MEMORIES kept me company when I flew recently to the sun-and-sea promises of Phuket and Khao Lak.
My last trip to Thailand's world-famous Andaman coast was three years ago, shortly before the devastating tsunami struck in 2004.
RAFT IT OUT: Take a bamboo raft along Lam Ru canal and, who knows, you might meet some monkeys and snakes.
Images of Phuket's heady mix of crowded beaches spilling over with rowdy tourists, intrusive shop touts and bars full of amorous Caucasian men flashed across my mind.
Would Khao Lak, located barely 100km north in Phang-Nga province, prove to be any different?
As it turned out, the next three days were a refreshing distraction as I discovered fun-filled adventures and eco treasures that I never knew existed.
Here's an alternative guide to both destinations:
Khao Lak
Bamboo rafting
THIS is like whitewater rafting minus the thrills and spills, but is fun nonetheless.
Head to the main canal in Khaolak-Lam Ru National Park. A sturdy-looking local resident steers the bamboo raft downstream while I soak in nature at its rudimentary best.
The water, which flows from a nearby collection of hills, is tantalisingly cool and I enjoy a quick sip.
During the short half-hour trip, I spot several monkeys by the banks gazing at me, and a vine-hugging grass snake.
No harm done but I did not expect to get my bottom wet.
Fee: 500 baht (S$22.90) per person
SPECTACULAR CLIFF HANGERS: Savour the lush greenery of the rainforests that grow on cliffs which plunge straight into the Andaman Sea at Khao Lak.
Hiking
TRAVEL another 40km up north on the main highway and I arrive at the 246 sq km forested enclave of Si Phang-Nga National Park, established in honour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60th birthday in 1988.
Framed by rugged mountains, its dense evergreen forest is home to abundant wildlife, including elephants, tapirs and mousedeer.
Trekking 500m up a dirt path, I am rewarded with a spectacular view of the park's crown jewel, the imposing Tam Nang Waterfall - a 60m cascading tower of water set among lush foliage, giving the place a Garden of Eden feel.
Admission to the park: 200 baht per person
Tsunami activities
NO TRIP to Khao Lak these days is complete without surveying the damage caused by the 2004 tsunami.
Phang-Nga was Thailand's worst-hit province with more than 4,000 people killed, and the resort town today still bears sombre reminders of its horrific past.
Drive 15 minutes from the main resort stretch to the small fishing village of Ban Nam Khem.
Here, a police patrol boat is perched in the midst of a grove of trees, swept some 800m inland by the velocity of the waves.
A nearby altar is draped with colourful flower garlands and poignantly plastered with faded pictures of missing children.
Closer to shore, I find blue markers littering the coastline. Planted by local authorities, they are each marked with the height of the monstrous waves when they crashed onto the coast. A few indicate waves as high as 11m.
Where to stay
KHAO Lak's sophisticated appeal is reflected in the choice of accommodation available. Cookie-cutter motels are rare but there are plenty of exquisite boutique resorts to choose from.
All are within a stone's throw from long stretches of sandy, unspoilt beaches.
Like many of the other resorts, the Khao Lak Seaview Resort and Spa, where I stay, has been recently rebuilt.
Nestled between lush mountains and the tranquil waters of Nang Thong Beach, the resort comprises 197 rooms and individual villas - perfect for couples seeking a romantic getaway.
Rates start from 4,600 baht for a deluxe room to 26,000 baht for an executive pool villa.
One minor quibble is that I have to pay to use the resort's sports and recreation facilities.
Go on a forest trek atop an elephant in Phuket.
But with an air of utter relaxation about the place, there's really no need to keep myself occupied.
Phuket
Elephant-trekking
PHUKET'S main attraction has always been its beaches but there is also plenty to see and do in the island's nature-filled interior.
What better way to rummage through thick forests than to do so in true traditional Thai style - on the back of an elephant?
I sign up with local eco-tour operator Siam Safari, which offers a half-day tour of monkey-training schools and rural villages, and includes an elephant trek.
Throughout the four-hour trip, our khaki-clad host keeps our spirits up, despite the gloomy weather, with interesting snippets about rural Thai lifestyle, like how some villagers still use coconut husks as toilet paper.
The half-hour elephant trek around the Chalong Highlands is also memorable and we are treated to breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain ranges.
Siam Safari charges 2,100 baht for an adult and 1,470 baht for a child for a half-day afternoon tour, which includes dinner on a junk boat.
LIFE'S MORE THAN A BEACH: In Phuket, you can soak up cultural parades and carnivals at the Phuket FantaSea theme park.
Phuket FantaSea
THIS night-time cultural theme park is touted as Thailand's answer to Cirque du Soleil.
Built at a cost of 3,500 million baht, it features a 3,000-seat Las Vegas-style show theatre and a cavernous buffet dining hall which can hold 4,000.
Its cultural parades, clowns and carnivals scattered throughout the 56.7ha theme park are guaranteed to keep children enthralled.
The glitzy 90-minute show cobbles together a whimsical Thai mythology of magic, dancing elephants and song-and-dance odes to rice farming.
Personally, I find the entire sequence a little thin on entertainment value, so I think it is more rewarding to have a go at various 'tikam' game stalls.
The park opens from 5.30 to 11.30pm daily except Thursday. Admission fees range from 1,000 to 1,500 baht, depending on whether dinner buffet is included.
Chalong Bay
SITUATED on the south-eastern stretch of the island, Chalong Bay is Phuket's largest bay and main boat anchorage
While its muddy shoreline makes it unsuitable for swimming - unlike the more illustrious Patong Beach - it has become a treasure cove of seafood restaurants.
The Kan-eang Seafood restaurant, which I visit, whips up a five-course meal, including sea-fresh pomfret, prawns and flower crabs, for about 300 baht per person.
There are alfresco dining options, with the restaurant veranda overlooking the picturesque bay and its moored boats.
I recommend it as the ideal place to end any Andaman adventure.
