Journey to Peace Village

I finally was able to go to the beach on Saturday. Beaches are the heart of Phuket's tourist industry with sparkling white sand and crystal blue waters. The beach we went to is called Ni Harn is considered one of the quieter ones on the island.

About 11 a.m. in the morning, Tracy, Rudo and I piled into a tuk tuk which is a sort of small truck adapted with seats. It is a less expensive way to get around town for tourists. It took a good forty minutes to get to Ni Harn beach.

Once there one finds a series of seaside restaurants offering everything from Mexican cuisine to traditional Thai favorites. On the beach there are a variety of languages being spoken, English, German and Italian being the top three.

I had borrowed snorkeling equipment from my classmate, Gene. Soon I was in the water trying it out. I found the flippers too cumbersome on both land and sea, but I soon learned how to snorkel and spent about an hour in the water. Snorkeling give you a peaceful feeling as you are very aware of the cycles of breathing and feel immersed in gentle waves. The patterns of the sand below and the sudden appearance of rocks as black landmarks makes one both alert and fluent in the language of harmony at the same time. It was a fantastic experience that not too long ago, I never would have imagined I could do!

Labels: beaches, snorkeling, Thailand, tourism