Paradise Found!

Well, we're heading home on Monday, but we just had to do something to satisfy all you who were hoping to live vicariously through us. We hopped a plane down to Phuket Island, where we're staying at a very posh resort -- the Indigo Pearl (a little more polished than the Black Pearl, but Rozie feels like she's plundering treasure anyway.) We got a screaming last minute deal, so we'll be here for the three days before we head back to Seattle.

We arrived to a melee as the Miss France contestants were checking out. Talk about culture shock! There goes our feeling tall in Thailand. Of course the 3" stilletos with jeans helped, and set off the sashes well. (Do they have to wear them 24 hours/day?) And how come beauty queens all look the same? (Except for Sarah Palin, of course.) We didn't quite have the nerve up to ask them to pose for us, sorry. So anyway, now we're feeling VERY posh... and a little middle-aged frumpy.

As if we weren't feeling rather dizzy anyway, this resort is quite the den of cognitive dissonance. It's designed to evoke a tin mine, with all the Thai staff wearing metalsmithing aprons and t-shirts with shoveling men on them. (Yes, you read that right -- a posh resort that makes you feel like you're in a tin mine.) Everything in the entire complex evokes that theme. Still it is so swank, that we thought we'd just link to some pictures from the internet so you can get the right feel. (And we're using the computer in the library, so no photo uploading of our own. We'll post those later. K can't wait to show you the metal bolt toilet paper holder.)

We're in the middle of Nai Yang National Park, which is incredibly quiet and peaceful. Gorgeous huge trees with trunks like eucalyptus and needles like a pine shade everywhere but the beach, which has the softest sand you can imagine. We've never been on any shore where the sand gets WARMER as you head to the water. But, there are little stinging things in the sea, so we're very happy we have 3 pools to choose from in the resort! All in all, some nice R&R finally, before we come home for Thanksgiving.