Three Nights in Phuket

Work responsibilities engaged Bob much of Wednesday and Thursday, January 21-22, 2015 at the Westin Siray Bay Resort and Spa.  But we did manage to slip in a short visit to Phuket town where Bob got his haircut, I purchased a shoulder bag (see below) and we revisted the Anda Spa (where Stephanie and I relaxed on our trip three years ago) to receive a one-hour full body Thai massage (for under $10).  I have love/hate feelings about Thai deep muscle stretching techniques which can be a little torturous when you ask for a "hard" massage like me.  But when finished, I am always amazed at how far my head can turn, and how "soft" my tense shoulder and neck muscles become - at least until later that day when I feel totally beaten and bruised!  This time, I was introduced to "Tiger Balm", which is an amazing substance - kind of like "Bengay" or "Icy Hot" creams on steroids.  When possible, we also slipped in a little beach and pool time at the resort.

 

 

A business dinner on Wednesday night gave us a unique opportunity to learn how to cook Thai food.  We were guests at the fabulous "Blue Elephant Governor Mansion Cooking School and Restaurant".  After sipping a fruity/flowery non-alcoholic welcome drink, we were presented with awesome embroidered aprons and enjoyed some valuable instruction on typical ingredients needed for Thai cooking.  I learned what the big yellow grapefruit-looking growth is which I have seen hanging in trees here in Korea - it's a pomelo and is very similar to a grapefruit!)  Our chef proceeded to demonstrate how to make curry paste from scratch and showed us how to make Keanyg Ka-Ree Koong Subparod (yellow curry with prawns and pineapple) and Yam Som O (pomelo salad).  We would make those two dishes ourselves for a portion of our dinner later on.  This was such a fun experience, and the food was amazing - yes, even our own creations (#1 and #2 in the photo below)!  Certificates were presented to each of us "graduates" of the cooking school.

The following evening we drove to the south shore of Phuket and enjoyed another satisfying Thai meal at a restaurant on the bay.  Unfortunately, I have not managed to master the art of taking night photographs.  But it was a lovely place to enjoy dinner with Bob's work associates.

The next day  we would have to leave this beautiful country, but not before being dazzled by one last destination.