The Price of Paradise

Our visit to Phuket was just that....paradise. Thailand's not-so-well kept secret boasts picturesque beaches, beautifully manicured resorts, and terrain that both inhibits and astounds. But despite Thailand's reputation for being a budget get-away destination, Phuket knows what it's got and flaunts it to the despise of some travelers' pocketbooks.
As my Lonely Planet guidebook puts it, "Going cheap in popular Patong is like slumming in Beverly Hills...you're sure to have hotel envy." Beer and food are cheap as are massages and souvenirs; but what you save in trinkets, pad thai, and Tsingtao you make up for in hotel fees and cab fares.

For tourist it's the wallet that feels it; but even for locals there's a price to pay for living in one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's simply dangerous. In 2004, Phuket and its residents were not spared devastation from the Sumatra-born tsunami. Popular Patong Beach was among the hardest hit. Even without underwater earthquakes wreaking havoc, drowning poses a real threat to locals and tourists alike. Over our 4-day stay, 3 drownings occurred as Phuket's notorious rip tides took unwilling victims out to sea.

Land-based activities can be equally as dangerous as the tropical climate bodes well for poisonous serpentine. My first encounter with a live cobra occurred just before we left! Even the local transportation seems anything but safe. Tuk tuks (rickshaw-like motor vehicles with no doors) drive next to vans and tour buses that plow their way along highways. The bigger and faster vehicles pay little heed to these slow-going chuggers that make their way like the little engines that could.

Phuket is paradise there is no doubt. But there's a high price to pay for a little heaven on earth.