Well, here we are, in the one and only place in Thailand we intended not to see..."oh of course we won't go to Phuket, that is exactly opposite of what we are looking for on our journey." Hmmm, what close-minded stubborn vagabonds we once were. Not that we are sold on Phuket yet, but it is very nice and could deliver the cake we want while also granting us the luxury to eat it.

I got here about a week and a half ago - got bored in Ban Phe and had researched that there is consistent surf this time of year in Kata (southwest side of Phuket Island). Showed up early morning at the door of Phuketsurf.com where the owner Newt hooked me up quickly. When I asked about a recommendation for budget accommodation, she asked me if 200 Baht (<$6) would do. This was well below my desired cost, so I asked if I could see the room (always wise when budget traveling in these parts of the globe). She put me on the back of her motorbike and a couple minutes later I was observing a room cleaner that most any Em & I had stayed in thus far, plus all the basic amenities. She then told me about the BBQ her restaurant does Tuesday (that night) and Friday nights. This is basically a gathering place for surfers to get their all you can eat protein fix plus listen to good tunes while surf flicks are playing on the screen (and it just so happens to be across the street from the hotel she referred me to). Her and her sister Ying's surf shop is right on the south end of Kata beach, adjoining a very tasty Thai restaurant, and basically where I spent my first week (when not in the water). The surf community here is super friendly. Because it is not an international surf destination, the vibe is far from agro and very kind. I spent my first few days hanging out with a Thai boxing duo training in Pattaya. Boris (from Germany) had surfed a bunch in France & Spain and talked his boxing partner, Art (from northern Thailand) to visit Kata with him to learn to surf. Great guy and due to his boxing endurance, Art could paddle most all day - impressive. In the water, there are typically a small group of local Thai surfers, local expats, then visiting European surfers who were happily surprised to find that there is some surf here. There was a large group here from Malaysia who come up a few times during the southwest monsoon season to bask in Thailand waves...then surf their east coast during the northeast monsoon (November - February). The waves here are better after storms and thus the swell has gotten smaller and smaller the last six days as it has been sunny and hot. With small and friendly waves (and warm turquoise waters), I have finally started to figure this tough sport out (and people know I have spent lots of time trying) and been improving my success rate at dropping in from about 1 in 25 when I arrived to a still an unboastable 1 in 3. But catching way more waves. Even more importantly, it is just great to be back amongst a community that thrives on sharing outdoor experiences and a deep love for mother nature's rawness. I have also met somebody not only from Seattle, but from North Bend, and who spent many of his younger years working at the ski hill. This was before my time in the office so we didn't know each other. Vince is a passionate snowboarder, been learning surfing this last year here, and also happens to be teaching English here on Phuket. So, basically a fantastic resource for us plus a fun guy to be in the water with (although he keeps wanting to talk snow and I'm telling him I'm away from that for a bit!) So with this great community, it has been easy to ignore the materialistic/consumption center of Phuket's tourism. Sure it is here, but with it comes Thai people who speak English and we can actually have a conversation with. While I am learning Thai, it is tough to learn too much about somebody in the way they direct you to the bathroom. There are also some nice luxuries easily available here but once you go inland a couple kilometers, you are amongst typical Thai village living. Em arrived a couple days ago and is also enjoying the scene. We are not totally sold on Phuket yet as we have some good contacts/leads in other parts of Thailand that we are going to further investigate these next couple weeks. These range from the cush experience described here on Phuket to encouraging community based tourism amongst small Andaman coast villages and some things in between. It is still early on the leads but things do happen surprisingly quick here. We are feeling some of that stress and know that soon we will be making a decision that will affect the next year of our lives, if not a lot longer. But we also know they are all great opportunitites and all will have many benefits!

On this note, we have made a leap back into contemporary communications and bought a cell phone yesterday! The first privileged call recipient was my brother on a satellite phone in Alaska. He is continuously amazed at the size of trout they pull in up there (31 inches not being uncommon) and was stoked to hear that his brother is surfing. This phone is primarily for our work endeavors but we would love to hear friends and families voices if they feel like calling. Our number is 09 7237241, and the country code for Thailand is 66.

We will keep people posted as these next couple weeks will be exciting not only for finding work projects but will include some tropical fun as soon this early retirment may be put on pause!

Labels: Phuket, surfing, Thailand