Observations on a Thai Beach

It seems logical to provide you with this post, since I so recently visited a beach in another country. Once again, I thought that I could do a post on my observations, and let you do your own analysis.

The beach at Karon, in Phuket, was not very crowded. The sea was a sparking turquoise and very warm. The sand was white with a peculiar squeaky characteristic (it was like walking on not fresh snow on those really, really cold winter days) and clean with the exception of the odd water bottle. There were no games of impromptu soccer or volley ball. Too hot.

Once again, we paid for our beach chairs and umbrella, but this time it was a daily rate. Since it was nearby a "restaurant" hut, we were also within reach of beverages and food. The beer was cheap, the coconuts cheaper, and the Coke, the cheapest. The fruit plates featured some really ripe and tasty watermelon, pineapples and mangoes- the logical tropical fruits.

The clientele was largely foreign and we were the English speaking minority. We were surrounded by small groups of Russians (again), Persians, and larger crowds of Italians. There were the odd Japanese and other Asian people. Most, if not all, wore the latest trends in swim wear, some of which was not very modest. In fact, there were a number of the beach patrons who chose to maximize their sun exposure, with the removal of the top part of their bathing suits. Clearly, I am speaking of women. There were a goodly number of children present this time, and one or two sand castles were constructed.

The air was free of a great deal of shouting and loud music (although someone did bring speakers for their iPod one day and we were subjected to their music (Police, some banghra, and some French songs) for a couple of hours. Overall, it was peaceful, with the odd discussions between the Thai vendors and their intended customers about the prices of t-shirts and other goods, the playful banter between the Italian men and women, and the odd child wanting someone to play with them.

Overall, this beach had all of the necessary qualities for a good beach vacation: intense hot sun, nearly every day (check), warm water (check), clean white sand (check), towels and comfortable beach chairs (check), reasonably priced refreshments within easy reach (check) and peace and mostly quiet (check). Oh yeah, and no spitting (check).

photos taken by JCS -special color accentuating feature on my Canon Elph