Thailand—Phuket
Phuket was the last stop on a trip that had already taken me through Bangkok, Singapore, and Cambodia. By the time I landed, I was ready to relax.
I booked a room at The Boathouse Phuket and took a cab from the airport. It was the low season, which worked in my favor. They upgraded me to a massive suite right on the beach. I don’t often wish I had a travel partner when I’m solo, but that suite was the exception. It was the kind of space that’s meant to be shared, and for a moment I felt that. Then I looked out at the ocean and got over it pretty quickly.
It was hot. Not Bangkok or Cambodia hot, but having already endured the heat and humidity for five days, I needed to cool off and cutting my hair just made sense. I needed scissors and found a store, but the only option was children’s scissors. I was desperate enough to use them and methodically cut off six inches of my locs. I immediately felt like a different person.When I texted the kids to tell them what I’d done, they panicked, assuming I’d cut it all off since I’d done that before. I sent pictures, and they were shocked but came around fairly quickly. For me, the relief of losing that extra weight in that heat was absolutely worth it.
After the impromptu haircut, I went to get a Thai massage. Ninety minutes for $25 USD. It was the cheapest and best massage I’ve ever had. I will say that the setup was not what I’m used to. You strip completely, there’s just a curtain covering the door, and the environment would probably raise some eyebrows back home. But I went with it and would gladly do it again.
The next day I did a private guided Instagram tour around the city. We stopped at the Big Buddha, Wat Chalong, Karon Viewpoint, and Rock Beach Swing, and passed through enough scenery to fill an entire camera roll. But the highlight for me was Old Phuket Town. The buildings are painted in vivid colors and the energy there is completely different from the beach. It was lively and vibrant—the kind of place you want to just wander through slowly.
My guide took me to a local restaurant in the city for lunch. She talked me through how to eat ramen properly, and I’ve been doing it that way ever since. She was also a practicing Buddhist, and over the course of the day she taught me about the religion in a way that was genuinely eye opening. She helped correct some of the misinformation I’d had going in. That kind of direct, personal perspective is something you can’t get from a guidebook, and it’s one of the reasons I keep booking guided tours even when I’m comfortable exploring on my own.
Phuket and Bangkok are the same country but very different experiences. Bangkok is a major metropolitan city. It’s busy, dense, has a lot happening at once. Phuket is a beach town. Smaller, more relaxed, with pockets of energy like Old Town that keep it from feeling too sleepy. Both are worth visiting. Just don’t expect them to feel anything alike.
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