Melting

Phuket Island is sort of the Cancun of Thailand. The main beach area is called Patong and that is where the hoards of package tourists head to, with huge stretches of beach, seemingly endless streets full of bars and restaurants, all lined with market stalls selling everything from jewelry to fake Gucci bags to Thai silk suits. Chris and I were staying in a smaller beach area called Kamala Beach, in an apartment of a friend of his. When we arrived early in the morning from our separate flights, we checked in at reception, where our bags were promptly whisked away by a porter. I don’t think they get too many guests staying at the Kamala Beach Estate who arrived with backpacks, and even though it was low season and the place was practically empty, we were conspicuously out of place. We were shown the apartment we would be staying at for the following two weeks, and started laughing at the insanity of it all. One thing was for certain; we knew it would be impossible to leave this place, but that time would come eventually. We had to make the most of it. [read on]