I am in Karon, the bay around from busy Patong where I was last time. This has a slightly older fashioned air about it, and is smaller and a lot quieter and missing the huge shopping mall, McDonalds and Starbucks. More of a bucket and spade sort of a place rather than bars and clubs. And bars that serve drinks, rather than girls on poles (as it were...). The beach is lovely pale sand and blue sea but is still crowded with beach beds lining every inch. The downside to Phuket is that most hotels are separated from the beach by a road (think South Circular.....). So busy that most hotels have a "lollipop man" outside to stop the traffic for you to cross! There are zebra crossings here, but they seem more like road decorations than meaningful safe havens from tuk tuks, cars and the ubiquitous moped. And another timely reminder not to hire a moped here, as I sit peacefully drinking my latte and typing this, some poor Western girl has just come flying off her bike...
But the crowded beach is less of an issue for me here. I have fallen in love with pool access rooms, where you can step straight into the pool for a paddle from your room terrace. I discovered these a couple of years ago when Carole came out here. Although the terrace here is quite small - care is needed after a couple of why why's as Thai Health and Safety don't require any sort of barrier between you and the water... Talking of why why, my Thai is coming back well and am still fully understood when ordering said why why and stee rye. And whilst the stee rye is still a huge bargain the why why is not at a fiver a small glass in the hotel of something they sell as why why, but even to my taste in cheap wine is almost undrinkable. It's at times like this I wish I liked beer...
Am staying at the Front Village hotel, yes, it's on the front with a distant view of the sea, and perhaps it was in a village many years ago when it was built.... It seems very quiet and unless it gets busier, the compulsory New Year Gala dinner will be interesting... The few other guests here seem to be Russians and Finns. In fact Russians are by far the majority of tourists in Karon, even the restaurants advertise "International Food, Russian Food, Thai Food and Fresh Seafood" in that order. So blini's and borscht for tea then?
But the staff at the hotel are lovely, and I think the excellent service in the restaurant is usual rather than the result of me being the only person in there... And am lovin' the welcome on the bed and the little elephants in the bathroom made from the flannels.
Wifi is now sorted and as long as Slingbox keeps going I can sit on my terrace with a drink late afternoon and tune into Jeremy Kyle and catch up with all those episodes of "Banged Up Abroad". Fingers crossed it all keeps working so I can see the X Factor final - my taste in tv obviously hasn't improved! Aint technology wonderful, so good that it was fab last night to Facetime Ant at work in Hertfordshire as I tucked into a Pad Thai here!
Am staying at the Front Village hotel, yes, it's on the front with a distant view of the sea, and perhaps it was in a village many years ago when it was built.... It seems very quiet and unless it gets busier, the compulsory New Year Gala dinner will be interesting... The few other guests here seem to be Russians and Finns. In fact Russians are by far the majority of tourists in Karon, even the restaurants advertise "International Food, Russian Food, Thai Food and Fresh Seafood" in that order. So blini's and borscht for tea then?
But the staff at the hotel are lovely, and I think the excellent service in the restaurant is usual rather than the result of me being the only person in there... And am lovin' the welcome on the bed and the little elephants in the bathroom made from the flannels.
