Phuket, Thailand
Sometimes
in life, we DO get lucky.Remember the times there was a lucky draw and
you'd never think you would win? Well, I felt the same when I added the
AirAsia application on Facebook a couple of months ago. I got a call
from their CSR a few days later telling me that I WON A RETURN TICKET TO
PHUKET!
And that is how I ended up in Phuket, a month later.
I already have the Airport Bus map and schedule with me, so I made my way to the exit and thankfully spotted the bus. It would be another 45 minutes until the bus departs, and I was dying of starvation ( the first and last meal I had was at home, before leaving Malaysia) but I couldn't get anything to eat around the airport because I couldn't find any eateries outside. Considered going to Burger King but that would put me at risk of missing my bus. At the end, I decided that I could eat in Phuket town when I reach before planning my journey to Patong beach and my accomodation for the next 2 nights.
Nothing was spectacularly different on the journey, the views were almost the same as Malaysia. Well, it reminded me a lil' of Langkawi's quaint kampungs ( what with the buffalos roaming the roads) and it poured when we reached Phuket town. When I got off the bus, I was immediately surrounded by touts and cab drivers wanting to know where I'm off to. Looks like I can't have my food again. The time was about 3pm local time, and the woman was harrassing me incessantly, and quoted 350b for the transport to Patong, and it wasn't even a cab or a tuk tuk. It was a MOTORBIKE.
I didn't mind the bike, but I minded the price. I told her it only costs 150b to Patong. After much haggling, we finally decided at 200b, and I hopped on the bike. It was a long time since I got on a bike, so I enjoyed the experience. And without helmet! LOL.Dangerous, but nevertheless, adventurous.
Thai Oriental Inn was located at the sidewalk of a dental clinic, so I missed it the first time. It was a cosy little place, and the owner was there to greet me. After payment, I was shown to my room, which is located at the 3rd floor without lift.3rd FLOOR! That means, up and down a few times that stairs. Damn. My roomies are Gemma ( London) and Alicia ( Barcelona). Al arrived in Phuket a few days before, while Gemma did a day before me. I went downstairs to get something to eat and to be safe I chose to stick to the safest food in Thailand - Tom Yum.
Some 1 km later, I stumbled upon some shops selling souvenirs manned by 2 Pakistani men. While looking around I asked them where I could get packages for island tours and they pointed me at a direction where a small travel agency was located. They were about to close, so evidently I was their last customer. All the famous packages were the island hopping, Ko Phang Nga island, James Bond Island, yada yada. All too touristic and plus I didn't feel like hopping from one island to another at that moment, so I chose the Highlight Tour package from Phuket Varieties and Attractions - which includes visits to Wat Chalong, Cashew Nut factory, Gypsy Village, View Point, Big Buddha ( that package was the only one which had visit to the Big Buddha, so I took it although I was soooo tempted to take another which included walks in the National Park and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project ) That package cost me 650b, which is about RM67, which was OK.After confirming my pick up time and location (8am the next day infront of Thai Oriental Inn ), I decided to go for a walk to the beach.
Patong Beach was basking in the late evening sunlight. There were still holidaymakers swimming, but most opted to walk or just lay by the beach watching the sunset. It was a wonderful sight of sunset. Every 200m or so, there's a signboard advising of the tsunami evacuation route. It's hard to believe that this beach was devastated by the tsunami in 2004, and doesn't even bear the slightest evidence of it.
I had dinner in one of the street stalls again, this time opting for Thai Red Curry but was given something which resembled Nasi Paprik instead. It was cheap, my food and drink cost me 70b. After that, I went into an internet cafe which also offers IDD call services to call home, but for some reason I never got through. My mobile phone kept giving me a pre-recorded message of " Your card has been barred at your request". Fuming, I went back and chatted for a bit with Gemma and Al who was getting ready to party the night away at one of the bars in Bangla Road.
I declined their invitation as I had an early morning tomorrow, so after washing up, I went to bed.
Phuket Day 1, roger and out.
I woke up at 7am, had showers and went down for breakfast ( those stairs again! ). The surroundings was already teeming with activity, and mind you it was barely 8am. I hopped into a small cozy restaurant for my dose of coffee and toast with omelette, and well it was OK. The van came to pick me up at 8.30am, with 3 Australian couples already on board. Our first stop was Rubber Tapping show, where we are shown how rubber tapping is done and a lil bit of history of it. After that it was Karon View Point, where we could see Kata, Karon and Patong beach together. It was an amazing sight.
After some photographs, we were whisked away to see The Big Buddha, who's statue could be seen from as far as Karon View Point. As we went uphill, the views were wonderful, we could see the vastness of Chalong Bay and the surrounding islands, as well as the blue-green seas. The Big Buddha was still under construction but it was really magnificient nevertheless. After that was Gypsy Village at Rawai Beach,then to Wat Chalong.
Wat Chalong is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Phuket, if not Thailand. The interior was magnificient and the temple itself was really amazing. We spent about 30 minutes in Wat Chalong ( I even had time to pray and make a vow :p ). It was lunchtime afterwards and shopping, but since the guide dropped us in a shopping complex, there wasn't much to buy. After lunch it was to the Fresh Market, Chinese Temple and the Gem and Diamond factory.
By the time I got back ( about 3pm), I was really exhausted. I went up to my room and Al was getting ready to leave ( she'll be continuing to Bangkok for another 4 days before heading back to Barcelona) and Gemma went island hopping. I fell asleep for a bit, then woke up, changed and went for a massage. Man those Thai massages are really rigorous. They were worth it though, 200b for 1 hour. After that I went for a swim at the beach, and basked in all of Phuket's glory.After swimming, I came back, changed and went for dinner. Tried calling home again and still couldn't get through, and I was getting really irritated. After all it's just Thailand. I suppose some of the calls I made DID go through, coz my mom called back. After telling her about my trip, I had dinner ( green curry, which was really nice) and got some souvenirs to be brought back home.
Since it was my last night in Phuket, it was too tempting to go to the bars and the clubs that Phuket is so famous for. Well sufficient to say I had my share of drinks and "views", but I didn't stay too long, as the airport van was picking me up at 10am the next day. Came back, packed my bags ( Gemma was in too, we were going to go in the same van, and same flight back to KL, she was to transit in KL before flying to London with a layover in Doha). After washing up, I slept ( was really tired) and I suppose I conked out as soon as I put my head on the pillow.
Phuket Day 2, roger and out.
Woke up at 8am to continue packing and got ready, checked out at 8.45am, went to the beach and had my breakfast ( was determined to finish all the remaining Thai baht I had) so had breakfast in a chic and elegant cafe overlooking the beach. Returned back at 9.45am and we were at the airport by 12pm. Our flight back to KL was slightly delayed, and I arrived at about 4.20pm,and since no one was around to pick me up, I took the conventional way home ( airport bus - KTM - taxi)and was home by 8pm.
It was a short holiday but it gave me the alone time I so needed, and it changed my perspective of Thailand and the negative image I painted when I was in Bangkok for a layover exactly 2 years ago was dramatically changed. Thais are generally a nice lot, the women really pretty, the men helpful, and they are very respectful towards backpackers. I suppose my next trip to Thailand will be during my IndoChina trip ( Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam) using the border-to-border off road, and I believe I would grow to like Thailand in time.
* Special thanks to: God Almighty, who always kept an eye on me (!) during my solo travels around the world, AirAsia, who made this trip possible, family and friends for all the support, and Tourism Thailand for loads of information leading to my trip *
And that is how I ended up in Phuket, a month later.
Phuket, March 2009
I arrived Phuket at 1pm local time, after taking off from KL at 12.45pm (KL). Since the island is just a few metres away from the sea, the view was breathtaking. However, the queue at Passport Control was so long that it took me 1 hour to get cleared, and by that time 3 other flights has already landed and passengers were swearing under their breath.Talk about being efficient.Sigh.I already have the Airport Bus map and schedule with me, so I made my way to the exit and thankfully spotted the bus. It would be another 45 minutes until the bus departs, and I was dying of starvation ( the first and last meal I had was at home, before leaving Malaysia) but I couldn't get anything to eat around the airport because I couldn't find any eateries outside. Considered going to Burger King but that would put me at risk of missing my bus. At the end, I decided that I could eat in Phuket town when I reach before planning my journey to Patong beach and my accomodation for the next 2 nights.
Nothing was spectacularly different on the journey, the views were almost the same as Malaysia. Well, it reminded me a lil' of Langkawi's quaint kampungs ( what with the buffalos roaming the roads) and it poured when we reached Phuket town. When I got off the bus, I was immediately surrounded by touts and cab drivers wanting to know where I'm off to. Looks like I can't have my food again. The time was about 3pm local time, and the woman was harrassing me incessantly, and quoted 350b for the transport to Patong, and it wasn't even a cab or a tuk tuk. It was a MOTORBIKE.
I didn't mind the bike, but I minded the price. I told her it only costs 150b to Patong. After much haggling, we finally decided at 200b, and I hopped on the bike. It was a long time since I got on a bike, so I enjoyed the experience. And without helmet! LOL.Dangerous, but nevertheless, adventurous.
Thai Oriental Inn was located at the sidewalk of a dental clinic, so I missed it the first time. It was a cosy little place, and the owner was there to greet me. After payment, I was shown to my room, which is located at the 3rd floor without lift.3rd FLOOR! That means, up and down a few times that stairs. Damn. My roomies are Gemma ( London) and Alicia ( Barcelona). Al arrived in Phuket a few days before, while Gemma did a day before me. I went downstairs to get something to eat and to be safe I chose to stick to the safest food in Thailand - Tom Yum.
It
looked really spicy, and the chicken looked dodgy, but I was starving.
I skipped the chicken but devoured the rest. The mee was really
springy, and the soup was really spicy. Nevertheless it was tasty, and I
liked it.
the very very red tom yum with dodgy chicken!
After
food ( it was about 5pm so it wasn't dinner, and it was way past
lunchtime so it wasn't lunch either,so it's just FOOD) I went exploring
the infamous Rath-U-Thit Road. There were so many massage parlours
offering various types of massages, and all the women sits together at
the entrance of the premise and call out to customers ( especially the
male Westerners) for massage-cum-more.Well that's something you
probably don't get to see everyday, and I made a mental note to go for a
massage the next day when I have the time.Some 1 km later, I stumbled upon some shops selling souvenirs manned by 2 Pakistani men. While looking around I asked them where I could get packages for island tours and they pointed me at a direction where a small travel agency was located. They were about to close, so evidently I was their last customer. All the famous packages were the island hopping, Ko Phang Nga island, James Bond Island, yada yada. All too touristic and plus I didn't feel like hopping from one island to another at that moment, so I chose the Highlight Tour package from Phuket Varieties and Attractions - which includes visits to Wat Chalong, Cashew Nut factory, Gypsy Village, View Point, Big Buddha ( that package was the only one which had visit to the Big Buddha, so I took it although I was soooo tempted to take another which included walks in the National Park and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project ) That package cost me 650b, which is about RM67, which was OK.After confirming my pick up time and location (8am the next day infront of Thai Oriental Inn ), I decided to go for a walk to the beach.
Patong Beach was basking in the late evening sunlight. There were still holidaymakers swimming, but most opted to walk or just lay by the beach watching the sunset. It was a wonderful sight of sunset. Every 200m or so, there's a signboard advising of the tsunami evacuation route. It's hard to believe that this beach was devastated by the tsunami in 2004, and doesn't even bear the slightest evidence of it.
I had dinner in one of the street stalls again, this time opting for Thai Red Curry but was given something which resembled Nasi Paprik instead. It was cheap, my food and drink cost me 70b. After that, I went into an internet cafe which also offers IDD call services to call home, but for some reason I never got through. My mobile phone kept giving me a pre-recorded message of " Your card has been barred at your request". Fuming, I went back and chatted for a bit with Gemma and Al who was getting ready to party the night away at one of the bars in Bangla Road.
I declined their invitation as I had an early morning tomorrow, so after washing up, I went to bed.
Phuket Day 1, roger and out.
I woke up at 7am, had showers and went down for breakfast ( those stairs again! ). The surroundings was already teeming with activity, and mind you it was barely 8am. I hopped into a small cozy restaurant for my dose of coffee and toast with omelette, and well it was OK. The van came to pick me up at 8.30am, with 3 Australian couples already on board. Our first stop was Rubber Tapping show, where we are shown how rubber tapping is done and a lil bit of history of it. After that it was Karon View Point, where we could see Kata, Karon and Patong beach together. It was an amazing sight.
After some photographs, we were whisked away to see The Big Buddha, who's statue could be seen from as far as Karon View Point. As we went uphill, the views were wonderful, we could see the vastness of Chalong Bay and the surrounding islands, as well as the blue-green seas. The Big Buddha was still under construction but it was really magnificient nevertheless. After that was Gypsy Village at Rawai Beach,then to Wat Chalong.
Wat Chalong is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Phuket, if not Thailand. The interior was magnificient and the temple itself was really amazing. We spent about 30 minutes in Wat Chalong ( I even had time to pray and make a vow :p ). It was lunchtime afterwards and shopping, but since the guide dropped us in a shopping complex, there wasn't much to buy. After lunch it was to the Fresh Market, Chinese Temple and the Gem and Diamond factory.
By the time I got back ( about 3pm), I was really exhausted. I went up to my room and Al was getting ready to leave ( she'll be continuing to Bangkok for another 4 days before heading back to Barcelona) and Gemma went island hopping. I fell asleep for a bit, then woke up, changed and went for a massage. Man those Thai massages are really rigorous. They were worth it though, 200b for 1 hour. After that I went for a swim at the beach, and basked in all of Phuket's glory.After swimming, I came back, changed and went for dinner. Tried calling home again and still couldn't get through, and I was getting really irritated. After all it's just Thailand. I suppose some of the calls I made DID go through, coz my mom called back. After telling her about my trip, I had dinner ( green curry, which was really nice) and got some souvenirs to be brought back home.
Since it was my last night in Phuket, it was too tempting to go to the bars and the clubs that Phuket is so famous for. Well sufficient to say I had my share of drinks and "views", but I didn't stay too long, as the airport van was picking me up at 10am the next day. Came back, packed my bags ( Gemma was in too, we were going to go in the same van, and same flight back to KL, she was to transit in KL before flying to London with a layover in Doha). After washing up, I slept ( was really tired) and I suppose I conked out as soon as I put my head on the pillow.
Phuket Day 2, roger and out.
Woke up at 8am to continue packing and got ready, checked out at 8.45am, went to the beach and had my breakfast ( was determined to finish all the remaining Thai baht I had) so had breakfast in a chic and elegant cafe overlooking the beach. Returned back at 9.45am and we were at the airport by 12pm. Our flight back to KL was slightly delayed, and I arrived at about 4.20pm,and since no one was around to pick me up, I took the conventional way home ( airport bus - KTM - taxi)and was home by 8pm.
It was a short holiday but it gave me the alone time I so needed, and it changed my perspective of Thailand and the negative image I painted when I was in Bangkok for a layover exactly 2 years ago was dramatically changed. Thais are generally a nice lot, the women really pretty, the men helpful, and they are very respectful towards backpackers. I suppose my next trip to Thailand will be during my IndoChina trip ( Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam) using the border-to-border off road, and I believe I would grow to like Thailand in time.
* Special thanks to: God Almighty, who always kept an eye on me (!) during my solo travels around the world, AirAsia, who made this trip possible, family and friends for all the support, and Tourism Thailand for loads of information leading to my trip *
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