Heading South to Phuket

People in Thailand are so friendly we have yet to encounter a rude or not smiling person! Sad to leave Bangkok but knowing we still have loads of adventures ahead of us J and I  boarded a plane to the south of Thailand.

Well if we thought Bangkok was hot it has nothing on Phuket. A wall of humidity greeted us at Phuket airport but then so did our smiling Thai transfer that was taking us to our hotel the Andaman Seaview Hotel. Where we discovered that not only did we have a room but an entire suite complete with towel bunnies and flowers on our beds. Rocking it! Big up to J  for organising this one.

Arrival sunsets seem to be our thing in Thailand as we topped off our first night in Phuket with a rainbow, sunset walk on the beach and dinner at a very fancy restaurant on the rocks by the sea. Then last but not least we treated ourselves to pedicures. This is the relaxed life.

A sleep in at our palacial accommodation was devine not to mention our breakfast where there was everything on offer from bacon, eggs, fruit, cereal, yoghurt, waffles, curries, rice and  the list goes on and on.

Plan for the day: off to Phuket town to go and check out the architecture and shopping. To get there we needed to get the equivalent of a tuk tuk down here which is like a little half loaf van like the one in the movie 'Under the Tuscan Sun' that the Polish workers pile off of. Imagine a truck but a mini me version with the seats along the side and no glass in any of the back windows so that air can flow through.

Phuket town was interesting especially as there was a Vegetarian Festival on the go so there was so many street food stalls and red lanterns hanging about. It was also so hot it felt like we were actually in huge sauna. So much sweating!

Walking around we passed by the food stalls and got some steamed dumpling type buns that had black beans and pumpkin in them. We also managed to find the old town which was great for photography but not so great for avoiding taxi drivers hoping to drive us anywhere. 'No thank you we have seen the big Buddha, yes and the monkeys and no thank you no shopping' become the words of the afternoon.

Fails of the day include us wanting to catch one of the cute red 'Honey I shrunk the truck' vans but accidently getting a normal car taxi. People really shouldn't sleep in cars that aren't theirs. Note to self ask a taxi driver which car is his first before agreeing to get in.

Wins of the day were getting a yummy meal just 10 minutes before the special finished for the day and for the win Miss J and her excellent bartering skills when buying a new handbag!

Rough Seas

As the wind and rain continues to batter most of the United Kingdom the North Sea joins in to make it's voice heard. 

The Aberdeen Harbour wall is engulfed by the waves. 

Discovering the Fittie

Footdee, or the 'Fittie' as it is more commonly known as in Aberdeen, is nothing short of charming. Upon reaching the end of the beach promenade you would be forgive for thinking that there was nothing next to the harbour expect grey, cold stone houses. But if you walk a little way up to get around a wall (and in my case climb over it) and then turn the corner you will be amazed to discover the Fittie that lies before you. 

The area itself has been inhabited as far back as the Medieval times but is mostly known for housing the local fishing community of Aberdeen. The Footdee, as a housing development was laid out by John Smith (a well known Aberdonian architect) in 1809 and has since then seen many seafaring families come and go. The rhythmical crashing of waves and the smell of salt reminds you that you are in close proximity to the beach. Although from the narrow streets of the Fittie you cannot see the sea as all the houses face inwards with their backs to the ocean to protect their inhabitants from the weathers cold grasp. 

In 1880 the Town Council decided to start selling the houses to their inhabitants and so began a time of reconstruction and individuality in the Fittie. Some people built 'tarry sheds' in the squares of open land that the houses faced. These sheds were originally built from drift wood but over the years some of them have been built and rebuilt using other materials. 

But all the houses and sheds have personality. 

It jumps out at you in the vibrant colours that scream knock on my door. 

It is whispered as you walk by the strangest decorations in the gardens. 

It is written in the history of a hard life lived. 

It is noticeable in the smallest of details. 

It laughs with you at the absurdity of it all. 

It smiles back at you as you realise that you just encountered a slice of something out of the ordinary 

But shhhhhh don't tell anyone.....

The 'Fittie' is hidden from the public's view by stone walls,  

but it's a discovery worth making. 

Transformation and the River Don

There is just something about large bodies of moving water that becomes even more magical when the light around you is changing. For me they are magical places that speak in poetry and motion. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said that 'my soul is full of longing, for the secret of the sea' and that in speaking the truth about the sea we can't leave out the poetry. And seeing as I am not much of a poet I thought I would give photographing the River Don as it began transforming a try.  

It's official a beach bum career choice is only for those in warmer climates

So usually when you live somewhere near the ocean and you are umemployed you can always fall back on the career path of being a beach bum. Although I hear the pay is lousy the job satisfaction is extremely high especially if you love the beach. Hence it was with a hopeful mind that yesterday I decided to take the five minute walk down the road to the seaside.

I spent roughly two and a half hours walking along the beach front only to discover that it is official a beach bum career choice is only for those in warmer climates! By the time I had gotten home, despite wearing about four layers of clothing and wellingtons to the beach, I could no longer feel my legs. Honestly on the stretch of road home I poked my finger into my thigh and nothing......I didn't feel a thing! So I tried a good old fashioned leg slap. Barely a tickle of sensation. By now people were starting to look at me funny as they walked by so I decided to hurry on home before the men in white coats came to look for me. 

The good news that came out of my walk is that today I am back on the job hunt and despite risking frost bite taking my fingers (yes I only have fingerless gloves...I know...silly right but I like to be able to feel the buttons on my camera)  I did manage to get some nice photos of the Aberdeen seaside.

So Enjoy!

A view towards the Aberdeen city centre from on top of a hill near the golf driving range. Actually there are the most entertaining signs on this hill as well which I will be posting up in my next post.

If you turn your back to the ocean from on top of the hill you look over this grave yard that seems to go for quite a distance.

The Aberdeen Promenade is quite busy even in winter. It may not look llike it in the photo but I passed numerous joggers and dog walkers while exploring the beach.

 Another view of the promenade.

 The beach in Aberdeen is an amazing cross between the lovely sandy beaches that I am used to visiting in South Africa and the pebbled beaches that the UK is known for. I say that it is a cross between the two as most it is sandy like the photo above but in some sections there are large build ups of pebbles.

 Ok so most of you are probably thinking what does she mean by sections. Well if you look careful at one of my promendae photos you will see rows of wooden columns like pictured above going out into the ocean. This divide the beach into what I have called sections.

 Once I had walked all the way to the River Don I could go no further without a boat unless I was prepared to swim across - which for the record I was not. I stumbled across the part of the river that the birds apparently love as you can tell by their numbers.

 Six seagulls fly overhead while they keep a watchful eye for any fish near the surface.



 The Bridge of Don

The river has a beautiful s-bend before it flows out to sea.

And just to make sure that I don't lose hope and remember that God has a plan I turned around from facing the sea just as the sun burst through an opening in the dense grey cloud that had covered my day. Reminding me that no matter the grey or the cold there will always be blue skies again.