Jonathan and I ended up staying at the Baifern Guesthouse near Kata Beach for the whole five days since the diving school was able to provide transportation for Jonathan. Except for the second day, it was a relaxing experience for me since I stayed in the guesthouse doing some reading, watching YouTube, catching up on the news, and planning for my travels. The weather was too hot to go out for a long time or else I would have gone to the beach more. Jonathan ended up getting his PADI certification after three days of training.

The second day at the guesthouse, Jonathan and I rented a motorbike for 250 THB, or about $6.80, for the whole day. I’m not confident about riding a motorbike even though I have my motorcycle license from 2012. I was glad Jonathan has experience riding a motorbike. I was a little scared at first, sitting in the back thinking that I might fall and injury myself since I don’t have any insurance. But the whole day went well without any issue.

We visited many sites. First was The Big Buddha then Wat Chalong temple. Then we went to Phuket Old Town, had lunch and walked around. Next was Rawai Beach then Cape Phrom Thep. We had dinner at a very nice restaurant on top of a hill called Summore Day that had a very nice view of the ocean. We caught the sunset at Windmill View Point then stopped at Karon View Point before coming back to the guesthouse. It was a fully packed day exploring Phuket. By the end of the trip I was tired and satisfied now that we have seen all the tourist sights in Phuket.

For the next few days I chilled at the guesthouse. I’ve been reading a great book on poverty, it’s calledPoverty, By America. I still have two chapters left and I felt the book is very educational and I recommend to anyone who wants to learn about poverty in America and how the wealthiest country on earth has so much of it.

Overall, I enjoyed my time spent with Jonathan in Phuket. It was nice to share the journey with someone and broke up the monotony of traveling.

I arrived in Bangkok yesterday via airplane. I’m currently staying at a hostel and will meet up with Daisy, a friend I had met in the Philippines. When she arrives on Friday morning we will explore Bangkok for about six days and participate in Songkran, the Thailand new year water festival. I will stay in Bangkok until the 25th then fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Taking a tuk tuk from Patong Beach to Kata Beach

The sun sets over the hill in Kata Beach.

Baifern Guesthouse

Riding a motorbike in Phuket with Jonathan.

Saw some elephants on the way to The Big Buddha.

The Big Buddha

Closeup of The Big Buddha

More statues around the Buddha

Jonathan and I with the Buddha

The view from The Big Buddha

Wat Chalong temple

People rub the statues for the gold leaves.

Another temple in Wat Chalong

More Buddhas

A Chinese temple in Phuket Old Town

Mural in Phuket Old Town

Cool lobster on the side of a building

An interesting coffee shop with flowers

Inside of another flower coffee shop

Phuket Old Town street

Jonathan taking a nap inside the Phuket Museum.

The clocktower in Phuket Old Town

Rawai Beach

The pier view point at Rawai Beach

Is there a demand for these keychains? LOL!

Jonathan tried to bargain down the price of a lobster, but no luck.

Cape Phrom Thep

Trees at Cape Phrom Thep

The lighthouse at Cape Phrom Thep

Dinner with a view

The view at Summore Day restaurant

Windmill View Point sunset

Karon View Point

Part of Kata Beach mural

Kata Beach

Fish and Pad Thai for lunch

Sunset at Karon Beach

Kata Night Market

My last meal at Phuket