By the Sea

Beach holidays tend to look the same. Sun, sand, sea, tanning lotion, rinse and repeat. Nonetheless, they are always much needed, especially when you hold a highly stressful day job.

Here’s a rather effective formula for recharging, recently tried and tested in Phuket in the Land of Smiles.

Step 1: Get yourself to a beach.

Step 2: Make sure you are prostrate most of the time (so that you can really relax), whether it’s on a beach towel or a deck chair. Ice cold beer optional, but highly recommended.

Step 3: Take a nap while you work on your tan. Remember to slather on your sunscreen beforehand! Rinse and repeat until satisfied.

Step 4: One can’t lie on the beach at all times of the day so do what we Singaporeans do best – eat! Go out on a limb and try the local food. Sometimes you can hit a gold mine, like beef noodles and Thai iced tea by the roadside.

Step 5: With your stomach full and your body rested, it’s time for some exploring. Take a jaunt to neighbouring beaches and islands, such as the beautiful Ma Ya Bay, of The Beach fame, here in Phuket. With sand so white your eyes hurt and waters so clear and blue that it puts the sky to shame, Ma Ya Bay is a short speedboat ride away, approximately 45 minutes away from Phuket Island.

Step 6: A day tour like that typically takes the entire day. By the time you get back it’s already evening and time to make dinner and night plans! What’s a trip to an island without a taste of the local seafood dishes? I don’t know about you, but seafood Thai-style sends me to food heaven. You can see below the carnage that was unleashed upon the poor fishies and prawns. Burp.

Hedgehog for sale

Step 7: Check out the Chao Fah Variety Market, opened only on weekends, opposite Wat Nakha, way over in Phuket Town but just a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride away (don’t forget to bargain!). There you will find stalls that sell counterfeit goods that will do just as well as the real deals, pretty vintage-inspired clothes and accessories, amazing street food and even pets (again, don’t forget to bargain!).

Step 8: If there’s still energy left over to party, check out Margarita, a bar with the worst but most entertaining cover band in the world (out of tune but with lots of enthusiasm) or Seduction, the least sleazy club in Patong and which also has the best music. Be forewarned though, drinks aren’t cheap in tourist-magnet Patong.

Step 9: The next morning, get yourself to another beach. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 till satisfaction is achieved.

Step 10: Embrace the fact that you have to go back to your real life and you should be a happy bunny. Hey, at least you now have beautiful bronzed skin and the memory of a relaxing beach holiday for keeps.

This post is part of the series.