginning to look on it as a formality. Well this time I got a bit of a surprise as the consul turned down my application for a multi-entry and only gave me a single-entry 90-day visa. It goes to show you can never take anything for granted. The problem is the various Thai consuls around the region can and do apply their own interpretations of the regulations. In this case, they said I should have 800,000 baht in the bank (actually twice as much as is required for the 1-year extension of stay).

It is no use jumping up and down about these things. You have to accept them and find the best way of working with them. So I have 3-months to work out another visa option such as applying for the 1-year extension of stay. If not, then I do know people who actually go to Penang every 3-months. I really do not fancy that option but it is there as a last resort.

For the moment, it is nice to be back home. Tomorrow is teacher’s day so it is a day off school. I think we will go out somewhere.

New Year in Phuket

Last year we welcomed in the New Year at Patong. It was actually generally a very unpleasant evening and we swore we would not do New Year in Patong again. So, this year we went for a very different option – camping at Nai Yang Beach.

We have camped at Nai Yang before but we weren’t quite sure what to expect at New Year. We thought it might be busy, it is a Thai holiday and the Thais do enjoy camping. Well there were plenty of people there during the day – certainly compared to normal but still a lot less than an average day at Patong. Many of these people came like us, to set up camp for the night. It was enough people to make it feel like it was a special night out but not so many to feel crowded.

The camping area at Nai Yang Beach is in a national park. They have recently started charging the full 200-baht entrance fee for foreigners but we had no problem convincing the attendants we were local residents and therefore entitled to pay the local 40-baht entrance price.

Most people want to camp in the area under the trees by the beach. This means you have to bring your own tent – if you rent tents from the park they insist you camp in the designated camping area on the other side of the road. We bought our own tents and bbq and set up camp right next to the beach. We spent the day dipping in the sea between drinking a few beers and eating from the bbq. The sun set so we spent more time drinking and eating.

Our kids were having a great time on the beach. First, they dug quite an impressive hole. We left them to it so I was a little surprised when I was told I must go to the beach to see the work of art they had created. It was quite amazing. There was a wonderful mixed group of kids beavering away, creating a truly impressive masterpiece. They had formed a series of concentric circles around the hole framed with a couple of triangles. If the ancients had done it, it would have been declared one of the wonders of the world. Okay, that is a slight exaggeration but here was this mix of young children, naturally working in unison and with great enthusiasm to create a lovely little masterpiece on the beach. An hour later, the tide washed it away.

A few of the campers had bought their own fireworks. From Nai Yang, there is a fantastic view along Mai Khao Beach. As midnight approached, you could see the firework displays kicking off from the few resorts along that beach such as the Marriott. It made a lovely sight.

The next day we did more of the same. Fresh fish on the bbq, a few beers from the ice box and swimming in the sea. It was a vast improvement on the previous year and a much better way for the whole family to welcome the New Year.

Phuket Brewery

Phuket has a new entertainment venue. I’m sure most locals have noticed the arrival of Phuket Brewery. It is located directly opposite Tesco Lotus and it is well worth taking a closer look. Inside is an impressive hall with a big stage. There is tabled seating, apparently for up to 1,800 people.

They have bookings for a few star acts over the next couple of months and you have to buy tickets to see these shows. When there is no star act, they have a nightly show and entrance to these is free. So this week we went to see the show.

I believe the show starts quite early, about 7pm and carries on to about 1am. We arrived about 9pm. It is kind of a variety show. We were treated to a magic show, juggling, acrobatics, singers, a balancing act, dancing girls and a band. It is an impressive range of acts to squeeze into an evening’s entertainment.

It is called Phuket Brewery because they brew their own beer in their micro-brewery. At first glance the food and drink prices seem a bit steep. It is 250 baht for a 1-litre jug of beer. That is well above the normal local price but when you think about it, it is about the same as drinking 3 bottles of beer in Patong at 80 baht a go. And you are getting a good free show.

More to the point, this beer is very different to the normal rubbish that is available in Thailand. They have three beers:

1. The first is like a pilsner style lager.
2. The second is a dark beer. This is my favourite as it is a little similar to British style bitter.
3. The third is a wheat beer.

They all have their own character and they taste like they are much less chemical than all the bottled Thai beers. Certainly I went through a lot of the stuff and I still woke up with a very minor hangover.

We were so impressed with the place that we decided to buy tickets for one of the star act shows. So last night we went to see INCA. They were very good and all top notch musicians. It is a shame that they succumbed to that strange tendency of Thai bands to play lots of Eagles covers, and yes of course they did Hotel California. They did play the covers much better than your average Thai bar band but they were still much better when they played their own stuff.

So all-in-all, we are impressed with Phuket Brewery. The show is definitely worth a look. Check their website - Phuket Brewery.

Camping at Sawasdee Lagoon

Here is a suggestion for anyone who enjoys camping and getting away from it all - Sawasdee Lagoon.

Nick spotted signs for this place and suggested we give it a go. I am all for trying new places so we packed our bags for a night’s stay, pushed our families into the cars and off we went. It is on the Phang Nga mainland close to Thai Mueang, check out their website for the little map. It is only 10-15 minutes drive from Sarasin Bridge.

It is definitely worth giving them a phone before you go. The woman owner speaks good English and is very helpful. The night before we arrived, they had a group of 70 people who bought their own karaoke gear and were up singing until the early hours. The night we were there, we were the only people by the lake. So it is worth checking if they have any big parties coming.

We found the campsite off the main highway, about 4km down a narrow country road. It is by a lake and nestled amongst rubber plantations and jungle.

They have a line of tents by the lake. They are big tents that could sleep 4 adults. Each tent is under a shelter to provide extra protection from the elements. They have electricity, lights, fans, deckchairs and tables. Behind the tents is a block with clean toilets and showers. No hot water here but they do have very nice hot showers nearby, next to the restaurant. So you get the idea -- we can call it camping but we were not exactly roughing it.

They have a little restaurant with outdoor seating under a sala. There is a lovely little manicured garden with miniature waterfalls and fish in the ponds. They have a few kayaks so you can take a paddle around the lake. They have bikes so you can take a ride around the rubber plantations and they even have a good size football pitch so you can have a kick around.

Nick is a fishing enthusiast so he was keen to try his luck and see if he could catch anything from the lake (he didn’t actually catch anything but he assures me that is only because he set his bait for big fish). Our kids had a fine time running around and generally causing chaos. Benny wasn’t in top form as he had a little fever but that wasn’t going to stop him having a paddle on the lake.

The cost was 1000-baht a tent, which includes an evening meal and breakfast for everyone. The food was excellent, including a whopping fried fish. You can just pay for the tent and sort out your own food – I think that is about 350-baht a night. Come nightfall, the kids finally fell asleep in their tents. Nick and I drank beer by the lake until the icebox was empty.

All-in-all, it is a very nice set up. It is a different option to get away from the crowds – well as long as you are not there on a karaoke night.

If you wanted to explore the surrounding area, there are a few attractions nearby. There is Thai Meuang Beach and Golf Course. There are hot springs not far from Khok Kloy. On the other side of Thai Meuang is Lampi Waterfall.

Loy Kratong - A Washout

Yesterday was Loy Kratong - the annual Thai festival where you float your bad luck away by pushing a kratong out to water. A kratong is a little float made from banana leaves, flowers and such, with a candle on top. It is a charming little festival. Thais gather after dark at rivers, lakes or the sea to join in. We usually make the effort to join in somewhere. Previously we have gone to restaurants by lakes, the lake in the park in Phuket Town or Saphan Hin.

This year, we decided to give it a go at the reservoir at Bang Wad Dam in Kathu. When we got there, I was surprised by how many people were there - it is the biggest Loy Kratong gathering I have seen in Phuket. Literally thousands of people must have come and gone during the evening. They had a little stage show, food stalls, beer tents and of course lots of stalls selling kratongs.

We did our little kratong thing, lighting the candles and pushing them out on to the reservoir. We did it just in time as 5 minutes later the heavens opened and it poured down. We took cover in a small beer tent. It was standing room only as everyone crammed in but the mood was good and everyone was laughing. We had a beer while we waited for the rain to pass. It carried on raining so we had another and another.

Ben is good at finding new friends. He quickly found a girl about the same age as him and they happily played in the rain all evening, soaked to the skin and loving it. Jenny fell asleep.

3 hours later and I was fairly hammered. The rain finally relented but Nick had arrived so it seemed only decent to stay for a few more beers before staggering home. I made the effort to wake up at 3am to watch Spurs play Liverpool. It was a real struggle but worth the effort as we continued our remarkable revival with a 4-2 win.

I failed to get the kids into school this morning. Good to know I have my priorities right. I can manage 3am in the morning to watch Spurs but 8am for school is beyond me.

Life is Good

The good weather seems to have arrived bang on schedule at the start of November. I expect we still have a bit of rain to come but it has been beautiful for the last few days. As I was playing on the beach yesterday with my kids, I couldn’t help but think about how absurdly good a life I have here. My life mostly involves doing things I like.

I have to do a bit of work on the computer but it is not exactly taking up all my time. I get to spend a lot of time playing with my kids. It can actually be quite exhausting but I still love playing with them. I play football once or twice a week and usually go to the beach afterwards. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I used to play a little bit of golf in England but for the 7-years I have been in Thailand, I had not played a game. Recently, I started golf again. Nick is a member at Phuket Country Club and was kind enough to give me an old set of clubs so I can get back into the swing of the game. I always enjoyed my odd game of golf in England but playing in Phuket is a far better experience.

There are lots of good things around Phuket to do with the family. On Sunday we went to the zoo. The day before, we went to the beach. Over the next 6-months of the dry-season, we will do trips to many of the beaches and islands around Phuket. There are so many beautiful spots and many great restaurants.

Marco and the gang from Manchester have been in Phuket for the last two weeks.. That meant a few nights out in Patong. I am no longer the biggest fan of Patong but it is still good fun for the odd night out. Marco is one of those guys who feels his spiritual home is Thailand. He lived here for a couple of years but had to return home for health reasons. He is now working feverishly in Manchester to get enough money together to set up a new life in Phuket. Watching Marco work so hard to get back out here reminds me how lucky I am to be here all the time.

Marco and the gang returned home a couple of days ago but as one set of drinking buddies leave, others return. Gil and Nick are both due to return from working offshore in the next week or two.

Life is pretty good. It makes me worry that something must go wrong. The one big cloud I see on the horizon is the world economic crisis. If it hits as hard as it might, then those of us in Thailand will certainly not be sheltered. Already, the British pound has taken a battering. That makes for a painful hit on my spending power and the same for many other Brits in Thailand. Still, we cannot predict the future so there is no point worrying about it too much. There is a lot to be said for the Thai attitude of living for today. We can try to prepare for the future but we shouldn’t forget to enjoy today.