Art By Tali Landsman

We headed towards Rawai Beach, We decided to go there to find a vegetarian restaurant that serves reputedly good raw food. We did not find the restaurant, but we had a great day strolling around the Rawai area. Located on the lowest eastern part of Phuket, Rawai beach is not a dreamy soft sand swimming beach. In fact, we saw no one swimming there and no beach chairs or umbrellas lined the shores. The best beach to swim at in Rawai, is named Nai Han Beach (also spelled Nai Harn beach). It is a sandy stretch of clean swimmable beach with plenty of lounging beds and umbrellas to rent, beachside massage and casual eateries and it is located west of the stretch of beach I am describing here.  Rawai beach is edged with tall trees that conveniently shade the shore, and the water is dotted with old motorized boats, offering ferry rides to nearby islands. All along the beach road, boat owners sit on makeshift wooden platforms, bare chested with permanently tanned skins, browned from a lifetime

Dim lights,  Minimalist wooden Asian decor,  The smell of the Japanese Robata grill,  The hiss and glow of the flames,  All welcome us at Masu restaurant, in the center of Auckland, New Zealand. We are having our last meal in NZ before our flight to Thailand. The friendly waiter and waitress who must have served hundreds of people since the last time we've been there, still remembered us. They shook our hands and shyly asked if we remembered them also. Of course we do.... We always remember people who are kind to us.   But to be honest, I was a bit stunned.... Masu restaurant, despite being an expensive new Japanese restaurant, is fully booked every night..... And yet they remembered us the minute we came in. The food is excellent and the place is buzzing with NZ celebrities. I would hardly recognize any of the celebs, maybe only a handful, but from the stares and whispers of nearby diners, I figured that some of the people were well known in media or politics in NZ. We flew busine