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we started the day late, because i had trouble sleeping. it might be the hard mattress, or that we’re not used to sleeping with AC on. but it could also be my swelling belly. they said it’s common for pregnant people in their last trimester to have problems sleeping.

anyways, once we were ready, we headed to the beach, Karon Beach. whoa… what a pretty beach! the water was clear, the sand was white… it was just beautiful. it was also very hot. so, we immediately seek shelter under one of those umbrellas on the beach. it turns out that you can rent a set of two lazy chairs and an umbrella for the whole day. so we did. we also ordered some sandwiches and coke for lunch. the lady who took care of our order was very nice, just like all other people we’ve met so far.

we spent the next two hours lazing on the beach and playing in the water once in a while. but after two hours, i felt like i have reached my boiling point. it was way too hot for me to stay there… i was so amused by those people who just lay there tanning themselves for hours. how could they stand the heat? i guess if i were swimming, i could stay there longer…

we went back to the hotel, took shower and had a little rest. i also moved the photos from the camera to my laptop while ari was taking shower. right after i deleted all the photos from the memory card, my laptop went black and started to spit out error messages. i thought, oh no, it’s going to die on me….

and it did. i restart the computer and it says “No Operating System Found”. great… it’s dead for real. so, that’s why i don’t have any picture prior to this… the pictures above was actually taken the next day… cheating, eh? :)

anyways, after all those rest, ari and i headed to Patong Beach, the beach right next to Karon (where we stayed) and supposedly where all the happenings are. we took a ride from the hotel owner, and they dropped us off at the beach.

Patong is like, ten times (maybe twenty times?) more crowded than Karon… there are rows and rows of markets to shop around. so, this is the perfect place for us to shop for gifts and little things. i ended up buying a skirt (which i will wear tomorrow!), while ari was busy buying bracelets (for gifts and for himself).

the beach itself is more flat than Karon, which is nice. however, it’s more dirty and the sand is darker compare to clean and translucent Karon. the beach is also more packed with people. the horizon is full of big and small boats, even a cruise ship. and banana boat, parasailing, many jetskies passing left and right. it was definitely a busy, happening beach.

we waited for the sunset at Patong and had some snacks at one of the seaside restaurants. just like yesterday, the woman who served our table gave plenty of tips on what to eat during the pregnancy, which will make the baby, “smarter… has brighter and smoother skin… brighter eyes”, etc etc. they love giving tips! they also start sharing stories about their babies… i actually don’t find that many pregnant ladies in Phuket, except for locals.

after the snack, we hung out at the beach, as the sun was not as piercing as it was earlier in the day. and there were less people on the beach, too, since most of the sunbathers were gone. we sat around on the beach watching a soccer game played on the beach between the locals and the tourists, which was fun to watch, while waiting for the sunset.

 

after taking a few pictures of the sunset and enjoying the moment, we took a tuk tuk to go back to Karon, which is a mountain away. the tuk tuk here are very cute! they are colorful on the outside, well-maintained and clean. and when the sun is down, they have colorful lights on the inside, which makes it look all funky.

back at the hotel, we took another shower and getting ready for dinner. originally, we were going back to Patong for dinner, since there are countless of restaurants, big and small. but i got tired and we decided to see the north side of Karon, instead. as we walked through the rows of hotels, it’s obvious that the north side of Karon is full of fancy hotels and resorts. it’s very different to the south part, where it’s full of small, family-run inns and restaurants. the bars and restaurants are catered for family entertainment… and a lot more expensive.

we had dinner in one of those large restaurants, and honestly we were quite disappointed. it was pricey, even though the service was horrible. and the food was not better (if not worse) than one of those small restaurants. so, we think, next time we come to Phuket again, we should totally avoid large restaurants and go for small ones. and recommendations from the locals work better than anything else.

on the way back to the hotel, we took a tuk tuk again, since i can no longer walk. i was soooo tired! this time, i didn’t have trouble sleeping. i slept like a baby, even though, there is another thunderstorm tonight (isn’t it a convenient that the rain and thunderstorm only starts after 2AM?).

photo album: Phuket 2007 @ Flickr