phuket - it's not the way it sounds

poo-ket. not the other way that i'm sure most of you are thinking, cause it's what i thought at one point in my life before i was introduced to the greatness that is Chino Latino, a really cool restaurant in minneapolis. i distinctly recall going there my freshman year of college (Bible college, no less) and being horrified at the t-shirts that the bus boys were wearing that all had different phrases using the word "phuket"...

so - THAILAND! it's amazing. gorgeous. JUST like my pictures below. seriously, i can't say enough about the beauty and just plain romanticism of this place. there's so much i could talk about but i hate spending my time inside while the sun is brightly shining outside and there's snow waiting for me back in Stockholm. basically, here's the rundown -

we left last saturday afternoon, and to my surprise, i found out at the airport that we were flying Premium Economy on Thai Airways, which essentially is business class. i think it's one of the most wonderful, luxurious things i have ever done in my life and i'm sure to be a spoiled brat by the end of this year. but for now, i will take my wine-in-a-GLASS-glass and glass utensils for dinner and big, comfy seats. we had a 10 hour flight from Stockholm to Bangkok and connected to Phuket from there. the resort that we're staying at is huge and beautiful and has all the great amenities that i have come to love on someone else's budget, such as robes and slippers in the rooms and down comforters and endless staff members to assist your every need. nikki and i are staying in a regular room, and our families are renting a big villa on the golf course.

as far as seeing Thailand, in all honesty, it's hard to do. i've gone on a bike ride out to some more of the rural areas, which was actually really, really neat. me and nikki went on a boat tour and snorkeling out to Phi Phi Island, which is where they filmed the movie "The Beach". THAT was the most.beautiful.place.ever. no kidding - the water is about 4 shades of green...it changes between that electric, neon turquoise all the way to deep, emerald green. snorkeling was incredible...i've never seen such beauty in my life: each one was a different design with bright, tropical colors. there was even lots of coral reef to check out.

i've spent some time in Patong Beach, which is a beach area in Phuket that's well-known for shopping, bars and prostitutes. it's really sad, actually...nikki and i have done some shopping there (where i scored with a CUTE black Chanel handbag and a black Louis Vuitton small duffel) and literally almost everywhere you look is a young Thai woman (or man) prostituting themselves. you're constantly being stopped on the street by men and women asking you if you want to go to sex shows, basically. it's an area of town that we've tried our hardest to stay away from.

my days here are mainly spent either watching the kids in the morning while the parents are golfing and then having evenings free, or hanging out at the beach during the morning/early afternoon and then watching the kids while all the parents work out and then going to dinner with everyone. some nights we have the kids after dinner, too, while the parents are out and about. and, we're scheduled every single day. so...lest you think i'm laying on the beach all day, please know that i AM working ;) in the lightest sense of the word, of course.

so, that's my trip so far. it's crazy to think that we've been here for over a week, and we still have five full days left here. i'm doing pretty good with the tan and have only burned myself one time on the whole trip, and even then it wasn't bad. that's an accomplishment for me, unfortunately...

we get home this weekend and i'll definitely be sure to post lots of pictures, and i'll try and get some from christmas on here.

Happy Belated New Year!