Where do you find peace and joy?

While peace and joy may be scarce in our world today, esp. in light of the Bangkok bombings over New Year's Eve, we at least found some in our recent vacation in Phuket. We loved the gentleness of the Thais, the richness of their culture, their musical language and uniquely spicy food (tho' a tad heavy on the sugar and coconut milk!) Most importantly, we cherished just being together -- be it sweating and sunburning on the golf course during the day ...

.... or cooling down with cocktails and coconuts at sunset.

Phuket's beaches have distinct characteristics: From the Boat Lagoon and Laem Hinn Harbour in the east, to the crowded madness of Patong and Kata in the south, to the up-and-coming Surin, Kamala and Laguna in the west, and peaceful Nai Yang and Mai Khao in the north.

The relatively untouched northern beaches form Phuket's longest stretch of sand (~13 km) and are also home to the Sirinath Marine National Park, a protected nursing area where leatherback turtles come to shore to lay their eggs during the dry October - February season. In fact, we liked it so much that we seriously considered a vacation club ownership at the Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, which also launched the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation as part of its grand opening in 2002. Go here for more photos.

Happy 2007 and 新年快樂!