Back in November, when we were staying on Phuket Island in the south of Thailand, we took a little side trip to Raya Island (or as Liz put it, we took a vacation from our vacation). I want to go back & recap that trip.
We were driven to the southeast part of the island in a minivan that picked up several others along the way from other beach towns. Viewing those other places made us realize what a peaceful place our Bang Tao Beach hotel was & how lovely our wide empty beach was!
From the minivan we transfered to a 'fast-boat' that carried us & 20 or so others (mostly day-trippers) first to Coral Island for an hour of snorkeling or para-sailing if you dared, and then to Raya Island where we were dropped off at a busy beautiful beach. We were met by a young man who took us to our bungalow hotel which we reached by hiking across the bright, hot beach, up a very long, steep path to the top of the ridge, and down to the beach on the other side. Our bungalow was up on the hillside, very rustic, but quiet & peaceful.
Our tiny porch was just big enough for 2 deck chairs & a little table.
We slept under a mosquito net at night,
and had a very basic, but adequate bathroom, including a toilet with no plumbing! You pour 2 or 3 scoops of water into the toilet to flush, a very simple efficient system!
These are the steps down to the beach & the little restaurant where we had our meals,
And this is the nice shady restaurant where we would eat overlooking the fantastic beach!
There were a few other people around, but it was incredibly quiet & beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen sand so white!
We stayed for 2 nights & enjoyed the peaceful setting, but then it was time to go. We retraced our steps over the hill & back down the steep path to the beach on the other side.
It was a very hot day and the beach was busy. We had to wait a couple of hours for the boat to pick us up so we rented a couple of beach beds under an umbrella & entertained ourselves by people-watching. This lovely bride was being photographed by her new husband. He encouraged her to splash around a bit & it was fun to watch her pose. But then a wave caught her, she got completely soaked & she nearly lost her dress! She kept her sense of humor tho & I hope they got some good pictures!
We headed into the shade for a little lunch while we waited for our boat. See the floating dock? Walking on it was a new experience - but the only way to get back onto the boat!
From the boat, as we approached Phuket, we could see this huge white Buddha on top of the hill. We enjoyed our little 'get-away' & had a great time!
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