Not all Friends Have Two Legs

I'm fidgeting and anxious because I can almost smell the saltwater, hear the roar of the waves!  My friends, I give you the OCEAN!!! Coming from a land-locked state, one learns to appreciate seeing the ocean at least once a year and boy do we relish it.

Before I leap into the sea head first; let me tell a great piece of advice. If you have time for a Thai massage do it!  I paid $20 for an hour and a half massage at a local massage place right outside the Tamarind Hotel in Chiang Mai. What a way to start my first beach day.

We drove to the airport and took a two hour flight to Phuket. Because we wanted to experience a little less foot traffic and people, we opted to stay at Dewa Hotel just across the street from the ocean. Dewa Hotel is located in Northern Phuket about ten minutes from the airport. Sirinat National Park borders the hotel which means you're not getting a whole lot of people hanging around the beach, as you would in Patong. It's nothing but trees and beach here, too bad Leo Dicaprio didn't find this place first.  But guess who did?  Our first traveling friend, Beach Dog. Of course the first man I meet traveling is an adorable, four legged charmer.

Given the numerous islands in Southern Thailand, you really wouldn't want to stay at Dewa for an extended period. It's a great location for a stop over in Phuket if your flight arrives in the afternoon and you can't catch a boat out to a neighboring island until the next day.  There are more gems to be had around Southern Thailand. One of which is known as "Paradise". To be continued.....aka read onto the next post!