Day 18 – The Day My Stomach Quit | Thailand Travel Diary

Saturday, Nov 15 – Day 18, Phuket (Cape Panwa Area)
Location: Kanary Bay Hotel → Cape Panwa Resort
Mood: Hydrated in theory, dehydrated in practice; stomach in full mutiny.

The Day My Stomach Filed a Formal Complaint

We’ve officially hit the part of the trip where none of us feel compelled to do something every day. It turns out that pacing your adventures makes the whole “30 days in Thailand” thing much more enjoyable than coming home needing a vacation from your vacation.

Unfortunately, today is also the day my stomach left the group chat.

Not dramatically — no sweating on a bathroom floor (been there, more recently than you may thing) — but definitely enough to slow me down. Every time I put something in my body (food, water, hopes, dreams), it responded with a swift “absolutely not.” Could be dehydration from our full-day boat tour. Could be heat. Could just be my gut showing her true chaotic nature. Hard to say.

Regardless, today became a gentle day by necessity.

The Beach, the Bar & the Husband Cameos

Brent finally came to the beach with us this morning — his first time the entire trip — and I loved showing him see all “my spots”.

We got there a bit later than usual, so the prime chairs were taken, but we still tucked ourselves under some massive palms just steps from the bar. Beer-to-hand ratio: optimal for Brent.

Then we wandered to the pool, which honestly deserves its own postcard. Cape Panwa Resort sits right on the Andaman Sea — which, by the way, is home to everything from clownfish to reef sharks to the occasional manta ray — and the whole pool deck looks like you’ve walked into a movie set. Infinity-style edges, warm breeze, jungle behind you, ocean in front of you. And a cold-water “jacuzzi” tucked under a little pavilion with jets that hit exactly the right spots.

After that, we went exploring and ended up at the lagoon for a swim. High tide = sandy bottom, no coral surprises. Low tide = obstacle course from hell. Today, blessedly, was the former.

I also showed Brent the bizarre underwater walkway — a literal concrete path that extends into the sea like someone forgot where the shoreline was. Still no idea why it exists. No plaques. No signs. No explanation online. It’s giving “hotel project someone forgot to finish” vibes. I haven’t walked it to the end yet, but it goes far (and all completely underwater). The absolute coolest part about this walkway is it allows you to walk way out and stay safe from all the coral. One of these days, I’ll venture out to find the end and I’ll report back on how long this thing actually is.

Facials Booked, Buffets Avoided, and Stomachs Betrayed

On the walk back over the hill I booked myself a nine-step facial for Tuesday because if there’s ever a place to have a stranger rub serums into your face for an hour, it’s here.

Lunch wasn’t happening for me (stomach said no), and by dinner time Brent and I made an executive decision to skip the pricey buffet at Cape Panwa with Mom and Steve.

Instead, we tried Bambi — a little spot just a few steps from our hotel — and had one of our favourite meals yet. I ordered Pad Thai, Brent got chicken caramelized with peanuts (basically a sweet brown sauce situation and extremely tasty). Dinner plus drinks cost 650 baht.

Meanwhile, Mom and Steve paid 3,500 baht at the buffet.
Our total in CAD: about $25
Their total in CAD: about $135

And listen — I’m sure the buffet was lovely, but my stomach was absolutely not attending any event with the word “buffet” in it.

Slow Days, Soft Skies & Stomach Unrest

The rest of the night was quiet. Brent and I wandered a little, savoured the breeze, and just enjoyed the rare feeling of having a slow evening to ourselves. Group travel is great, but one-on-one time hits different — especially when you both need the reset.

Here’s hoping my stomach sorts itself out before tomorrow. Thailand has been very forgiving so far, but today… she had notes.