Day #5 (24/6/2020)
Distance travelled: 93.2 km
Morning at Khao Lampi Beach
No rain overnight meant we could keep the outer cover off, which allowed for a lovely breeze to circulate within and a peep of the starry night sky. The waves continued pounding the sand until just before dawn. Unzipping the tent door revealed a postcard beach; powder white sand and crystal blue water. A local man turned up on a scooter with his fishing gear and gave us a good look as he walked down to the shore. We also headed down to the shore to have a taste of the water. By the time it reached waist height, we could feel the strong pull of the backwash bringing us closer to the boisterous waves. I love a wave that lets you gently glide over its surface, but these waves meant business – any attempt to scale them was futile. I admitted defeat first and sat on the sand, watching Dimi getting battered by the waves. We didn’t feel like rushing off from there. So we ambled about, taking pictures and videos, and stayed reading in the car. When the time came to leave, we slowly packed the tent, collected our rubbish, and bid a fond farewell to our Âplace.
In the search for a café, we used Google Maps, which brought up several coffee-cup symbols along the coastal road. Dimi didn’t have to drive far, as the first place we encountered down the road turned out to be the one. It featured a great sea view, cheaply priced coffee, and a cabinet full of freshly-baked cakes. We took our seat at a high table and got busy with our own projects, Dimi writing his book and me journaling our trip. Break time called for one of those cakes: orange-sponge and gooey chocolate; both were yummy and devoured in seconds.
Driving over to Phuket Island
After a good few hours of being nicely settled in our coffee place, we were back on the road and heading to Phuket Island. Phuket was relatively hard affected by COVID-19, with 227 confirmed cases and 3 deaths, making it the second-highest number of cases in Thailand, after Bangkok. At the end of March, the island was placed under lockdown to contain the spread of the virus and no-one could enter or exit via land or water. A national nightly curfew (22:00-04:00) was implemented and many businesses were forced to close. However, by now, restrictions have started to ease and borders to reopen. So we thought to pass by and see what makes Phuket world-famous. We crossed the impressive Sarasin Bridge and then hit traffic at the police checkpoint. Each vehicle was waved forward by an officer and its passengers given a once-over.
At Nai Thon Beach
Once through, Dimi decided our first beach to visit would be Nai Thon due to its petite size and many beach-front restaurants. Once we arrived at the coastal road, we slowed the car right down to have a good nosey at the beach, looking for a place to eat lunch. Many of the restaurants, hotels, and shops that lined the stretch of the beach were closed. The beach itself still had closed signs up, but there were people leisurely strolling about, albeit only a few. A little away from the coast, we parked the car and grabbed food at the only place which was open, Baan Phutawan. As expected in food places on this island, the price, even for local Thai food, was high and the portion stingy. Pudding would be needed. The sea glistened under the hot sun as we made our way down to the shore, on foot, for a closer look. We kept ourselves hidden in the shade of the pandani trees, taking pictures, and petting lovely dogs that bounded over to us.
Bang Tao Beach & Patong Beach
The route we took to the next beach had us meandering on a quiet road, past some pretty posh, heavily-guarded hotels. It was good the road was quiet because, once again, I slammed the automatic car to a standstill – attempting to change gears – as we approached a steep incline. I now know why the sudden stop. I used my left foot to press the brake pedal fully down, thinking it was the clutch. Moving swiftly on, we ended back on the main road after a quick visit to Bang Tao Beach for pictures only. We drove by countless hotels, bars, restaurants, and tour agencies advertising elephant treks – we actually spotted a few elephants on the grassy slopes next to the main road – until we eventually pulled up at Patong Beach. This long stretch of coastline had attracted huge crowds, making it a great place to people-watch and snap some great pictures. There were many runners, dog walkers (one man had with him four dogs), selfie-takers, and sunset-gazers. We joined the many swimmers for a dip in the clear, warm sea, to enjoy its rhythmic waves just before the sun disappeared for the day.
As always, finding a 7/11 for tea was easy, but this time we sat eating on the street curb instead of our usual petrol station grounds. A few foreigners with their Thai girlfriends passed by, and “massage” parlours were countless while we drove to our camping spot.
Ya Nui Beach – Camping in Phuket
We ended up settling at Ya Nui Beach by the lifeguard station, which thankfully, was not in operation. There were no lively hotels or bars around there; fishermen and dogs were the only living entities we saw. As we settled in our tent for the night, fishermen could be seen outside with their head torches, climbing on rocks, where some would remain until dawn.
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