Kata Beach, Phuket for Christmas

After our scuba diving adventure, we were ready for some much deserved RnR. We headed down the coast towards Kata Beach, which is a more family friendly beach south of Patong on the peninsula of Phuket. The town was perfect for us, just big enough to offer a variety of stuff to do, but not too big to not feel like a quant beachy town. The beach and surrounding area was gorgeous as well. There were a TON of Russians also vacationing there, and they, for some reason, don't feel the need for age or size appropriate swim wear, nor sunscreen. I've never seen so many overweight men in speedos frying themselves to a crisp. But hey, to each their own. We mostly spent the days either at the pool, at the beach, or sipping cocktails. Marvelous. 

We were lucky enough to find a fabulous condo that we rented out for a few days. The original picture was actually the view from our roof, which included an infinity pool! Heaven!

We spent ALOT of time up there. 

We also celebrated Christmas here. Mostly the presents consisted of airplane alcohol bottles, courtesy of brilliant Karen. Exactly what we needed!

Another great part of this segment of the trip was that one of our best friends, Andrew, joined us for Christmas. It was so great to be surrounded by family and friends whom we love so much, even when you're half way around the world in Thailand. 

One of the best parts of Thailand is the cheap massages. They only cost $8 for a whole hour! Needless to say, we enjoyed a few of them. 

We also went out for a few nice dinners, including on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

After Christmas dinner, Drew, myself, and Andrew headed to the beach to light a wishing lantern. This is definitely not the most environmentally friendly thing I've done this year, but it was a beautiful memory. Essentially, you buy a lantern from one of the half dozen people selling them on the beach. You light the candle inside and make a wish. Then, you hold the lantern close to the ground as the hot air begins to build up inside. Eventually there is enough hot air to lift the paper lantern off the ground, so you let go and watch your wish float towards the heavens. I actually think what I wished for is coming true as we speak!

Andrew, thankfully, made sure Drew and I stayed up at least past 10pm every night. This included visiting a few of the local bars, where board games, pool, etc were very popular. 

On our last night in Phuket, we moved to another villa close to the airport. There, we had a seafood BBQ which was incredibly delicious, thanks to Brian's Master Chef skills. Dinner included fish, shrimp, squid, crabs, and chicken kebabs!

Thanks again Andrew for joining us on this segment of our trip! It was a blast having you there, and we're so glad we got to spend it with you!