05.22.25 | Phuket

The primary reasons to visit Thailand are the food and fruit. When Dad was planning the trip, he asked me if there was anything I wanted to do specifically. My response was, “to be there, and eat.”

My parents and little brother immediately took me to dinner when I arrived at the resort yesterday evening. We went to an open-air food court and ate fresh fried spring rolls, garlic fried rice, Khai Jiao (friend omelette), Pak Boong Fai Dang (stir-fried morning glory), Kaeng Khiao Wan (green curry), and rice. Sweet, sweet Jasmine rice. I ate to burst. Then topped it off with a Nam Bpan, a fruit smoothie, which is simply fresh fruit and ice thrown into a blender. Nothing else is needed. I chose the ambrosiac combination of passion fruit and mango.

Jet lag wakes us up early my first full day at the resort. We take our coffee at the breakfast buffet as soon as it opens. When ready for food, I browse the broad selection slowly: fresh fruits, Southeast Asian dishes, European pastries and sausages. My plate begins as cacophonous collage of cuisines but simplifies each successive morning until it is only a small saucer of papaya and pineapple.

We wander to the beach while it’s still sleepy to play in the waves. Kata beach has low, languid surf typically. Gentle, unexcitable swells. But rainy season changes the tides. The waves reach above our heads. Energetically pull us into their curling crests. And gleefully dunk us and drag us across the seabed if we are not vigilant. Perfect conditions for bodysurfing, an activity I haven’t enjoyed in over a decade. Wading out to where the waves break, catching a crest at the right moment, and riding the rush all the way back to shore--it’s an exhilarating playfulness I have not felt in a long, long time.

By the time the sun strengthens and the beach crowds, we’ve had our fill of the sea and leave hungrily seeking an early lunch. Something simple. Kuai Tiao Tom Yum (noodle soup Tom Yum) and a Singha beer. On another day, lunch will be more elaborate. A trip to the fresh seafood market for a feast: whole steamed fish seasoned with lime, chilies, and garlic, yellow curried crab, garlic shrimp, Tom Yum Bla (fish), stir-fried Chinese broccoli, and rice.

The afternoons are for small adventures. Walking the beach, exploring snacks at the convenience stores, card games, naps... Then it’s time to eat again, despite feeling overstuffed--how could we pass any opportunity to partake in this food we yearned for--and tuck into Gai Pad Med Mamuang (cashew chicken), Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Soup), Phat Graprao sai khai dao (Basil stir-fry with fried egg on top), and banana roti drizzled with sweetened condensed milk.

Finally, it is early to bed. Our reward for not surrendering to the lull of jet lag in the afternoon and resisting our pillows until the sun sets.