Thursday has been a quiet day mostly. The kids were very good today so they were promised a trip to the beach which was delayed until the sun was on it’s way towards the sea to avoid the worst of the heat and damaging effects of radiation.  Now I am not a lover of Patong, least not now I am married with a family .  There are many cheaper and quieter places on Phuket to attract me nowadays although if it is thai girls you are looking for they are mainly concentrated in the nightlife areas there.

Phuket beach has become a little cleaner and the recent renovations post tsunami have made the section of beach near the beach road more pleasant and we do sometimes come down for a picnic by the sea there as there is also a children’s play area. I wish the authorities would also consider providing a toilet or two down on the beach.  It would encourage a better atmosphere and avoid the need of having to drag the kids across the road to one of the local shops who have wised up to the money making potential of a paid loo.  Just as well you don;t need a tuk-tuk to get to the loo otherwise a trip to the beach would require a small mortgage these days.  I am sure no one uses the sea for relief now do they!!!!

Paradise Beach, Patong, Phuket

Anyway this post is not about Phuket Beach but rather a quiet little beach just south of Tri Trang Beach, accessed via a partly newly surfaced road which is VERY hilly and changes to a navigable but patchy concrete road where presumably the resurfacing money ran out.  No problem you can get to the beach by motorcycle or by car but if you want to walk it bring your hiking boots.  The journey is well worth it for at the end is a lovely little beach aptly named Paradise Beach.  The beach is only really accessible over private land it seems as it is marked ‘Private Beach’.  However as far as I am aware all the beaches belong to the King of Thailand so I am not sure it can really be Private as in defining ownership.  No matter, it is free to go there, you can hire a sunbed for 100 baht for the day and it is quieter and much more hassle free than the busier Patong Beach.

We got there a little late but time enough for the kids to have a play on the rope swing and a paddle in the sea.  Afterwards we were offered a free BBQ at the little restaurant come bar at the top of the hill to the southern end of the beach.  Free it was, prawns and chicken with vegetables and plenty to eat.  All that is expected is that you buy a few beers which are quite reasonably priced at 80 baht per Heineken as an example.  The bar is approached via quite a few steps to get to the top of the hill, but once up there you can sit in one of the little wooden kiosks that you so often see in Thailand and take in the breathtaking sunset for the vantagepoint is perfect for that.

Biting Red Ants - Thai Style

Whilst sitting there I noticed a trail of red ants passing along the guide rail en-route for a tree off in the distance.  They are amazing creatures ants but regrettably a perishing nuisance and these ones pack a powerful bite.  If you see these on the floor don’t stand there as they will attack as any island golfer can tell you.  If they are running up and down a tree don’t stand underneath it – they are excellent absailers.  Basically keep away from them or you will have more than the days activities to remind you of yesterday’s exploits.

We had a great time up there and I would definitely recommend that you take a look some time.  If planning a holiday in Phuket why not take time out from the hassle and bustle of the town a relax a little at Paradise Beach.  It is only a few kilometres outside Patong and everyone around there will know how to get there.

Sunset at Paradise Beach Phuket

So Wednesday is here and I was awoken by Monkey no. 1 coming in at 7.00 am for a cuddle. Well I enjoyed the cuddle – it made a pleasant change from the howling hordes of dogs at the back of the house. He might have waited until 8.00am though but beggers can’t be choosers eh? A little while later Monkey no. 2 came trotting in. No ‘Good Morning Dad’ – oh no! ‘Breakfast Daddy?’ was the question loosely translated as ‘Come on. Get Up! I’m hungry.’

So I hauled my sorry ass out of bed and after getting all showered and clean for the day we took off out of the house for breakfast. We were out of milk so the easy option of cereal and milk was out as was scrambled eggs (I use milk in mine to make them fluffy and moist – don’t you like your breakfast fluffy and moist? – I sure do!! Anyway easy option was a trip to the local outdoor restaurant.

On arrival we ordered Khao Man Gai. This is riced cooked with oil in the water topped with sliced chicken and served with a chicken soup with spring onion tip garnish and a sweet/spicy sauce to top off the chicken. All for the princely sum of 25 baht each. Pretty good value huh? Sitting at the table I had next to me some lovely orchids and a caged bird who seemed very happy chirping away to his friends dotted around the place. Whilst I don’t really like the caging of animals, it was quite a nice experience which did not hurt my wallet too much for a change.

Monkeys in Fuji

Mid afternoon I was cajoled into trapsing off to Central where there is a good sushi restaurant on the third floor called Fuji. Actually there are quite a lot of Fuji’s around Thailand and I have to say the food is well presented, reasonably priced and quite healthy compared to other fast food type foods which we try to avoid.

Having terrorised the rather pretty girl serving us and driven me crazy, we finally managed to exit the restaurant without having broken anything save the concentration of the young couple opposite, which I think posed a welcome distraction for the girl and a rather unwelcome one for the guy whose intentions were probably not centred on food – least not of the type we were eating!

The evening was spent playing The Simpsons and guitar Hero whilst I tended to a little house maintenance.  Another enjoyable day – thankfully mummy is due back later on.

Only the ancient among you will remember that tune but it describes my day today.  As I said yesterday, today I am in charge of my Monkeys numbers 1 & 2, my wife being in transit to Nakon Si Thammarat.  Thankfully the Gods are smiling because I am monkey free until 2.00pm when I have to collect them from school.  That is fine but there is a downside – that is that school is now out for summer so tomorrow is full on Monkey Time.  Anyway let’s stick to today.

Inside Central - it was busier than it looks here

My two little treasures were in fine persuasive form after school and ice-cream was the object of persuasion.  Well I figured a trip to Central would be OK as it was on the way back home and so being the dutiful father took off Svenson’s bound.  On arrival I was told ‘buy one get on free’ was order of the day for card members – that includes me – great value.  Orders were placed and a lovely presentation of 6 scoops of ice-cream appeared.  Yum yum I like ice-cream too being a big kid at heart.  Now things were getting interesting as Monkey no. 1 decidedhe wasn’t really in the mood for ice-cream and Monkey no. 2 who had by this time devoured three teasons of ice-cream decided to follow his older brother.

I of course reasoned with them that this was all their idea and it was not good form to order ice-cream and then not eat it.  All to no avail so I ended up eating what I could myself – hmm no big torture I suppose except that the consumption of half a ton of ice cream is not exactly wonderful for my attempts at eating less in the hope my waistline contracts – ha ha don’t think so.

Evening brought a visit to the Bamboo bar in soi Nahm Tok Kathu – translated as Water Fall Katu Road – for a fish & chip dinner for 130 baht and a few beers – for me that is not for them.  They busied themselves playing pool and generally keeping out of mischief – so far so good.

Monday’s here and the temperature has been hot.  My wife is off to Nakon Si Thammarat tomorrow to help an aunt in hospital so I am going to be looking after little monkeys nos. 1 & 2.  To celebrate this event we decided to take a trip to one of my favourite restaurant’s in Phuket.  Now this place is not cheap but it is higher end and the food is of very high quality.  If you have been reading my posts from the beginning you will know dinner by the sea is near the top of my list of nice things to do, so it should come as no surprise that this place is also next to the sea.  The photo on the left is taken sitting at our table.

Taxi Anyone

Dinner consisted of a fairly average bottle of white wine (though very pricey relative to most other countries due to the very high luxury goods tax on wine in Thailand), accompanied by several dishes.  The Seafood curry starter was very tasy, the seafood pizza that is not a pizza was nice, a pleasantly zesty lemongrass squid dish and a favorite of mine, prawn & banana blossom salad.  Yum Yum.

Whilst sitting at the restaurant the storm clouds started to gather to the north and within 40 minutes the rain was starting to fall.  Fortunately they are well prepared at Kan Eng @ pier to cope with improptu downpours.  There are several semi-thai style rooms provided with fans and air conditioning where you can finish your meal without showering whilst eating.  We rejoined there are were treated to a fantastic natural light show with several strong bolts of lightening seemingly just a 100 or so metres offshore.  You can see the storm clouds gathering in the picture.

The rain was pretty torrential but the outside kitchens have roof coverings so proceedings can proceed.  The food is delivered under umbrella and protected by clear plastic trays and lids to keep the rain off the food.  All very professional.

Our seat was opposite the chef so there was additional entertainment watching him prepare the food – again the whole setup here is very well organised, the staff are very cordial too.

Chef Cooking at Kan Eng @ Pier Restaurant

It is interesting to note when I first came to Phuket about 9 years ago this restaurant was nothing like it is today, comprising a few bamboo tables and a straw covered hut in which food was prepared.  I remember the food being rather average and quite expensive for what was served up.  They have come a long way since those times and Kan Eng is now probably my favourite restaurant on the island for a special meal.

Anyway a very pleasant evening out. The last picture is not very good because the flash on my little camera is not so great. Unfortunately although I lugged the big camera and flash out with me I forgot the battery and the Memory Card so couldn’t use. Spare a thought for me forgetting my memory

After a frustrating start with B52 sized flying bugs attacking me while waiting for the family to get up again normal service was resumed and the bugs wrestled from the house and the doors secured. The kids need to blow off some energy so time to play with them on the Playstation 3. Guitar Tutor 3 is still the most popular game at the moment after an inspired Christmas present idea of mine continues to provide hours of fun. That, closely followed by The Simpsons game which I find very entertaining and the kids seem to enjoy too despite being only 4 & 5. The little one who isn’t yet 1 has yet to mastered the controls but at least is not bickering with the elder two and takes great pleasure in changing TV channels mid game much to the displeasure of the other two. He does it with a charming chuckle, actually it is rather a dirty chuckle which I think he must have got from me.

Nikita's Bar in Rawai

Anyway today wifey wants to go eat at the beach sans kids (what’s new – she is rarely far from food). So we are off to Rawai to a cute little bar called Nikita’s Bar. It sits right on the beach and you can look out across Rawai bay with the sea almost lapping at your feet.

We had a very pleasant meal there, some crab, mussels, clams and assorted other tasty stuff all washed down with Heineken (80 baht) for her and Lao Beer (95 baht) for me. Lao beer is a pleasant change from Singha and Chang or Heineken and there are not so many places that sell it so that was a pleasant treat. The evening was cool and the mosquitos not too busy.

Food at Nikita's in Rawai Phuket

I love the sound of the sea and the candles provided a lovely gentle and romantic atmosphere as the sun went down. There are some good views out across the bay and the tide was in which was good because the beach at Rawai is not the most beautiful when the tide is out – I am not saying it is not pleasant but let’s just say there are better bathing beaches around.

So if you fancy a trip out of Patong for a pleasant evening you could do a lot worse than taking a trip here.

Saturday arrived with my family obviously feeling unusually tired.  I was awoken by the dogs at the back that howl like demented creatures at 8.00 every morning courtesy of the Thai guy at the back of the house who seems to be breeding them – not with them I hasten to add – least I don’t think so, rather breeding them for security purposes maybe or to make a little extra pocket money in selling the offspring.  Anyway I was immersed in getting things formatted better so you my readers can skip through my ramblings without straining your eyes too much.  Well it got near to noon before I saw anyone.  I was feeling a little neurotic by that time but all seemed normal after the sand man was send packing and bright eyes emerged.

It seems the extended sleep has re-energised everyone, whilst I am feeling rather lacklustre following several hours wrestling with the website and the intermittent internet.  Anyway, being the pleasant chap that I strive to be I suggested we go out which was met with an energetic response.  Not feeling particularly energetic myself I persuaded everyone to take a trip to the local Dam

Bang Wat Reservoir Kathu Phuket

Well OK it’s actually a reservoir but it’s as near as we will get to a dam here on Phuket.  Having planted the seed, all the stops were pulled out to make the afternoon a fun time. The truck was loaded with picnic stuff, scooters and sundry accoutrements to make the afternoon bearable in the heat.  The best of the cargo was definately the cool box stuffed with beers and ice which made everything else rose tinted.

We sat at Bang Wat reservoir for the afternoon which is a pleasant place, the water surrounded by the vegetation covered hills and many hours passed as we imagined fascinating shapes in the rapidly maddening cloud structures building to a later to be experienced storm.  The imbibing of a few local beers by myself and my wife made recognition of the cloud images a gradually more difficult task but hey it’s only for fun anyway.

After packing the kids home with the maids. mum and dad decided to have a quiet drink around the corner at a little Bar called the Bamboo Bar.  This establishment is run by an English guy (Dave) and if you get there before 8.30 you can buy a local beer or even a Heineken for 50 baht.

Bamboo Bar