#phuketthailand phuketislandlife loneliness solotraveller

[destinationhammock-blog]

Island Life: Phuket, Thailand

I’m officially on my own for the rest of this adventure. I said goodbye to the fam at the airport and headed south for a week in Phuket. The flight from Bangkok is short and sweet and the views as you descend onto the island are pretty spectacular. I usually get claustrophobic in the window seat, but this one time - I was pleased. Hellooooooooo Phuket! 

My main purpose for coming to the island is to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary. I spoiled myself rotten knowing I would be shoveling dung and god knows what else in the days to come. The tsunami warning at the resort was unsettling, but once I got over that I had a pretty great day. Run friends - I even snuck in a run on a treadmill in one of the poolside salas before dipping into my own personal infinity pool (who am I?!). 

I’ll be honest, by nightfall I was a wreck. I felt overcome by loneliness now that I was solo. I honestly don’t know what happened, but I was considering flying home early! Also - the sounds of the jungle at night are pretty frightening. Birds, lizards, bugs - all come to life as soon as the sun goes down. I didn’t sleep a wink until the sun rose. I opened the curtains and snoozed facing the brightest orange and yellow hues of morning. The calm of a new day and the work ahead of me snapped me back to reality. I packed up my bag and headed into the experience of a lifetime...