Reluctant Relocator: Patels in Phuket-Part Two December 2010

And now for something completely different.

Let me tell you about my muay thai training session.
I was in Thailand. You know I had to do it.

MUAY THAI GYM

Yeah, baby! Thai boxing!
BRING IT!!!

The open air gym

So exciting!

I was there bright and early for the 8:00 am class.

No Canadian flag?!?

Yeah, I was the only female there.

I was also the oldest person and the only one who brought their own hand wraps.

Let the games begin....

My trainer looked terrified...NOT.

Yes, these photos were staged after the training session,
but I was doing all these moves and more.

Normally I don't smile when I spar.

This move was one of my favourites and I had the bruises to prove it.

I also flipped my trainer a couple of times because he made me fall when I was kicking him. He grabbed my leg and pulled me off balance. He did that a few times and then I said, "O.K., if I'm going down you're coming with me." So much fun.

Again, I'm scaring my trainer...as if!

I was such a sweat ball after the 90 minutes.

I had SUCH a good time! I would do this again in a heartbeat!

THE AFTERMATH

I told you I had bruises!

Proud of them, doncha know!

I was just glad I didn't wreck my knees from hitting the body bag which must have been filled with damp sand. Yowzer!

Of course, I had to return to the gym to purchase a pair of those flashy muay thai boxing shorts. Rakesh came with me this time.

This is the tuk-tuk we took. Say that five times fast.

Enjoying the ride

The shorts

These purple beauties will definitely be worn to a ManuLife Body Combat class in the spring.

THAI TEMPLE

Before you think all I did was beat up my trainer and lounge on the beach, I also took in some of the local sights. There wasn't a lot of the non-touristy variety, but I did manage to see this temple which was very close to our resort. There was a school attached to it as well...the temple, not our resort, silly!

The front gate

The back gate

An outbuilding, not sure what it was actually except huge.

This picture doesn't do it justice.

The lamp posts give you an idea of size.

Close up

Dragon on the stairs

This helps to give you some gist of the scale.

Where are people when you need them? Toto, I have a feeling we're not in China anymore.

Side view with more dragons

Detail from a column

A building under construction

A tower ? Sure, why not?

A tree with offerings underneath its branches

Another building on the temple grounds

Close up

Closer...

Closer still...

Talk about ornate!

A god

An Easter egg?

It would have been nice to have had a tour guide to explain things, but there you go. I still enjoyed seeing everything. A day without a temple is like a day without sunshine...

THAI MONEY

I always think the local currencies are very cool.

A Thai toonie!

LAND AND SEA

ELEPHANTS AND DOLPHINS

Yes, we went on an elephant ride in the jungle. We also did a day sailing trip. I hadn't been this active outside in a long time!

Getting the elephants' howdahs good and snug.

Aha! I bet you didn't think I knew that word! Not often I get to use it.

Getting on to the elephants was interesting.

Glad they had a platform

Off we go!

Subtle

Rubber tree

The Thai version of tapping a maple tree?

Lurching up the steep, steep hill

Didn't take long for the shirts to come off

Stopping for water

Now, in no particular order because everyone was taking pictures with my camera,

random photos of us on elephants.

From all angles!

Hare as Mowgli

Canadian Maple Leaf pedicure making a reappearance

The day sailing trip was overcast which worked out well because we didn't sizzle like sausages in the sun, but it meant the visibility while snorkelling wasn't the best. Here are the photos from that day.

Jay in the shuttle that took us out along the dock to the boat

Mangled English, it's not just for China any more.

The boat
Biggest catamaran I've ever seen

Rakesh and his Reluctant Relocator

This looks like a "Love Boat" moment.

Heading out on the Andaman Sea

The crew hoisting the mainsail

Looking back at Phuket

I can make it out because I know what to look for...

there is a gigantic statue of Buddha on the highest point.

You'll have to trust me on this.

All the excitement was too much for Jay to handle.

Hare

Yours truly

Long boat

Such a descriptive name

Sailing!

Fruit platter

Flower garland on bow

For those of you into teak or had to clean a lot of it as children, I offer you these shots.

That fuzzy white blob in the distance, centre, is a cruise ship.

Yes, it was that huge.

Guess what we saw?!? It was so thrilling!

Dolphins!!!

Loved them! And so does a very dear friend of mine.

I couldn't believe how fast they swam! They were so swift and agile!

An exclusive island

Rakesh and Jay

I opted for a far less strenuous activity

So did Hare

Glamour shots, courtesy of Rakesh

Back at the shore

Art shot

DINNERS

What's a vacation without eating the local cuisine? While we weren't brave enough to sample the food from the street stalls, we did enjoy lunches from beach "restaurants" and dinners from some amazing spots.

You know at some point in your tropical vacation you're going to indulge in one of these.

Yes, you are and you may as well get it over with early on in the trip.