Our New Office

Here are some more events that took place during the 2 weeks Sara and I stayed in Phuket. Most of the time was spent working, but there were quite a few cool experiences.

- We saw an elephant play in the ocean. We saw a 40ish woman (who was staying at the resort) feed this elephant watermelon she bought and cut for it. She played with the elephant. She swam with the elephant. Essentially, she acted exactly like a small child would. I admire her for it – most people (myself included) can’t revel in the simple joy that life can offer for fear of looking foolish. Not this woman.

- I turned 30 in Phuket. Leading up to the big day, Sara often asked me “What do you want for your birthday?” I usually responded with “I don’t need anything,” but after being asked enough times (I guess my wife didn’t like that answer), I got a little fed-up and said “I’m in Phuket, Thailand, at the Marriot. What the hell else do I need?” That put an end to the questions (and got me a dirty look too).

- We rented a car in Phuket and I drove on the “wrong” side of the car (right side) on the “wrong” side of the road (left side). I can mark that off my “list of things to do before I die.”

- We went on a bike tour of Phuket, and we saw photos of the 2004 Tsunami. Our bike tour guides each lost friends and family in the tsunami, helping me to realize the tremendous impact of this disaster (40,000 Thais died, plus many more in Indonesia). Seeing a wall of graphic photos of bodies and destruction strewn across beaches is something I will likely never forget.

- We also went on a limestone sea cave tour – very exciting. Sara wrote about it a little bit – we saw bats! If only it hadn’t rained the whole time.

Wreckage left-over from the 2004 tsunami at Koh Phi Phi.

- We visited Koh Phi Phi, a small island near Phuket that was almost completely destroyed by the 2004 tsunami. It’s difficult to comprehend, but nearly every building on the island was washed away. Four years later, it was difficult to tell that anything had happened here. It was a beautiful, nice place, and we wished we had spent more time their. It was also quite popular with young western tourists (mostly backpackers).

On our last day in Phuket we took a ferry to Koh Phi Phi. Every one we talked to said this was a must see when in Phuket, but what we didn’t know is that its a place definitely worth staying for a few days.

Koh Phi Phi is very remote and it took about two hours to reach the island. Lucky for us we were able to sleep the whole way there. A combination of the heat, the ocean waves, and our spoiled selves not used to waking up at 6am allowed us to nap peacefully.

Once we got close to Koh Phi Phi the scenery looked very similar to what we’d seen on our caves tour, but with the sun out this time it was much greener.

Koh Phi Phi was one of the many places destroyed by the 2004 tsunami. From what we understood the whole island was devastated. They kept some of the wreckage in place as a reminder, but even without the wreckage it was hard not to think about what it must’ve been like.

We only had a few hours before the return ferry left so we played at the beach and ate and drank.

We’re glad we went to Koh Phi Phi. We only wish we had spent a few days here instead of a few hours. It would’ve been nice to stay in our own little bungalow, snorkel, and jungle trek…maybe next time.