Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Back to the Land of Oz

Well, where does the time go??? I didn't realise it had been so long since I let you know what I've been up to lately, so I'm feeling a little guilty!!!

We've actually just returned from a 3 week hiatus in Phuket, Thailand - very different weather to what we've come home to! Every day was a sunny, hot & humid 32-36 degrees celsius - the perfect weather for lazing at the beach and swimming, as you can see.


Our holiday started with the annual Phuket Bike Week celebration - hundreds of bike enthusiasts gather at Patong Beach from all over Asia and in fact the world for a 3-day festival of competition, demonstrations, live music, food and drink. Many wonderful and strange bikes on display - some people certainly have vivid imaginations!!!


We found a lovely place to eat our breakfast every day at the top of a steep hill overlooking the whole of Patong Beach - always a cool breeze wafting through and below us a vista of thick tropical gardens and the brilliant blue Andaman sea.




Our holiday also co-incided with Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) - what a wonderfully wet and fun experience! Everyone (including locals and tourists) arm themselves with squirt guns, buckets or any container for that matter to throw or spray water at unsuspecting oncomers!!! The locals also are adept at sneaky baby powder attacks on wet passers by, and the whole day and night is a riot of laughter and fun!!




Here's a Thai version of BBQ! A deep pot placed on hot coals and filled with water: you cook yourself - veges, meat and seafood simmer in a flavoured broth, while you place your meat or seafood on the top to BBQ through the vents! I have never seen this before, and I've got to say, we enjoyed it immensely.




Like all other holidays, ours ended much too quickly - this week it's back to cool weather, miserable skies and W-O-R-K!!!