Tiger Muay Thai, Day OFF!!
Very fun and relaxing day off. I hired a taxi to take me around to a couple places, my taxi driver's name was Jaroun and he was lovely and we laughed about how hot it was, and how hard Muay Thai was.
First was Phuket's Giant Buddha, who I can see every day from my training area. This is actually several images of the Buddha, with two main statues, one Burmese white marble and a much smaller one of brass, sitting atop Laem Phromthep in the Naka Hills very close to camp. After a very winding drive up the hills, you walk through a small shrine area with vendors selling religious icons and statues for visitors, and a prayer area. Once you've passed through this tented area (perhaps giving a suggested donation of 300 Baht to inscribe your name on a piece of marble that will become the housing foundation for the Giant Buddha), there are several small paths leading up to the main construction site where you can see the completed brass Buddha and the giant marble Buddha which is still nearing completion.
Along the small paths around the site are smaller shrines where one can burn joss sticks, light candles, and pay respect to the local gods and, of course, more Buddha statues. One of my favorite parts was seeing gold footprints painted onto the rocks, where one can throw coins and flowers for good luck. Another favorite was seeing signs around with popular Buddhist sayings in Thai and English, with "Forgiveness makes you happy" bringing me a big smile.
After that, Jaroun took me to Rawai beach, much more secluded and frequented by locals rather than tourists compared to the buzzing beaches of Patong. It was a gorgeous little bay, with limestone boulders on either side and green hills rising up beyond them (ignoring the AllSeasons Resort hotel on one side, of course). Rawai and Chalong Bay are supposed to be renowned for their seafood, so I stopped into a local restaurant for some lunch.
I had a young coconut (always great) and Tom Yam Gai (delicious, heavy on the citrus and chili and light on the fish sauce, just the way I like it), and sampled the Tiger Prawn with Garlic and Pepper sauce. The waiter brought me the live prawn to see before they grilled it . . . which was great to see that it was so lively, less great because tiger prawns look like prehistoric bugs (which, well, they are). The dish itself was only okay, the garlic and pepper sauce was quite oily and the prawn itself, while fresh and succulent, was drowned in the stuff. Not awful, but overpriced. So yay soup and coconuts, boo tiger prawn.
This time also gave me an opportunity to write a bit and reflect more privately on my experience here, and how it will affect me in days to come. I think that these two weeks may change me more than my entire stint in SE Asia. Hyperbole police! But no, really, I do.
Before heading off to the supermarket to buy a few sundries such as a soft pillow to go along with my hard, hard bed, I wrote "I will miss you so much" in the sand, and took a picture. I was thinking of my friends in Macau, my passengers, Asia, everything. But I will miss you so much.
First was Phuket's Giant Buddha, who I can see every day from my training area. This is actually several images of the Buddha, with two main statues, one Burmese white marble and a much smaller one of brass, sitting atop Laem Phromthep in the Naka Hills very close to camp. After a very winding drive up the hills, you walk through a small shrine area with vendors selling religious icons and statues for visitors, and a prayer area. Once you've passed through this tented area (perhaps giving a suggested donation of 300 Baht to inscribe your name on a piece of marble that will become the housing foundation for the Giant Buddha), there are several small paths leading up to the main construction site where you can see the completed brass Buddha and the giant marble Buddha which is still nearing completion.
Along the small paths around the site are smaller shrines where one can burn joss sticks, light candles, and pay respect to the local gods and, of course, more Buddha statues. One of my favorite parts was seeing gold footprints painted onto the rocks, where one can throw coins and flowers for good luck. Another favorite was seeing signs around with popular Buddhist sayings in Thai and English, with "Forgiveness makes you happy" bringing me a big smile.
After that, Jaroun took me to Rawai beach, much more secluded and frequented by locals rather than tourists compared to the buzzing beaches of Patong. It was a gorgeous little bay, with limestone boulders on either side and green hills rising up beyond them (ignoring the AllSeasons Resort hotel on one side, of course). Rawai and Chalong Bay are supposed to be renowned for their seafood, so I stopped into a local restaurant for some lunch.
I had a young coconut (always great) and Tom Yam Gai (delicious, heavy on the citrus and chili and light on the fish sauce, just the way I like it), and sampled the Tiger Prawn with Garlic and Pepper sauce. The waiter brought me the live prawn to see before they grilled it . . . which was great to see that it was so lively, less great because tiger prawns look like prehistoric bugs (which, well, they are). The dish itself was only okay, the garlic and pepper sauce was quite oily and the prawn itself, while fresh and succulent, was drowned in the stuff. Not awful, but overpriced. So yay soup and coconuts, boo tiger prawn.
This time also gave me an opportunity to write a bit and reflect more privately on my experience here, and how it will affect me in days to come. I think that these two weeks may change me more than my entire stint in SE Asia. Hyperbole police! But no, really, I do.
Before heading off to the supermarket to buy a few sundries such as a soft pillow to go along with my hard, hard bed, I wrote "I will miss you so much" in the sand, and took a picture. I was thinking of my friends in Macau, my passengers, Asia, everything. But I will miss you so much.