Baan Krating

Fraught with drunken idiots, unruly Chinese travelers, and cheapskates of the general variety, our flight to Phuket was anything but peaceful. Vowing never to take another late-night LCC (not so fondly referred to as “low class carrier”), at least one of us was on the verge of ripping someone’s head off. Luckily, the flight managed to take to the skies after only a brief delay, landing in Phuket at midnight. Happily, our ride was waiting and we soon set off on the hour-long trip to the secluded Baan Krating, located on the southern tip of the island.

Baan Krating, with its private beach, is one of those places favored by childless, mid-aged people who do not want interaction with society at large. Included in this demographic are the gay couple who sunbathed in the buff, the woman whose bikini got lost amongst multiple rolls of pink flab, and (M’s favorite) thong guy who paddled out to sea with a inflatable mattress and flippers, butt cheeks winking in the sunlight. Snickering aside, we spent the bulk of the weekend confined to Baan Krating’s beautifully natural setting for some desperately-needed rest.

We plopped ourselves in one of the straw-thatched huts, nestled high against various layers of canopy and over jungle undergrowth and its crawly critters. Not fond of the latter, we managed to avoid any intimate encounters, including one with a black snake. Also, placid rainfall tempered the high-pitched drone of the cicadas in the tree tops. The coral-laden ocean provided great swimming in lazy strokes while observing mild-mannered fish, territorial crabs, and curious amphibious creatures that hopped from rock to rock on their little pectoral fins.

The Baan Krating sojourn was so relaxing: our three days were consumed by thoughts of sleep (yes, those are V’s fat legs splayed in the corner of the pic), food, and Thai massage. What a fun weekend – we need to do this more often, me thinks.