Phuket

Phuket.  'Pearl of the South.  Lying in the Andaman Sea off the Thailand's west coast.  When I asked random backpackers and well informed tourists about Phuket, I noticed a common physical response: a softening of their features, a crinkling of the eyes, a wistful smile and the hint of longing in their voices.  Rock climbers loved the limestone cliffs and forested hiking trails, red faced Europeans remarked upon the beauty of the sandy beaches, the cheapness of accommodation and the availability of good beer, others recounted the clearness of the water for snorkeling and scuba diving.  Everyone seemed to hold the memory of clear blue skies painted with scraps of clouds.

  After a week in Bangkok getting my lungs filled with the wonderful scent of ozone mixed carbon dioxide.  Just the name of Thailand's biggest and most beautiful island gave me goose bumps.  Yes, the Promised Land awaited and all we had to do was buy a plane ticket and make a hotel reservation.  We walked into a "recommended" travel with swimming pools, sandy beaches, and sunshine on our mind and walked out with airplane tickets and a voucher to "Kata Lagoon Resort."  Oh yes, these sistah's were going to stay in a resort and lounge around in our bathing suits without a care in the world.

We get on the plane....
The flight is smooth and short...
We arrive alive and on time
Should have known
Should'a known
Something was gonna go wrong
Get to the airport and reserve a mini-bus
And wait an hour
Then the driver can't find the hotel
And I ask
Why?
Why?
The travel agent had lied & the hotel had changed names

Oh yes, Kata Lagoon Resort.  The place of my dreams?  Resort my rear-end.  As we pulled up to the empty front desk, the driver started laughing before and after pulling out our luggage and leaving it on the strip of gravel that someone had the nerve to call a road.  After ringing the bell and laughing hysterically, the underage receptionist comes out and proceeds to try her best to get us to stay longer than one night. 

Now I'm not a snob, just like my hotels clean, secure, and comfortable.  Doesn't need to be the Ritz, but the only thing moving in place should only have two legs, speak English, and a friend.

The initial shock aside, it was late and we'd already paid for the hotel.  So after wheeling our luggage over the gravel path, over the open sewage drain, and past insect ridden "lagoon" that had been billed as a pool, we entered out oven of a room and discovered that we would be rooming with some of the bugs we wanted to leave behind.  The place went from bad to worse the minute I stepped into the bathroom.  Not that the bathroom wasn't clean and the appliances brand new.  No, milky white color of the toilet water added to the nasty odor of the shower water made one of the most memorable showers of my life.

Needless to say we checked out early the next morning and checked into Swedish owned Jiva Resort & Spa.  How I love this place let me count the ways:

1. Wonderful hotel room for a ridiculously low price

2. Room Service, restaurant, snack bar, and small grocery store

3. Breakfast with clean silverware, music, good food, made-to-order omelets, and good atmosphere

4. Security guard at the gate

5. English speaking staff

6. Three swimming pools with water slides and Jacuzzi

7. Air conditioning

8. Large bathroom with a wonderful shower

9. Fresh water

10. Cable TV

11. Fun Room complete with pool table, large screen TV, and a bar

We were treated like Queens and with all the attention, we could have been diva's on vacation.  Not only were we the only African-American's in the hotel, we were the only native English speakers.  The Swedes were in the house.  Never have I seen so many natural blondes in all my life.  The kids were cute and all the little girls and some of their mother's had run out to get their hair braided.

The first morning we went to the pool, you could see the heads turning.  If I would I would have laughed at their puzzled expressions.  Yep, Black people can lie on the beach and on the lounge chair like the best of them.  And Lord, did we make those lounge chairs look good.   If you are ever in Asia and can take a trip to Thailand, skip Bangkok and head straight to the islands.  The living is cheap, the food wonderful, the people are friendly (maybe a little aggressive), and the beach is lovely. 

I had a wonderful time exploring the island by motorcycle, shopping, lying on the beach, eating great Thai good, and relaxing. 

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