Travel : Phuket Island I.M.Os

Ah, I've just returned from the land of the free and booze...hehe...It was a 9 days trip altogether...though tiring (I had to return to work 10 hours after touch-down)...but all worth it...I never gave a single thought about work...didn't have a care in the world if my students passed their exam or not...Now that I am back, I am back to worrying again...the obsessed person that I am...

Am not going to go through every itty gritty detail about my trip e.g how I kept getting confused about the currency exchange...so much so, the locals there gave me 'that look'...and how I could not figure out their food menu...and all that jazz...

[Note : if you aren't into long post...scroll all the way to the bottom for the 'summary'...]

Place...
I stayed in Patong Beach...one of the many beaches of Phuket...the place was obviously built for tourist...with stalls on every corner of the street...This were one of many places that were badly affected when the Tsunami of 2004 came raging towards them...5 years later (yr 2009)...the place have been rebuilt...everything has been restored and they are back in business...

The waves are simply amazing!!...unlike the weak ones found in Batu Feringghi beach in Penang, or Port Dickson in Seremban...the winds in Phuket are strong...and it is just awesome to see two waves come together to make a great splash!!!...

One thing that stood out, as I looked around the area...was the scary electrical wires that were intertwined...like a Rastafari hair-do!!...Just check it out...man, I've never seen so many wires connected to a single pole in my life...if there were an accident, and one of the electrical poles got shot-circuited *touches wood*...the whole Patong Beach would suffer a black out for sure...


Food...
Marvelous!!...what can I say...Mamak tom yam soup in M'sia taste quite bland now...not as thick and rich in texture, as the one in Thailand...not to mention its spiciness too...I would have preferred it with less salt and MSG...but ah, it will do...tonnes of food available all night long, which suits my living style...*winks*...I am a big fan of Thai food...having visit many Thai restaurant in Kuala Lumpur...so I knew my way around the food stalls here...and had a clear idea of what I wanted...and oh...the mango sticky rice!!...Can't be missed...the glutinous rice here was much sweeter...toys with my taste buds...it will be a long time before I would succumb to tasteless, watery, pathetic tom yam soups in the mamak, that's for sure...prices are quite reasonable too...as long as you stay off the main road...and order ala carte...main dishes shared among friends, and a plate of rice for yourself...saves you $, and closes friendship ties...*grin*...

People...
Quite friendly...with a ready smile at all times...and always polite...even when conversing in their language...it almost sounds like a professor lecturing you so gently it lulls you to sleep...Their English is quite limited, though...just enough to get around their business...not quite enough to spark a conversation...

Not to forget...the street vendors can be quite a shark when it comes to quoting a price, though...I saw some thongs that were quite pretty and nicely decorated...factory-made, obviously...but the cutting was neat, and it fitted me perfectly...when I asked this man, Bangladeshi if I had a guess...how much it would cost me...he quoted me R600 Baht!!!...that is equivalent to RM60 in Malaysia!!...Daylight robbery, I tell ya...why, thongs/slippers at a night market in Kuala Lumpur would cost me only RM10....So I walked away...only for that same guy, to grab me in the arm...and give me another price...R350 Baht...for the same thong, I was once so keen on...

Wrong move, buddy...haha...man, this is starting to feel like a game of chess!!...to see who gets the better of whom...I was then absolutely convinced that he saw us tourist like squealing pigs being led to the slaughter house...so I refused...for 3 reasons...One: I hate bargaining...though I'd love bargains...and no, I am not confused at all...I hate negotiation of these sort...but I love price-drop sales...Two: I felt that man has no business ethics at all...and I am turned off by that...anyone would...I mean, sure, he needed to put food on the table, but I as a customer would like to be sure I got my money worth as well...wouldn't you agree?...Three: I am no shopacholic, and I can do with/without the thongs...so that was that...

One day trips...
Visited Phi Phi islands, and James Bond island...it was rainy season, so the sun was out only in the morning...and by afternoon, cool showers followed...It went quite well...and we got it at a very good price, I think...we paid about R1000 Baht for each trip...which is equivalent to RM100 in Malaysia...there was this nice lady agent who saw to it that we were well taken care of...I could see that she didn't take advantage of us as many other agents would...a friend we got to know there, also a tourist from Japan...paid R1700 Baht for the same trip that we went...

Travelling on a speed boat was quite a pain in the arse (LITERALLY!!)...especially when the seas are quite rough, during the rainy season...I'd find myself in mid-air...close my eyes, hold my breath and embrace myself for th-....owwww, shit...my butt feels sore and numb...ah, could have been worse...thank you, God...for my tonnes of fat!!...For once, I didn't mind that I wasn't skin and bones...

And oh...to anyone who plans to go on day trips such as these...do remember to wear casual e.g, three quarter pants, shirt, swim-suit, etc...it doesn't make sense to come in a beautiful, sexy dress with exposed lingerie, thick make-up and mascara...and lingering perfume...pay R1700 Baht for trip, and not join in any of the activities...and to add insult to injury...squeal at any drop of water that hits you!!...

Another note...there is one thing that I fail to understand, nor show compassion for...is why there are some people who will complain and scream bloody Mary, whenever a slight shower befalls upon them (due to the breaking current of a wave...or someone wet passing by them...or a drizzle) while on the speedboat...and yet, when we reach one of our stop points, they will eagerly jump off the boat, into the sea...and happily bobbed around with a life jacket as the sea current brings them...I mean, when we sign up for this trip, or even in any activity near a beach, we would already expect to get wet, wouldn't we??...then why all the fuss before??...so excuse me, for sneering...and not offering a helping hand...until I can fully comprehend, only then can I sincerely sympathize and hand over my towel...otherwise, heesh...

Conclusion...
So, would I go back to Phuket again?...Yes, definitely...it ain't a shopping paradise, but that's alright...I am no shopping diva either...but yes, because I was so busy visiting that outskirt islands off shore of Phuket, I forgot to visit Phuket itself!!...so I missed Karon beach, Kata Beach, Phuket town...well, not really...I used my last day to drive through all of them...and spent 30 minutes in each place...but that is hardly sufficient...

Scenery was beautiful and breath taking...though it was cloudy, so we couldn't see any sunset...wasn't good time for the camera...can't imagine how it would look like on a good weather!!...plus...the cost is cheap...provided you stay off the tourist shopping area...back-pack and stay in budget hotels...my stay only cost me RM35 per night...comfortable bed, and good service!!...