Desiree Koh:
January 29. We arrived in Phuket hungry as hell, so after checking in to Kata Country House, a rustic, cozy resort on Kata Beach, we went in search of food.
Desiree Koh:
Not that the pad thai, kuai tew and yum woon sen weren't good, but my new Nikon D40x DSLR tends to make everything look better than they are.
Desiree Koh:
Some advice from your friendly neighbourhoood condom mascot.
Desiree Koh:
Elvis left the building... and moved to Phuket.
Desiree Koh:
It's hard to believe how quickly Phuket has been rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami, but for better or worse, it has.
Desiree Koh:
Phuket is derived from the Malay word "bukit" for hill.
Desiree Koh:
OK, I will.
Desiree Koh:
Holy deck chairs, rows of which unfurled down about 1.2 miles of pristine white sand.
Desiree Koh:
The backpacking type relaxing and enjoying the sunset.
Desiree Koh:
You're not a good beach if you don't have pretty sunsets.
Desiree Koh:
Phuket is also known as a yachting paradise, and boats dot the horizon, anchored for the night.
Desiree Koh:
Of course, an over-abundance of fresh seafood everywhere like extra cheese on a D'agostino's pizza.
Desiree Koh:
We came across Dino World during a stroll along the Karon Beach strip.
Desiree Koh:
This is, like, the St. Andrews of mini golf courses. Not only was it challenging, it was beautifully landscaped like Jurassic Park.
Desiree Koh:
Pressure? Nothing like a pterodactyl breathing down your neck as you go for the bogey.
Desiree Koh:
Or a T-Rex in your path to a birdie putt.
Desiree Koh:
Or dino poo.
Desiree Koh:
A volcano breathing real fire!
Desiree Koh:
Treacherous bunkers abound as Toto lost a ball in a dinosaur's nest of eggs.
Desiree Koh:
One of my truly favourite street foods in Thailand is the noodle soup. This guy made me a bowl with fish- and meatballs and some other accoutrements.
Desiree Koh:
250 baht (US$8, S$11) for an hour-long foot reflexology.
Desiree Koh:
January 30. We awoke at the crack of dawn for our day trip to James Bond Island.
Desiree Koh:
Our first stop was at the Monkey Temple.
Desiree Koh:
It was unbelievable to me how human-like monkeys can be.
Desiree Koh:
This guy was comfortable with his body.
Desiree Koh:
These guys sought comfort in each other.
Desiree Koh:
In the temple, built within a cave, we saw ancient Buddha statues.
Desiree Koh:
And this l-o-o-o-n-g reclining Buddha gilded with gold and catching golden rays from candles on the altar.
Desiree Koh:
A close-up of the big guy.
Desiree Koh:
More statues, these reminded me of Egyptian mummies.
