phuket

Good morning.
Writing from the roof. Its still cool but its gonna reach up to a sweaty sticky 34 here today. Its early morning but i am so excited, i had to jump out of bed at 7 and take my laptop up to the rooftop pool to write so i could sit and look out at the Andaman Sea over there for the last time. Soaking up the last little bit before we fly home tomorrow.
We are staying in one of the newest luxury hotels in Phuket. It is easily a hundred dollar a night room ($150 plus taxes in Canada) but because it is some sort of a “soft opening”, we somehow lucked out and booked it online at a deal of $24 Canadian, (paid in Indian rupees), taxes, breakfast and welcome drink IN! Which is pretty much one of the juiciest deals i’ve ever scooped up online. This is only one of the many reasons i enjoy travel.
So ya, both Nakul and I are in culture shock. I had my first bath in a true bathtub in 3 months, and he had his first bath in a true bath tub ... in his whole life. We jumped on the bed, we danced around, we turned on all the lights and the a/c, fired up the free wi-fi, turned on the t.v. and ordered room service. Nothing like roughing it for a few weeks to make you appreciate the good things.
Everything is virtually new in the room. I have stayed in luxury hotels before but this one is luxury “modern”, so it has the full granite bathroom and rain shower and 700 mirrors and sliding doors that open up to the bedroom, a setee, a flat screen and super wicked high tech mood lighting (even inside the closet!!). Its all very exciting to us. Its our last two days together until god knows when next and we have just come from a very modest grass beach hut that we shared with a variety of critters and bugs, with dogs and cats adopting us and sleeping on our front porch, with holes between the wooden slat floor boards beside the bed, with one very well broke-in mosquito next (which thankfully was still effective), a bucket flush toilet, and no hot water (not needed). But we were dry and mosquito free (inside the net) and had some wonderful sleeps listening to the birds and waves. It was all so we could enjoy to the fullest the nature around us there and be right on the beach and in the water for the maximum amount of time. No one needs luxury when you are ON the beach.
And now we are here, feeling like fat cats and quite proud of ourselves for staying here for next to nothing at all. I suspect i won’t venture far from the pool or the room today. I have no urge to mix with the riff raff of Patong beach where we are located. Patong beach is supposed to be the riff raff capital of Thailand (after Pattaya and Bangkok).
My intention is simply to rest and enjoy. Nakul is adjusting amazingly well and appears to be like someone who has lived with luxury like this all his life and takes it all in stride. One would never know what a modest background he comes from. It’s quite charming. We have fun with everyone everywhere we go.