Monsoon

The downsides of living on an island are the limitations. There is very little diversity. I often complain there is a lack of activities you can do in Phuket. This is especially true in rainy season. Most people live here because of the beautiful beaches; you can walk on the beach, have a picnic lunch, swim, snorkel, sunbathe, dive, play beach volleyball, marvel at the sunset, etc. This is out of the question when it’s raining. What’s left? Shop or drink. Seriously! Where are the shows, concerts, art exhibitions, museums, theatres? “No haaave!” There are two main cinemas and they offer in general 3 English movies a week. Needless to say I have seen the new flicks and I am always impatiently waiting for the selection to change!

It’s been monsoon here for the past month. This doesn’t mean it rains every single day, we do have stretches of nice weather for days or hours at the time, where it’s normally a race to catch a few sun rays...

What always amazes me is how crazy the road become when there is a rain storm. So many parts of the island get flooded and it causes chaos because half of the vehicles are scooters. It is extremely dangerous and the accidents multiply. Now being Canadian, I can’t say driving in a rain storm in Phuket is more stressful than driving in a snow storm in Montreal. Far from it, actually. But that’s because I drive a car, not a motorbike! The news always announces floods in various areas : the sewers overflow, the gutters are too small to contain the water and huge puddles accumulate on the roads. The Phuket News last night said that roads “were submerged in water a few metres deep”. This happens multiple times a year, so why can’t it be improved? Here's a video of Patong yesterday :