Beaches, Buddha’s & Bangla Road, Phuket

Today was our first day exploring Phuket. We woke up to a bit of a downpour which did throw us a little, but it passed after half an hour or so. We decided to hire a scooter from our hotel and ride to our first stop, Karon viewpoint looking over a small area of Phuket. After taking in the lovely views, we rode to Kata Noi beach to soak up a bit of sun, then Kata beach and finally Freedom beach. Getting to Freedom beach was interesting as the final part of the route was off-road, like really off-road and with Jess screaming on the back, it wasn’t the easiest ride on a scooter! After trekking down to the beach passing a huge spider, we finally got to relax and enjoy the sun on the quiet, sandy bay. It really was a little paradise cove with crystal clear warm water, white sand all backed by vibrant green vegetation set on a mountainous landscape with mostly coconut trees in the forefront. After some time to relax we packed up and began the steep trek back up again to our scooter. We then rode to see Big Buddha, a huge white statue built on a hill that could be seen from miles away. It was stunning and yet again we could take in the beautiful views overlooking the coastline and surrounding landscape. We also encountered our first wild monkey (Dan’s favourite animal) then eventually called it an afternoon and rode back.

On the way back we were unfortunate enough to be stopped at a police checkpoint looking to catch out tourists who didn’t have the correct documents such as their international drivers license. They were only stopping tourists and seemed more than happy to let locals pass by, often with a family of four, none of whom were wearing helmets. We did have the correct documentation with us so were let through without any problems. As we understand it, there is no official fine to be paid for incorrect or missing documents. Instead it's a small bribe/ fee to the police who will then allow you to pass. The fee is about £10 and will cover you for another 3 days. It was certainly a busy day but we both loved nipping around on the scooter.

Later on, we’d planned to ride out to Bangla road, a famous and popular night strip on Phuket Island. Bangla road is full of bars, clubs, loud music and questionable late night shows. Not really our scene but we were keen to have a look given it's a famous strip although we couldn’t walk more than a few steps without being pestered for happy hour drinks or shows. We quite quickly realised that the only way to say no was to ignore them. We did both pick up pair of very comfy elephant pants however. Along the road, pick-up trucks were also driving by advertising their Muay Thai shows with two men ‘fighting’ as a speaker played out ‘Muay Thai, Muay Thai, Muay Thai!’Read more