So... Looking back over my arrival in Phuket, all i can say is that its gone very quickly...
Leaving Fremantle wasn't as bad as i was thinking it was going to be.. I thought i'd be at the airport crying my heart out, but i guess it didn't seem that real. The first leg of the flight wasn't so bad, well, thats a bit of a porky right there as my seat was in the middle of 2.. Wasn't impressed... After take off i found a row with no-one on it, choooice i'm moving.. Got my gear and ran down the plane... stretch out, snooze on.... Waking up after my snooze i find myself on my front, sleep in my eye.. look up and there is a face that i thought looked familar looking back at me, rub my eyes, and its Karin a friend who I used to work with back in Perth, going back to KL to see family... Very random and very funny.. we had a good little natter for a bit till i needed another nap.
Arriving in KL i was hoping it was going to be a bit bigger than it was.. It was tiny, and theres me running outta computer charge, and no universal charger.. I run straight over the the "sports bar" ordered a pint of Tiger and checked through the old Facey and hotmail.. After this i can hear my belly rummbling so i scramble myself to the nearest cafe, and had a really nice chicken something or other bagel and a cuppa cha! haha.. Forgot how rude Asian business men are, as one pushed straight past me to pay for his food.. A little rattled i just take my seat and read my book.. After awhile i find that i'm nodding off so i go to the upstairs lounge and pass out up there for about 2hrs.. Waking up was just in time to get on board the flight that would take me into Phuket.
Again, middle seat, not impressed.. find a row to myself, and i'm all cosey- uumm maybe if that child behind me would stop kicking me chair- haha... his mum & dad though were from South America i reckon and she had the nicest smile.. my irritation didn't last long.. Besides 1hr 20mins, its nothing.
As we start flying over my excitement creeps in... The islands were amazing, and the water so blue.. Even though it was going to be raining when I landed i wasn't too bothered staring out the window at that view!
Getting through passport control was a doddle.. Found it funny that if you were arriving without your visa, they had passport photo stands ready for your 30min arrival visa.. Guy who stamped me in looked serrrrrrious... kinda got worried i'd get the full on Spanish inquesition.. BUT he just stamped me in, and off i went.. Even my bag came quickly- and that was it... Got a taxi, probably ripped off, but i'd haggled him down anyway, to tiered to care.
I swear the cab driver wanted to kill me. Swerving in and out of lanes, going down left turns, to then only U-turn in traffic light back onto the same road he'd just turned off.. Impressed that no-one else was beeping him down.. First bit that I could see that got me curious was the big Budda statue ontop of the hill all lit up...
Get to the hostel or guest house, whatever.. sign in, and they all seem nice enough.. Got shown upstairs, given a handful of keys and a towel and left to it. Bed is super horrible, but its hell better than some mattresses I've slept on, and i've made myself at home. Little reading light- fan (or 3 seeing as i moved them all around me to face my bed)
After un-packing i decieded to venture out and have a look, and buy some smokes, cos silly me didn't get any in duty free... don't ask! 39B for 20.. mmm which is $1.20 hahaha i thought to myself i could get used to this... Walk around, few market stalls, ended up in a bar having a drink and some Thai food- Which the bar man organised for me from the lady across the street- or ordered should i say.. It was spicy but very tasty and having only spent around $5! Walking back to the guesthouse I notice that the area is littered in couples, elderly couples complaining about the driving and familys with a few young kids.. Stumble into the room slightly cursing that I ate too much, but got to sleep well.
Wake up next day a bit stiff from the bed, but jump online to check out if i'm meeting up with a fellow teacher. We are, so i head down to get some brekkie.. omlette and black coffee, ciggie and emails... first time seeing the view in day light, and it was hilly and green, got me in the mood.
Decided that i needed a massage.. The lady at the desk tells me there are loads, just walk down this way- Found a little spot, kinda attracted to the pinkness of the place.. Get shown a menu of what type of massages i can have- i go for the shoulders and neck.. I get taken down a deck towards a little room, shown a bed, and told to take everything off.. Get compfy on the bed, and straight away i'm in heaven, even though she's working alot on my legs? After a bit i feel her walking on me, that was nice... and i even found that i was dribbling haha! She definately bent me in some ways i'd never thought possible, but it was lovely. After she'd finished she would tap my tattoos and smile at me and jabber away in Thai like i'm understanding any of it. She was tiny and so bubbly.. After getting dressed i go back into the store, and i get shown to a seat and given a cup of tea, not sure what kind, but it was very sweet. After only paying 300B i head over to the scooter hire place, and after waiting 10mins for the lady's "boyfriend" to arrive he pulls in, and he's an ex-pat from Sweeden. He's a nice guy, speaks good english and we sign papers, not fussed that i haven't paid, and i'm on my way to Patong. I looked on the map and it doesn't seem that far, and only 1 road, i can't get lost... Head off, riding a scooter was awesome fun on the widing roads that reminded me of being back in New Zealand. Roads not too busy and in pretty good condition i think. Drive down into the main strip and its deifnately what i'd imagened Thailand to be like, wires everywhere 100,000,000s of scooters parked outside the beach front and hundreds of shopping stalls... After driving too far i walk back down to Bangla road, and hope that the guy hasn't been waiting too long. Find him sitting out front straight away and we get on like a house on fire.. Being in an Aussie bar was fun, even though the 2 "local" expats were total tools, complaining about everything.. I can smoke IN the bar, by the bar, anywhere, that was wierd! We have a few drinks and end up drinking along the main strip all day- *Max suggest we stay drinking till 8ish when the Muay Thai fight starts, i think s***t! i brought the scooter i can't drink that much then... Had a few more down at the beach, even had takeaway cocktails that were made on the side of the road and end up playing a few rounds of pool- played doubles. they hounded us, we both reackon its because she has an awesome pink cue and obviously does this all day. We had a blast with them, and considering we were both drunk we played a good game.
Ended up going to the fight which was in a smallish room with rows of stairs with cusions on. Feeling a bit sorry for the people who have forked out for the "VIP" tickets as we have ring side seats for a price of 2700B for both of us, where those poor people paid upto nearly 3000B each.. As we sit there, i notice that the room is mainly full of Aussies, Europeans and hyper active Thai men & women, screaming in Thai at one another about the price of bets.. There are also ring side girls in orange top whizzing back and forth getting peoeple drinks who look pretty flat out, and not smiling as much. I wouldn't be too pleased doing that job for sure! As the fight starts its young boys must be about 8-9 getting into the ring, and they we're defiantely putting on a good fight. As the night goes on i look at my watch and its nearly midnight, and i'm feeling tiered. We watch a female fight which was good and also another fight with a Thai boy and an Asian boy I'm guessing from South Korea.. he was bleeding by the end of that.. Very good show, very glad that I went. After getting home from Patong i find that my camera is broke, and Ipod! Water damage. Great! I just hope the photos on the memory card can be salvaged. I also work out that i must of spent over $160 in 2 days.. ooops :-) ?
I spend pretty much all of Saturday in bed nursing a hangover. At some point in the afternoon i take a small drive up the road to a roadside resturant and have dinner and watch the sunset go down. The guy serving me was couldn' grasp that I was alone and would nod and smile at me as if he understood. Finding that I get asked that alot here- "AHH miss you on own?" I climb into bed, and stream good old docs from the internet and pass out...
Met up again with *Max in Bang Tao which is where the school is. Drive around this tiny village for aaaaages thinking that i'm lost, untill i drive down this road again and notice him at the bar- and the resturant wasn't what i was told.. Thank goodness, I'm not going crazy, cos that village is small.. Have lunch, walk down to the school and peer in the window, and it starts getting me a wee nervous, all desks set up with pencil cases and folders neatly put out around the room- We start guessing what everybody is going to be like and what were going to be doing tomorrow. I feel a bit un-organised and nervous all of a sudden. Head back into Patong to hunt down a phone and camera.. No luck. Well i found 2 stores selling them for around 4000B which is $125 AUD. Thinking that its a bit dear, and hope i can find something else as I paid $90 for the same camera back in Aus. The Thai's defiantely don't play the haggle game with me, and I guess I'm just going to have to fork out the extra cash to get a camera, its so important that I have one.
