9th February - Karon Beach to Ao Nai Harn - Chinese New Year in Old Phuket Town

Sunday 9^th February

We left beautiful Karon Beach mid morning yesterday.  Before we leaving we briefly caught up with some of our friends who are on their way north, to the beautiful areas we have just left.  I swam out to Out of the Blue II to have a cup of coffee with Lyn and Chris and to find out what they have all been doing (Delphian, Zoa, Out of the Blue II, Adagio.)  Basically – they have been having FUN.

It was a beautiful swim, with clouds of small silver fish, and a few slightly large black fish with fat heads to entertain me on my way.  I also came across a fish attractor, right between our boats, totally invisible from the surface.  A nasty big construction of bamboo, rope – not a good thing to run into, with one’s boat, but impossible to avoid because of the totals invisibility…

Nothing in sight but...under the surface...

Kerry and Jen, from Tigerlily, stopped by in their dinghy, on their way to the beach for some R & R.  They have been enjoying Phuket but they had a horrid time at Patong Beach.  They anchored at the southern end, and there were mosquitoes in their millions.  It was also very smelly, and extremely noisy.  We were so lucky to be at the northern end, with a sturdy dinghy dock, no smells, and not so many mosquitoes.  But yes it was NOISY – all those jetskis, and longtail boats.

 Our next anchorage is Ao Nai Harn.  Yet another very pretty beach, with a very big resort, many beach umbrellas.  And a whole gang of our friends – Settlement, Thylacines, Screensaver!  

I think they have been travelling in a little pack since we said goodbye to them in Langkawi in mid January.  There are lots of offshoots of the Indonesian and Malaysian rallies – groups form, re-form, dissipate.  Andrew and Sue (Settlement) are waiting here for a spare part to arrive, for their anchor winch.  They are able to put their anchor DOWN but can’t haul it UP.  A bit of a disadvantage… I swam over to see Andrew and Sue and they told us we were all going (the whole gang…) to the Chinese new Years festivities in Old Phuket Town, leaving at 2.30.

Pete is suffering some serious pain at the moment, in his wrist – I won’t go into it but it is as bad as can be.  I had persuaded him that two aspro clear (his go-to drug) weren’t up to the job and had given him some slightly stronger painkillers…which knocked him out completely… At 2.20 I gently woke him and gave him his option s- stay in the beanbag, or galvanise into action.  And of course he chose to go and make merry…

Once grand...and maybe will be grand again

It was quite a long taxi ride for Nai Harn Beach to Phuket Town.  Fortunately we got a big taxi, with aircon, and a slightly confused driver who was CERTAIN we really wanted to go shopping, not to the festival.  In the mid afternoon it was all quite sedate.  We wandered around and took photos. 

The old town is very charming, with a bit of street renovation, and some authentic shabbiness. 

It was, however, extremely hot with the sun beating down mercilessly so…we found a nice little bar.

Andrew and Pete, very happy to be reunited

We had cool drinks.  They made me a very beautiful lemon drink which I hope was made from freshly squeezed citrus but which might have been lemon cordial…)  Sue, Suzanne and I left Pete, Andrew and Jerry in the bar and wandered up and down the streets, once we had cooled off.  We foraged for food and returned with little samples to make us all happy.

These were my favourites.

And this is how they were made, by rolling the mixture in little round hot trays.  Cute!

We did not buy any lurid cakes…

Sweet 'n' Soft...hmmmm...

Neither – shudder – did we buy any of these.

Take a closer look…

Maggots and...beetles??

As the evening progressed it got more frantic in the closed-off streets.  HUGE crowds, much noise.  A band every few steps, and the odd bit of very earnest street performance…

We retreated into a small café off the main street and watched the crowds roll by until it was time to battle our way back upstream, like spawning salmon, to find a taxi to take us home to our own lovely little bay.