Phuket

9 September 2024

Phuket is Thailand’s largest island, located in the Andaman Sea. It is a major tourist destination known for its beaches, seafood, and nightlife. We spent our time on beaches, at markets, or walking Phuket Town.

Day 1

Kata Noi Beach
Kata Beach
Night Market

We took a Grab to the airport and checked our bags. We had previously packed personal items with all our heavy stuff because there is a 10kg checked bag limit and a 7kg carry-on limit. By an unlikely stroke of luck, each of our checked bags weighed 9kg. We hadn’t bought a keychain or anything in Malaysia, so we got one in the airport, just like we had done in Labuan Bajo. We departed Penang to return to where we started our Asia trip – Thailand.

We arrived in Phuket and found that the price of a Grab was super expensive. So, we found a bus going into town instead and managed to hop on a few minutes before they left. The bus ride took twice as long as a Grab would have – 2 hours. We checked into our hotel after taking out some money at a nearby ATM.

Kata Noi Beach

Indi went on a self-care excursion to a spa, and I walked to Kata Noi Beach. On the way, I got a ham/cheese toasty and spicy salmon onigiri from 7/11. The surf was pretty rough, so I didn’t stay in the water for long. I let my sun shirt and towel dry on some bushes while I laid on my towel. There were a couple of surfers in the water and a handful of other beachgoers sharing the shade near the entrance to the beach. Other than that, the beach was mostly empty.

I got one of my favorite dishes I ever tried in Asia, massaman curry. It was off the heezy. I walked back to the hotel and barely made it before the curry ran through me. I had to shower immediately after the horror I experienced on the porcelain throne.

Kata Beach

Kata Beach was only a 5-minute walk away from our hotel. Surfboard rentals cost about $18 for 2 hours, which felt like a lot, so I did not rent one. The waves didn’t look amazing anyway. Indi and I got in the water and were unpleasantly surprised to find it full of trash. I couldn’t stay in the water because I had trash touching me constantly. We lay on the sand, and I flew my drone around during the sunset, but it wasn’t particularly pretty.

Night Market

For dinner, we walked to a night market to eat as much as we possibly could. We started with fresh-made wontons, which were good. Next, we got barbequed ribs, which were overpriced. Next, we got a fried spiral potato, which was way better than the one I had tried at a market in Malaysia. Next, we got a small, grilled mushroom bunch. Later in the evening, we bought two mangos, and Indi bought mango sticky rice.

Next time

On our next adventure, we take a bus to Krabi to see incredible beaches.