Take the High Road

It's clear from the blog entries on Jamie's Phuket that I like to get off the beaten track and explore my island. My wife and I don't like the touristy places and there are plenty of them in Phuket! We are always looking for back roads to explore, even after many years together. Trouble is, I currently work 6 days a week, have limited holidays and we have 2 kids, so we can't explore too far.

Last week, on the way to work, I decided on a whim at 6:20am to follow a new road. It was a beautiful morning, and I was out earlier than usual, just around sunrise. The view of the hills from Kathu looked like this:



As you come over the hill from Kathu to Patong, you pass a Chinese Shrine. Just to the left you see a small, narrow road heading further up the hill. I don't know how many hundreds of times I have asked myself "I wonder where that goes?", but never had the time to follow it, or just couldn't be bothered.



So, on my trusty Honda Wave 125 (not an off road bike!) I turned left and started to climb. At first I had views back over Kathu. The surface of the road changed rapidly from concrete to dirt and back. After the rain of the previous week, there were some slippery sections here and there, but not too bad. The road continued through rubber trees, winding up and down with no apparent aim. Finally some views over Patong appeared and I wondered if this might just somehow join up with "Ha Sip Pee road" which winds upward from Nanai Road in Patong. But no, this road was much higher, and as time ticked by I realised I had to turn around and head for work. The road carried on, and now I think it might just reach the top of Radar Hill.





One day soon, the wife and I plan to follow this road all the way to it's unknown destination. Will be easier now it's dry season.

There are lots of backroads in life. Sometimes they are worth a look.