Phuket

my HUGE room at Shanti Lodge Phuket

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When I got back to Phang-Nga I caught the bus to Phuket and then got a taxi to the Shanti Lodge Phuket where I relaxed the rest of the day away.

Day 8 I finally got to go diving. It was a very small group. Me, a girl from S Korea who was doing her first dives and 2 other guys who were working on their dive master certification and 2 dive instructors. We all had a lot of fun and the dives were great! I was very excited when a turtle decided to come and swim with us for about 10 minutes!

The next day I was back on a motorboat but today the waters were rough and I was very glad that I had taken my Dramamine. Today I was not diving but taking a trip around a few islands that included Ko Phi Phi. We stopped at beautiful Monkey Beach and did some snorkeling. We also stopped at Maya Beach which is where “The Beach” was filmed. This beach is the most stunning I have ever been seen. I spent the 45 minutes that we had there swimming in the crystal clear water and taking in the amazing views all around me.

the view from my room

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My last day of touring in Thailand I spent walking around Ao Chalong. I checked my email and had lunch at a little local restaurant and then went back and lazed at the pool for a little while before I had my ultimate indulgence of this trip. A 2 hr massage treatment. Starting with a honey and hibiscus body scrub, then a full body massage with jasmine oil and a facial that included many Thai remedies that were supposed to be good for my skin. After I slept really, really well!

The next day was spent traveling from the hostel to the Phuket airport and then from airport to airport in Bangkok where I was finally on my way to Sydney, Australia!