Day eight: Phuket adventure – The final day before reality

Wow so one month later and I’m finishing this travel blog off. That is weaksauce.

Anyway! Here we go – last post. The day consisted of pure relaxation. Nothing but lounging around and enjoying the company of Mushy Bee for one last day before being separated again (wah!).

Sleeping in before a gorgeous Thai massage before lunch. Mushy Bee and I went first and it was bliss. My back didn’t take to it as well as I thought it would but it still felt amazing. They were extremely firm – to the point I whimpered out of pain. But I loved it.  Mushy Bee and I, loosened and zen from our sweet, sweet, pain; went to get the other two for their turn.

It just has to be done when you go to Thailand – get a massage*.  Fit it in wherever you can.  It’s dirt cheap and there’s no better feeling in the world – and generally, I hate being touched!  *happy ending optional.

Once we had all experienced heaven, we went to the pool and had a picnic lunch.  Even though it was just a simple roll with ham and cheese and the rest; it was really tasty!  I think it was a welcome change to all the rich Thai food we had been eating.  All the curries, and stir fries etc, it felt great to get something so simple and fresh into our mouths.  Delicious!

We swam around for a bit, soaked up the sun for a bit longer and started to get really sleepy.

And this is where things get a little foggy.  I’m not entirely sure what we did from that point until dinner.  I have a feeling we just sat around, YouTubing things while one or two of us got ready for dinner.  We probably sang Zous Bisou again.  I really can’t remember.  But it doesn’t matter.  Because in the end, we were spending time with each other.  None of us wanted to acknowledge it at the time, but we knew things were coming to an end and that weighed on us particularly the later it got in the night.

We had another lovely dinner on the beach as usual and finally, stayed up very late watching TV, chatting and trying to make things last longer.  All packed, we finally headed to bed as S, Maggatron and I had to be at the airport at around 6am.

There were tears.  Many, many tears in the morning.  Mushy Bee requested I wake her up before we had to leave so I did so, begrudgingly, as I wished I didn’t have to face that moment.  It was hard, hard to walk away from her and watch her close the door behind us, face stained with tears and not being able to run back to her to give her a big hug.

And that’s it folks.  Not the most exciting post to end on or the most inspiring, but it was a post from me to the lovely ladies I traveled with.  You made it what it was and without you girls, this wouldn’t have been as amazing as it was.

Oh and as a side note, all those back problems I was having – gone as soon as I got on the plane.  Son of a….

Day seven: Phuket adventure – writing this post a week late

I’m apologizing in advance for the next two posts. It’s been over a week since I’ve returned home but I’m determined to finish writing about this holiday!

Even the best laid plans can go awry but not always for the worse. The intended plan was to take the free shuttle to Patong beach and then go zorbing at 2pm. After that we would have gone to see Simon’s Cabaret – the iconic lady boy show in Phuket.

None of these things happened.

We were all still feeling fairly crook and once we got to Jungceylon shopping centre on Patong, we decided none of us were in any condition to zorb. Somehow, we came up with the idea of going to see a movie instead!

The movie cost us 140THB each which is less than $5AUD. The popcorn was delicious – cheese flavoured was the best. We decided to see The Dark Knight Rises and it ended up being a great call by the team. The movie didn’t finish until about 6pm and by that stage, I don’t think we would have made Simon’s.

Instead we went shopping and then had dinner, the first non-Thai dinner all trip, and decided to hit a bar. Now, Bangala road is infamous in Phuket. It’s the best and worst thing about Patong, I’d say. I don’t enjoy the crowded, loud, dirty feel of it all but it’s just something that needs to be done! I thought it would be good to head that way as there are a ton of bars and, of course, lady boys!

We got to watch a lady boy show that night at Moulin Rose. The production value was obviously not as high as Simon’s but damn! The ladies were HOT. Most of them anyway. One looked like Rihanna and our favourite of the night did a Whitney Houston and Beyond number and she was AMAZING! Absolutely bangin’ and was so sassy!

Once the show was over, one of them ended up chatting to us and let us touch her boobs and skin. So soft… She even took us back stage to let us see the costumes and meet the other girls. S and I ended up dancing with her on the bar. Alcohol and I always seems to land me on some kind of elevated surface dancing like an idiot…

We went to dance at Hollywood and there was no cover charge! Always a plus. The thing about going out to these bars is that most of the guys are looking for a sure thing. In a bar full of local Thai girls and being discriminating Westerners, who do you think they’d talk to? But it was all good! We danced our asses off until S wasn’t feeling well from the heat and previous illness. It was time to go home.

The cab ride cost us 900THB from Patong to Nai Yang which is what we were told. I tried bargaining but we were all so tired, we just wanted to get home asap.

The opening ceremony was on when we got back so Maggatron, Mushy Bee and I squished into a bed to watch it. One by one we drifted off, exhausted from a day of relative nothingness but after the week we’ve had, I was glad to be in bed sleeping.

(We ended up having the same song stuck in our heads for the rest of the trip – zous bisou bison – and it’s still in my head.)

Day six: Phuket adventure – Zous bisou bisouuuuu…

There’s nothing worse than going on holiday and have something go wrong with your health. Pretty much every single one of us are in pain right now. Stomach bugs, severe sunburn and debilitating back pain – it’s been fairly pitiful. But I am determined to soldier on and still have a great time (this might make my back worse though, I can’t be sure)!

Oh and S burnt her croissant in the toaster so badly, it turned into a giant flaming ball of chocolate croissant. Onward!

Today we were off to Phi Phi Island. It’s a shame we went on the cave kayaking first because this tour paled in comparison. I’ve done a Phi Phi Island tour before but it was on a speedboat rather than a charted mini cruise. I can’t stress this enough – if you can put up with the possibility you might get seasick, take the jet boat tour instead. I’m pretty tolerant with motion sickness, but due to the fact you’re on open ocean water on a jet boat, you will literally fly off your seat. Over and over and over again. The cruise is safer and more comfortable but you won’t get the same experience.

We had to drop off a bunch of passengers to Phi Phi Island while we made our way to Phi Phi lei. This is where Maya bay is, a place I really wanted to take my friends because that’s the experience I had previously and loved it. We weren’t stopping at Maya bay though and I think it might because the boat was too big for the shallow waters. It was a real disappointment. We sailed around Phi Phi lei a bit more finally stopping at Monkey Bay to snorkel and swim. Again, because the boat was so big, we couldn’t get too close to the shore so we had to swim. And with two inexperienced swimmers with us, it wasn’t so much getting to shore that was the problem, but getting back. We fed the fishies bread but I didn’t snorkel much knowing how much pain my back was in, I couldn’t concentrate on breathing properly less I get multiple sharp, crippling pains running up the side of my body. What a happy post this is.

The monkeys are naughty. I would advise not feeding them or getting too close. These monkeys have come to depend on humans feeding them that they no longer know how to fend for themselves. Yes, it’s amusing to see monkeys take the food you give and yes, it’s amusing to see a monkey drinking a bottle of Pepsi but it is so saddening to watch especially all these adults who should know better not setting an example for their kids about the importance of respecting our planet and everything on it.

The swim back to the boat killed me. With my ailing back and my less-than-impressive fitness, I wasn’t feeling well. Self pity kicking in right about now. It was time for lunch back on Phi Phi Island. It was just nice to sit down and try to breathe properly. We ate and waded in the water which I admit was beautiful. Extremely picturesque but it is a shame to see how touristy Phi Phi has gotten. We strolled through the market stalls and purchased a couple of goodies before getting on our boat back to Phuket. It was a gorgeous ride back. The weather was perfect and the sun not too harsh. A bit of eye candy doesn’t hurt either!

It wasn’t a very eventful day and I think we’d all agree that yesterday has been the best day so far but we’re all extremely tired and not really a picture of health. Another beachside dinner at dusk at Baan Raa Tree restaurant with fresh seafood and tasty drinks. I keep wanting grilled beef spicy salad and get distracted. I’m determined to get me some AND some green curry. It’s taken me this long to order green curry.

Tomorrow we’re off to Patong Beach for some zorbing and general sightseeing. Possibly hitting up a bar or club to have a decent night out. Provided I can move tomorrow, S and Maggatron can get themselves out of the fetal position and Mushy Bee doesn’t scratch herself raw. Awww yea! Sexy!

My final words of advice – put up with possible seasickness and get on a jet boat to tour Phi Phi Island. You will get a far more engaging and informative guide, you’ll get to see and do more and you won’t feel like you’ve spent most of the day on a boat.

And stupid song du jour (colour du jour was orange):

Day five: Phuket adventure – Champion of the sun! Oooohwaaahhh!

I have been very fortunate in my life to have visited some of the most amazing natural landmarks – the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Uluru (or Ayers Rock to some) – and today definitely ranks up there with all those greats. The cave kayaking tour I’m about to write about I highly recommended to anyone visiting Phuket. I’m baffled that I hadn’t been on this particular tour on previous visits to Phuket and I am so grateful and glad that I got this opportunity. From the top!

Not an early one today yet we were still, for some unknown reason, completely unprepared for this day. Probably because we’re not quite all up there, the four of us. After another delicious breakfast (I rediscovered my love for chocolate croissants. This may end badly), we relaxed in our room before our 12:00pm pick up. We have this tendency to sing in public, loudly, so the poor bus driver had to put up with our silly songs for 40ish minutes. Mushy Bee and I argued with ourselves for hours about whether we should bring our cameras and swimwear.

The answer in the end was, yes we should have brought them, but sadly we didn’t. And as a result kicked ourselves for the entire day.

No matter! I was still determined to enjoy the day as much as I had pictured it in my mind. As stated previously, I was looking forward to this tour the most and it sure did deliver. It took us an hour by boat to get to the first set of caves. We were given a light lunch (apparently so we don’t sink the kayak) and were run through some basic rules – don’t touch the walls of the caves, don’t smoke, don’t be overly loud. The thing about Thai people is that they are such natural jokers. Larrikins for all you Aussies out there. It’s such a joyful vibe to be around and it’s highly contagious – you can’t not have a great time with these guides.

Our guide in particular, Alex, was amazing. He sat on S and Maggatron’s boat but our kayak stuck to his as his English was amazing. He told us he learnt through the people on the tours, not school, and when he first started he knew no English whatsoever. This fact made his proficiency at English even more impressive. He was kind, informative, funny, friendly and so accommodating.

We were greeted by lagoon after lagoon. High, expansive walls with lush green vegetation – essentially untouched by man with only the sound of cicadas resounding through the caves. Mud skippers hopping along the water and the occasional sound of birds crawing – it was breathtaking, almost spiritual. It was a reminder of all the beauty in the world that we so often take for granted. There were caves so narrow, as we lied down to get through, my arms were touching the sides and my nose was almost nicked by the cave ceiling.

After doing a bit of our own kayaking and swimming (I couldn’t swim… Damn past me!), we made these offerings with banana leaves, orchids, marigolds, incense and candles called kratong to light and place in the water in our final cave. We were also served dinner which was unbelievable! Chicken massaman curry, chicken cashew stir fry, veggies, big chicken and fish and prawns – it was delicious! The main guide, Sunny, didn’t lie when he said their food was better than hotel food!

The final cave, the bat cave, was filled with (who would have thought?) bats! At this point, the sun had started to go down and while sitting in the lagoon, you could see the half-moon in the sky watching us as we lit our kratongs and set them into the water. Apparently the making of the kratongs is reserved for women which led to an ongoing joke how Alex was actually a lady-boy because his kratong was so pretty. There is also a time in November where thousands of kratongs are sent into the ocean. I’ve heard of this festival but have never gotten the chance to see it for myself. That would be a beautiful sight, for sure!

Once we had enjoyed the tranquility and beauty of our final lagoon in the bat cave, we kayaked back through the bat cave in pitch black darkness. I thought it was pretty dark before but without the flashlights on, I had no idea what was happening or which direction we were going. The reason why the guides had turned off their flashlights became apparent shortly after. As Alex splashed his paddle in and around the water, a host of sparkling lights appeared in the water, almost like fireflies or fairy lights. It was amazing. And we were able to do it too! They are a luminescent type of plankton that glow once disturbed. So we were splashing and in awe of the wonderment we were witnessing. It was like something out of the movie Avatar. It was magical, to the point where I don’t think I would have believed it if I couldn’t feel my own hand splashing the water creating these twinkly lights.

And that was the end of our day in the caves. Another hour long journey back to the pier, we watched the boat move through the water creating a blue, aurora borealis-like light show as it disturbed our newfound plankton friends.

Today was an experience I will look back in decades to come and remember the feeling of calm and awe that I was lucky enough to experience. My words in this post don’t even come close to what we’ve seen and done today. If you’re ever in Phuket, book the John Gray’s Hong by Starlight cave kayaking tour. When one of the first things you see on the boat is a pack of sea eagles following you, swooping and gliding through the air, and the tour has barely even started, you know it’s going to be a day to remember.

It’s no wonder a fair few films have been filmed in Phuket. The scenery is incredible, pure and a feast for the eyes. You forget, or may not know, the most simple yet wonderful things in life are within our reach if we just widen our horizons, open our eyes and just go. I’ve been seeing this quote on Facebook a lot lately: travel is the one thing you buy that makes you richer and I couldn’t agree more. Of course I love, love, love New York City and of course I love going to KL to shop and party, but I live for these kinds of travel moments.

They are irreplaceable, eye-opening and unforgettable.

Oh, and flavour of the day!
Colour: green.
Ridiculous song stuck on loop in our heads:

Day four: Phuket adventure – Mreow. Mreowmreowmreowmreow.

Sleeping in for me nowadays is waking up at 8:00am but on this trip, it feels almost impossible to have the decent sleep in that I feel I should be getting. Today was another typical early wake up even though we were planning on a pretty cruisey day.

Unfortunately S hasn’t been feeling well but the trooper she is made it to breakfast before heading off to Splash Jungle Water Park! A water theme park about 15 minutes from our resort, we were put into contact with a lovely taxi driver who charged us a decent rate and gave us his number for when we need a taxi again. This is extremely handy to have, a trusted taxi driver, and will be fantastic on Friday when we head to Patong beach.

It was 1295THB for entrance with locker included. It was very warm so we raced to the lagoon pool to cool ourselves down for the slides. Mushy Bee and I headed straight for the Boomerango first. A steep drop sends you hurtling into the sky before sliding backwards down the incline into the pool. It was so much fun! So we went on that one a fair few more times after, by ourselves and in partners.

The cyclone slide, where you shoot out of a slide into a bowl before sliding down a chute into a pool, wasn’t as exciting but it was somewhat fun. In a tame, nothing really happens kind of way.

One of the smaller slides was actually surprisingly really enjoyable, especially with two people. There is a lot of footage of Mushy Bee and I on them all, even getting us at one point squashing two small children into a corner. I also think we may have chatted up high school students. It’s hard to tell nowadays, OK?!

Aside from the slide tower, there was also a small wave pool, wet bar and kids pool. To be honest, it wasn’t a particularly extensive park and you couldn’t spend a whole day there. But for a fun, no fuss, relaxing kind of day; Splash Jungle Water Park was a great idea. Especially with S not feeling so well, it was a good opportunity to take it easy while still enjoying the sun and getting the heart racing! They have a great locker/paying for food and drinks system using your locker number and they also have a shuttle that runs to particular beaches if you need.

As a side note, there are a lot of beautiful people in Thailand of all ages and it’s been really disheartening. Damn them! Especially the halfies… I’m just jealous of their athletic bodies and beautiful skin and big eyes. Again, probably high school students. I was never that attractive in high school!!!

It has been another tiring day. We ate at another restaurant on the beach on another beautifully clear night. Delicious Thai food, as usual, and we got to see people lighting lanterns and releasing them into the sky. It was just like that scene in Tangled where they release the lanterns of Rapunzel’s birthday! Yes???? No…? Ok…. Maggatron also got extremely tipsy on one Sex on the Beach (happy hour: 100THB for all cocktails. That’s less than $4!!) and has said a whole manner of things. The word gook has been thrown around a bit..

And here we are again. On the couch, air con blasting, being anti-social on our little bits of technology (all I can hear next to me is the sounds of Scramble with Friends – GOOD! EXCELLENT! AMAZING!!! Poppoppoppoppoppoppop. THUNDERCLAP!!). Tomorrow we get to wake up a bit later (well I’m hoping I do) because we are going on a cave kayaking adventure by starlight. I think I’ve been looking forward to this tour the most so I can’t wait to report on all the amazing things we see.

Flavor of the day:
Just like how Thailand has a different colour they wear every day (not a hard and fast rule, just a bit of fun. Today was pink!), we have had certain random things that get stuck in our head all day. Here is today’s, especially at 1:27 –

Until tomorrow!

Day three: Phuket adventure – Juggy Brodeltein

If there’s one thing I really enjoy about Thailand, it’s the elephants. And what a day it was, filled with not only elephants but adrenaline and laughter.

We started the day with our awesome breakfast again, and was picked up at 8:30am by the Sealand Camp people to take us to Phang Nga. At one point, the bus stopped on the side of the road in front of a field and I was thinking to myself, “yup that’s it – we’re being sold. Just run guys and may the odds be ever in your favour”. Luckily, it was just a bus swap over.

Our guide, Tum, was everything people perceive Thai people to be – kind, funny, generous, sweet and, of course, complete with a beaming smile. He was so lovely. He took us through the plan for the day during our 45+ minute bus ride to base camp. It was a typically bumpy bus ride which rendered Maggatron very ill. To be honest, I wasn’t feeling crash hot either. It’s a good thing we’re not going on any jet boats. There’d be chunder craziness.

First up was white water rafting. The steerers of each boat were so cheeky, splashing us with water at any given moment, trying to pull us in and even at one point throwing a live frog from boat to boat. Watching S cower at the end of the boat at our captain’s feet was classic. It was so much fun and now my arm’s are aching from all the “FORWARD! FORWARD! BACKWARD! HOLD ON! NO HOLD ON NO FORWARD!!!” rowing. I feel like we were given extremely conflicting messages just for kicks.

After about 40 minutes of laughter and furious paddling, we went back to base camp to prepare for the next part – elephant trekking and swimming in the waterfalls. I think the elephant trekking was my friends’ favorite part of the day and with good reason. It is a beautiful experience to ride an elephant and they are amazing, intelligent creatures. The best elephant experience I have had was in Chiang Mai, up north. But this is right up there because at one point, we were riding on the elephant’s neck without a rider. Maggatron and I got the elephant who always stopped to eat and shared Maggatron’s name. Another Aussie on the tour (we made up most of the tour. Aussies are everywhere when you travel) cried it was the best thing she has ever done in her life.

We fed our elephants some bananas to say thank you and then we were taken to the waterfall. It was the perfect way to end the day. The water was clear and refreshing, and there were fish swimming with us. We were even allowed to jump off a rock cliff into the water which felt unbelievable. I wanted to swim to the base of the waterfall but I was at risk of a serious wardrobe malfunction and decided to not expose myself to all of these strangers.

Lunch was served! And it was delicious. Most tour included lunches are pretty mediocre. But I’ve found the Thai ones have always been outstanding. Maybe because I just really like Thai food. But let’s be real – I like all food so when I say mediocre, I really mean “nom nom nom” rather than “NOM NOM NOM!!!”

It was time to say goodbye to the mountain we were on and make our way back to our hotel. We were all so completely knackered from such a jam packed day but it was so worth it. We took a dip in our pool when we got back home before heading to dinner. Dinner was at a place called Phen’s Restaurant along Nai Yang beach. I’m glad we took a stroll that way because there were a fair few restaurants and bars. Quiet and mainly filled with families but it’s good to know they’re there for us to explore.

S is passed out on the couch, Maggatron and I are watching a doco and Mushy Bee is doing her girly thang. It was barely 9:00pm when we decided to call it a night even though we thought we’d be heading to the hotel bar (where I saw some promising friends to be made). Not tonight. Tonight I just want to sleep to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow, it’s time to connect with our inner child and get silly at Splash Jungle Water Park! I love water theme parks. Excitement!

And if you’re wondering what we had stuck in our heads ALL bus ride and ALL freaking day:

Enjoy.

Day two: Phuket adventure – Hey, I just met you

I’m not going to lie – this post is going to be extremely brief. It was a day of complete and total nothingness (and Call Me Maybe sung in four different languages again and again and again….), and damn it felt good.

Up at the inappropriate-for-holidays time of 7:00-8:00am, we were off to breakfast and trying to plan our day accordingly which really meant “let’s not do anything that involves much thinking or moving or general life skills”. Breakfast is complimentary for us every day we stay at this resort and not only is it a sort of continental, buffet style breakfast; there was also a cook-to-order menu of eggs and pancakes and waffles and all those delicious sides like bacon and sausages. So we started planning what we’d have for breakfast for the rest of our trip (pancakes tomorrow for me). It’s becoming apparent that so far, the most exciting part of our days are meal times.

Maggatron and I decided to get our yoga on while S and Mushy Bee sat by the pool. Since my wrists are as weak as a drink at The Toff, I was struggling a little at times. It felt relaxing though and we joined the other two by the pool in what can only be described as the place you all wish you could be right now. Sun, beautiful blue skies, warm weather, fresh young coconut juice, lounging around poolside – it was gorgeous. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m not coming home (I lie. I have to come home. I don’t want to die a poor Aussie ex-communications fledgling on the streets of Phuket).

Grabbed some delicious lunch at the Bread and Butter Cafe next to our resort and then took a stroll on the beach (not so much a stroll as walking onto the sand, playing in the water then deciding it was too hot and going back to the resort).

Life is pretty rough right now, I know.

S and I decided to go for another dip in the OTHER pool (yeah. Two pools. What of it?) while Maggatron and Mushy Bee went to get necessities from the grocery store. Necessities like Kit Kats, Coke and Pringles. We were treated to another complimentary meal at the hotel restaurant by the pool while listening to the sounds of the ocean (did I mention life was rough?). A Thai spread with some strawberry daiquiris to indulge in. Cocktails every day. Drink ALL of the cocktails.

And that is literally it for today. Tomorrow the adventures begin, specifically our white water rafting and elephant trekking adventure. But today it was about enjoying the resort, enjoying not having to think about responsibilities back at home and enjoying each other.

On another note, kudos to Scoopon for this awesome deal. Seriously, there is no other way I’d be able to afford a holiday in my current state of mortgage imprisonment.

Day one: Phuket adventure – Sawasdee kaa fr-eople

That’s friends-people. And a big sawasdee kaa to my somewhat dedicated followers! I’m finally writing to you from Phuket, Thailand so this dusty ol’ blog will get some lovin’ for the next eight days.

It didn’t start off smooth. I actually wasn’t able to board and I was the last, lonely person standing at Melbourne Airport. After some frantic calls to S and Maggatron in Vietnam for our flight details back home, the nice Air Asia man got the details for me and sent me on my way even though I was a kilo over the limit. I’m a huge advocate for Air Asia.

“That’s a 15.9 in my books!”

I was lucky enough to score an entire row to myself and for a 12:45am flight, that is a Godsend. I sprawled out snoozing away except when inconvenient turbulence forced me out of my stupor and into a seat belt.

And then there I was, in Kuala Lumpur for a close to six hour stopover in a relatively small airport departures terminal. I landed myself in an awkward situation where I wanted to spend the Malaysian ringgit my mother gave me and thinking I had RM18 on me, proceeded to order some fried mee mamak. Turns out I only had RM8 and RM1 coins are now redundant. Great. So I had to exchange Australian money and I only had $20 minimum meaning I now had MORE ringgit than necessary. Frustration!!! Six hours, one lunch, two magazines and one chiffon pandan cake later – I was ready to board to go to PHUKET.

…. Except for the fact that when I got to Phuket, I’d have to wait another THREE hours for my friends to arrive. I did a lot of waiting today. Never underestimate the power of free wifi, apps and music. Though there’s only so long you can play Jumbline and Doodle Jump to keep yourself entertained.

And AFTER that three hours, another TWO hour until Mushy Bee arrived. But the fact that I hadn’t seen this darling girl in close to a year made it all worth while. There were tears. There was laughter. There was boob grabbing. And so much joy.

Our resort, Dewa Phuket, is just stunning. Open lobby, lovely welcoming, gorgeous pool and wonderful room. Geckos everywhere. Mosquitos too. Humid as anything but it’s warm and comforting – I’m definitely a child of south east Asian parents. People I work with read this but is it ok if I say I’m not coming home?

After settling in, feeling like Mushy Bee never left, it was time for dinner. We settled for delicious Thai food and a couple of cocktails at Nai Yang Park Resort restaurant next door. Big bowl of Gaeng Kari (yellow curry with chicken) and two cocktails came to 450 baht ($15AUD).

A relaxing night for us weary travelers coming from all over the Asia-Pacific region. Another easygoing day tomorrow to settle ourselves in before the adventures begin. I love Thailand – I always have. The people, the culture, the food, the language, even the music. It’s good to be back. And it’s wonderful to see and hold Mushy Bee again in one of my most favorite holiday destinations.

So many adventures to be had!

I did say that this wouldn’t be a blog solely dedicated to my new flat (I’ve decided to call it a flat.  Apartment doesn’t sound right).  The great love of my life (one of anyway) is travelling.  So I thought we’d take it back a bit, chill out and talk about THAILAND.

As mentioned in a previous post, on the 21st of July, I’ll finally be on a plane to Thailand for a very much needed holiday away from the dreary -Melbourne weather and all those little pain-in-the-ass trials that this lovely thing called “life” likes to throw our way.  I’ve been to Thailand a few times in the past and have always enjoyed it.  Along with Malaysia, I rate it very highly on my “places to go in Asia” list.  It’s no-fuss, fun and affordable.

My travel companions have never been to Thailand before, let alone Phuket, so I took it upon myself to suggest some activities we should do in amongst all the relaxing and cocktailing and general merrymaking we’ll be doing.  Some of these things I have done, but most of them will be a new experience for me too which I’m really excited about.  So here goes – our finalised itinerary for Phuket, Thailand.

White Water Rafting and Elephant Trekking in Phang Nga
Not only do we get to ride elephants, which I have always loved, and go on an awesome water adventure, we get some time to visit a waterfall where we can swim around for a bit.  At least, from the description, that’s what it sounds like!  I love a bit of adrenaline and outdoors-ey fun so I can’t wait for this one.  At 3000 baht per person (around $100AUD), with snacks, drinks and return trips to our hotel (which is hard to come by because we’re about 40 minutes from Patong beach.  Most tours charge extra for that.), it’s a pretty decent price.

   

http://www.phuket-travel.com./water_ac/index-rafting.htm

Splash Jungle Water Park
A water theme park!  WATER THEME PARK.  My favourite kind of theme parks are the water variety so as soon as one my travel companions found this one, it was an immediate yes from me! There’s one particular ride that caught my eye called the Boomerango (how fitting that an Aussie wants to go on a ride called the Boomerango).  The website says: one of Splash Jungle’s star attraction offering a combination of thrilling sensations. Rider in an inner-tube start with a step drop down then are propelled high up a vertical wall. Then a reversed free fall a accelerates riders over a 15 metre high transition bump and into a splashdown pool.

Vertical.  Wall.  Can’t wait!  Entrance is 1295 baht (less than $45AUD) and there’s a bus that can pick us up from our beach and drop us off.  It’s not too far from Nai Yang so that’ll be a good day – super fun but not too intense.

http://www.splashjunglewaterpark.com/feature.html

Hong Kayaking by Starlight
Exploring caves on a kayak during lunch and at night.  It sounded amazing so I was quick to suggest it.  I’m not entirely sure what “Hong” is and Google has been about as helpful as a monkey with a trombone.  If someone would like to let me know, that would be awesome.  We also get a seafood dinner once we’ve finished exploring and, again, free return trip to our hotel.  I expect this to be an amazing and beautiful experience with nature – something I think is important to do even just a little bit when in a different country.  Heck, even in your own country!

   

This was the most expensive tour but at 3950 baht (less than $135AUD), it’s still not too bad.  We get dinner and transportation, plus a great story to tell people back home.

Koh Phi Phi Island Express Cruiser
Now I’ve done this Phi Phi Island tour before except I did the speedboat one.  Anyone who has been on speedboat out in ocean waters will know it is a crazy ride.  Like, fly out of seat-constant bumping crazy ride.  The last time I went on it, one of my friends had to take a different boat home because she was so violently ill.  Even I, with a stomach of steel, felt a teensy weensy bit unsettled on this ride.  So with that in mind, and knowing how well my friends deal with boats (one friend anyway), I had to track down a Phi Phi Island tour that involved NO SPEEDBOATS.  And after much searching and many transportation surcharge fees, I managed to find one that not only went to all the places that we need to go, but charged only 200 baht extra for transportation.  That’s still cheaper than the other options out there!

I hope we get to stay at Maya Bay for a little bit to enjoy the beach there but I have a feeling we’ll only get to have a look.  We get to swim and snorkel at Coral Bay though so that will be great for everyone.  Maya Bay is just so iconically “Thailand”, I just wanted my friends and I to take that cliched Maya Bay photo all us tourists take.

      

1200 baht ($40AUD including transportation from our hotel) and lunch.  I love food.  I especially love Thai food.  So any included meals is a super big A+ for me.

http://www.phuket-trips.com/phi-phi-cruiser.htm

Rollerball
I’ve always seen this “Zorb” thing in New Zealand and have always wanted to try it.  Considering the only time I’ve been to New Zealand has been with my parents, safe to say we did not engage in any “zorbing”.  But now I can.  A couple of minutes from Patong, we decided to use this as an excuse to go to Patong, do the Rollerball, see Simon’s Cabaret (next dot point) and then hit the nightlife scene.  I know it’s hideously touristy and disgustingly trashy but this is their first time in Phuket – they have to experience the glory AND the gory!  It’ll set us back 950 baht (less than $35AUD) and up to four people per ball but I think we’ll just split into two.  HOWEVER, we were very adamant on getting into filming things so maybe having all of us in one ball will make for greater footage for our final “Phuket trip” video.  I’ll be sure to post it for all of y’all.

Just out of curiosity, why would you need a life jacket in there?!  The water looks like it’s about 10cm deep?!  Anyway, if you can, YouTube “zorbing”.  Apart from looking like you’re being birthed, it looks like epic fun.  Why WOULDN’T you want to try it?!

Simon’s Cabaret
And finally, Simon’s Cabaret.  A Phuket institution celebrating what we all know and joke about when we hear the word “Thailand” – lady boys.  You can’t go to Phuket and not see Simon’s Cabaret especially if you’re not game for a Ping Pong show (which I still haven’t done… yet have done Simon’s Cabaret a few times).  It’s pretty much just lip-syncing lady boys but man, they are convincing!  Not only in the lip syncing but as women!  You wouldn’t believe some were men previously.  But most of them have “man” qualities.  It’s amusing and entertaining – for me anyway.  Plus, these tickets came free when we booked one of our tours so really, no excuses!  It’s fair enough some people wouldn’t want to pay to see something like this (my aunt didn’t overly enjoy it – maybe she was expecting something more wild?) but I think it’s cute and did I mention it was free??

   

It’s a little depressing that these former-men have better female bodies than I do as a born-female.

http://www.phuket-simoncabaret.com

And there we have it.  An eventful but what I’m hoping will be a relaxing trip away.  Time to unwind.   Time to laugh and smile; and live fully and fearlessly with some of the most important people in my life.  To reunite with a sorely missed and dear friend.  To remind myself that this is all worth it somehow.  That it’s not all dreary, grey Melbourne winters.  That eventually, there’s a sunny, warm Phuket beach waiting for me at the end.  And after working hard, crying hard and falling hard, that’s definitely something to look forward to.

No rest for the wicked restless

I knew it wouldn’t take long before I was off again.  Having been back from NYC for barely a week, I have just finalised flights to Phuket, Thailand from the 21st of July until the 29th of July.  I had hoped to secure more leave from work but if I want to make it to Europe by the time I’m 25, I need to save up as much annual leave as possible.  This means no trip to another south east Asian country for me.  But that’s OK because I absolutely love Thailand.  It was one of the first destinations in my passport (2002/03, 2006, 2009) and I have only fond memories of the land of smiles.  Plus I love Thai food.

While I don’t think I’ll be visiting Bangkok very often from now on, Chiang Mai and Phuket are places I could visit again and again.  Still many things to see and do but far less congested.  This trip to Phuket has been in the works since last year after scoring a Scoupon deal for accomodation on Nai Yang beach.

 

The “A” is where Dewa Phuket Resort is located and where my friends and I will call home for 9 days.

 

  

Beautiful, no?

We are extremely excited, as to be expected, and I can’t wait to experience Phuket again but NOT Patong beach.  It will be a relaxed holiday filled with sun, cocktails and the beach.  I’m hoping we can take a couple of day trips to Phi Phi Island and the like but we’ll have to see what my friends feel like doing.  Considering none of them have been before, I think it’ll be a great idea.

Until July readers (unless we book another holiday before then which really wouldn’t surprise me),

Sawasdee kaa!