Phuket, Thailand

After the year I just had it was time to slow down and recover, I was a bit (well a lot!) tired and very out of shape after sitting in a car driving through Africa for a year. So after the trip to Vietnam, I took myself down to Phuketfit in Rawai to spend a month getting fit (now, as I’m writing this, it sounds like a stupid way to relax!!!). Well, after a week, the universe agreed with me and threw me down some stairs…

This put a bit of a spanner in the works as I was bashed up pretty bad and one of the many injuries was a badly sprained ankle! Now, I’m not one to let a little injury get in the way of things and made the best of it. A few side trips, to beautiful islands, one being the stunning Similan islands, the clearest blue water teeming with 100’s of beautiful fish, and the whitest sand. I spent most of my time with my head under the water snorkelling.

A glorious trip with a friend to Phi Phi, I should have spent the month here – awesome place, but it would have been 4 weeks of partying not getting fit – a little side trip back here one day is called for… (One day I might remember I’m not in my 20’s anymore, but hey not just yet!).

Now, as I was a bit incapacitated with my injury and had more free time than expected, I decided I would use my time to conquer a few fears (what else would you do?) I’m not a person that has many and the ones I have really bug me so…

1. I hired a scooter (a fear you say – yes, after falling off Karen’s scooter at school when we were 16, I have been scared of riding one ever since) when my ankle could hold us up , I hired “Scooby” after a 2.5 minute lesson from Jason we started exploring – oh my, what fun, shouldn’t have left this so long to conquer I love it now – might need to get me one….

2. Scuba diving – since I first tried it I was claustrophobic in the mask and found it really hard to wear one, which is a problem when diving… It took me ten years to complete my Padi course and then have only dived once in the last 17 years. So after snorkelling in the Similans and loving it I decide to buy a mask at the scuba centre and snorkel at the beach near me every day as part of my fitness quest. This purchase got me to chatting to the guys there and next thing I know I’m doing a refresher course and was off to an island for a couple of dives – who knew, it’s really cool and I now want to do more!!

3. Birds – since visiting Trafalgar Square as a kid and getting swamped by pigeons, I hit the floor when birds flap their wings near me – I hate being near them!! So in the spirit of my new conquering quest, I agreed to go to a Bird show after quad biking to the Big Buddha. There were only 10 of us at the show so volunteers were in short demand – to cut to the flight(…) I let a number of birds land on me and at one stage lots of them at once – let’s just say for this fear I will not be getting a Bird as a pet anytime soon!!!

Only fear I have to work on now is heights – will save that one for Cape Town!

So while recovering from my close encounter of the stairs kind, I spent most of my days at the beach snorkeling, paddling, swimming, treading water ( good exercise…), some gym work and last week, I had a few Muay Thai lessons, I could really only punch and not kick much but loved it, who knew punching people was so much fun!!! I have even bought my own gear and contacted a Muay Thai gym at home.

So while doing all this and eating little and healthy, keeping away from all the bad stuff (well….), and I almost forgot – more shopping (funny that…), getting to know some great people from all over the world, I left Phuket fitter, stronger, thinner, braver and relaxed!!