LOST IN PHUKET
Matt Crook is Thailand’s very own Lost Boy, known to many of us as a former writer for The Bangkok Post’s Guru Magazine. Matt is now the author of http://phuketvogue.com/ and http://whatismatt.com/ He first traveled to Thailand in 2005 and started working in Bangkok. His time in Thailand has been spent mostly working, often writing and occasionally traveling around Thailand's islands or other points of interest. He now lives in Phuket, Southern Thailand and plans to stay in the country “for as long as the buzz is still there”. He’s a writer and editor, currently working for a Phuket newspaper and freelancing for various publications. Matt wrote for Naked Farang about getting off the extremely well-beaten track in his current home base, Phuket.
People often complain about the overdevelopment in Phuket, but if you are prepared to put the effort in, there are some beautiful Phuket beaches just waiting to be discovered. Fortunately, most people don't venture all that far off the trail around Patong Beach.
The first time I went to Phuket was about two years ago. I was staying in Phuket Town and was keen to find a decent beach with a couple of friends. We decided to head to Mai Khao Beach.
The journey there was relatively straightforward. We grabbed a songthaew from Phuket Town and he took us about as close to Mai Khao Beach as he could. From the songthaew we had to enlist the help of a couple of motorcycle drivers to take us down to the beach. The whole affair cost us a couple hundred baht and we ended up at the kind of beach you see in postcards.
There was absolutely nothing there. There were no restaurants, no shops, no bars -- there weren't even any people. The motorcycle guys gave us their phone number to call them later because there was no way we'd be able to get back otherwise.
Mai Khao Beach really is heaven. There wasn't a single tourist or banana boat in sight. I was left wondering why people seem so adamant to put Phuket down when there are such awesome beach spots. If you're planning to visit Phuket, forget about Patong Beach and head where the crowds do not.
Matt Crook
Matt Crook is Thailand’s very own Lost Boy. Visit Matt’s excellent sites at: http://phuketvogue.com/ and http://whatismatt.com/
Receive weekly updates on all the latest from Naked Farang by joining our Facebook group: Click here to join or log into facebook and then paste this link into the address bar:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11498592846
