Patong is super tacky! But the islands are fantastic.
THAILAND | Friday, 24 December 2010 | Views [474] | Comments [2]
I'm afraid I picked up the wrong brochure. What the heck. I couldn't have chosen a more jarring awakening from the slumber of the Himalayas mountains if I had tried. I almost took a plane back (anywhere) when I arrived here at midnight and saw the neon signs for massages, drinks, cheap everything. But after a good night sleep, and booking several visits to nearby islands (which is the real reason I'm here), I got in a very good mood of exploring this bizarre city and even got a foot massage last night (for $7USD). And it was nice to have a western salad after so much rice, vegetables, and chicken in sauce. Imagine if the tackiest areas of Atlantic City and Cancun had a baby, throw in the sweet smell of duck sauce, and a few buildings with Thai architecture...that's the city of Patong in the island of Phuket. It's insane. But take a 1 hr drive to James Bond island, and you're in paradise. Huge mountains coming out of the water, a floating market, caves with prehistoric drawings and a giant gold bhuda. It's gorgeous.
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