A 3-hour tour
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 - Phuket, Thailand
My favourite spot - photo by Lee Johnson
Chance meeting of other Canadians
I rented a jeep today. I paid more than I should have ($26.00) but I was really stuck. It’s still a bit odd driving on the right side of the vehicle and the left side of the road. Every once in a while I still come around a corner and plod along in the wrong lane until I notice a car coming head on.
I went down to Karon beach. It was surprisingly crowded. Also, no waves this time of year. Walking along the crowded beach I ran into the young Canadian couple (Joey & Michelle) that I had previously met at the airport. They too are travelers not tourists. We spent the afternoon at the beach and then went together to check out another training camp. This camp was much better but the accommodations were expensive and it was very far from the ocean. We also drove around and checked out various other accommodations. The result was the same: everything was full and the few that weren’t were too expensive. I’m really starting to worry.
Waterfalls & a lighthouse
Later in the afternoon we went to the national park up island where we hiked through the jungle and up to the waterfall. Since this is not the rainy season the waterfall was far less stunning than when my parents and I went on mountain bikes. Regardless, we jumped in and went for a refreshing swim.
Later we drove down to the south part of the island and went up to the lighthouse to check out the view and pick up a few beer for the drive back (when in Rome…). We then made our way to Patong to catch a Muay Thai fight. This turned out to be a Godsend. Besides running into my old coaches, we got to see some of the best fights I have ever seen. We drank and had roti which is a very thin crepe filled with egg and banana, covered in sugar and sweet condensed milk and fried in oil and something orange that I assume is butter. Of particular importance though was that there were two very talented and strong fighters from the J. Prapa Gym in Kata, a small town adjacent to Karon. The location couldn’t be better. I am hopeful that this gym will be the one.
That night I slept in the spare bed in Joey & Michelle’s room. I am so lucky to have met these generous Canadians.
