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HEALTH & FITNESS
236
February15
The new face of Phuket is less about beer
bellies and more about six-packs. AMY BROOK-
PARTRIDGE dragged her friend Michelle along to
check out the Thai island’s changing scene.
O
n the 45-minute drive from the airport to
Chalong, located in southeastern Phuket, we
passed a range of tourist hot spots including
the Laguna Resorts, and Surin and Patong
beaches, which are peppered with restaurants, bars and
nightclubs.
Arriving in Chalong, you soon realise this area is in stark
contrast to these other, better-known haunts. This is a place
with a fitness focus, centred around one road, Soi Tad-ied,
that’s lined with gyms and Muay Thai and MMA (mixed
martial arts) camps. The boards propped outside the street
cafés don’t offer two-for-one cocktails and burgers; rather,
they sell protein shakes, raw food and gluten-free produce.
This is a newer side to Phuket – an area where people
can go to mix a little relaxation with a lot of physical hard
work. It’s a place where you’re far more likely to spot a six-
pack than a beer belly. During our stay, we heard of people
visiting for one week to six months and more, some with
the aim of losing a few kilos, others looking to completely
change their lives through weight loss and fitness.
Keen fitness fans ourselves, my companion Michelle and
I were eager to see what the different gyms had to offer.