Thailand: Krabi, Phuket, Koh Tao and Koh Lanta

Thailand, 2023. Krabi, Rawai on Phuket, Koh Tao and Koh Lanta.

I spend the European winter in Southeast Asia, so Thailand comes around most years. 

The first time involved elephants

In 2001 I captained the Australian team at the Elephant Polo "World Cup", held in Hua Hin, Thailand. Unitil it was banned.

Krabi

Sunset and dinner at Kaothong Hill, 24 March 2026. Getting anywhere worth going around Krabi can mean a long boat.

Rawai, Phuket

The south end of the island, a long way from Patong in every sense. Coffee at Three Monkeys. Tiger Muay Thai is up the road at Chalong, but now I spend my visits in the north of Phuket to be near the Thanapura Sporting complex. Amazing facilities for next to nothing compared to Australia and Europe. And I get to hang out with world champions as they pass thru en route to various world championships.

Dean Boxhall and crew just left (August, 2026).

Koh Tao and Koh Lanta

Koh Tao is a dive island. You dive, you eat, you go to bed early. Koh Lanta runs slower again. By 2023 cannabis was legal and there was a cafe for it on every second corner, which is the photo you are looking at below.

The bungee

Phuket. It is on this page because I did it, Never again.

The other half of the year

Everything between April and November happens on the boat. The Greek Islands and Mediterranean pages cover that, The Log has the passages, and how I ended up living this way is on No Fixed Address. If you are passing through Phuket or Monaco, say so.