Phuket

Phuket is the star attraction in Thailand. Most tourism is based out of here. Being that this is the high season, we were really trying to avoid it especially since we're not much interested in all the partying, crowds and noise. But we couldn't get transportation out of this region any other way but to book a flight out of Phuket airport (trains, other airports all sold out). So here we are in Phuket on New Years Day, of all days! We got a room at a quiet hotel near the airport by a quiet beach. Within a few hours we were bored so decided to jump into the thick of it and rent scooter and head down the length of the island to see the aquarium. This was a wild idea, because up until now we have been watching in horror as scooters, buses, taxis and cars lawlessly compete for the road at Daytona 500 speeds. We swore we would never rent scooters...and yet...! It wound up being terrific fun and a great way to see most of the island. By the way, Phuket does live up to the hype; it's beautiful. But when all is said and done, as far as beaches go, we rather preferred Ko Samui and Ko Phi Phi. Ko Lanta was just OK.