Day 13: Patong

Oi I slept in later than any time on our trip thanks to the late arrival. I didn’t get up until 10:30 and totally missed the free breakfast. I slowly showered and got ready surprised not to have been woken by a knock on the door from the guys. I checked in with them and found they have been up since around 9. Elmar is in a grumpy mood though not wanting to do anything but stay in the room and surf the web. We don’t bother teasing him and just leave. I think he’s quite burned out at this point.

Danny and I go to explore Phatong here on Phuket and eventually get lunch. We’re also debating our plans for tomorrow. I want to go to Ko Phi Phi, but they fly back to Bangkok tomorrow and are worried about the time before their flight, but I plan to go and spend the night. My decision though for the following day is the same as theirs for tomorrow. My flight is also at 9pm and I have to decide if I want to take the ferry at 10am or 2pm back. The 2pm ferry will get me back at 4pm with a 1 hour taxi ride to the airport leaving me 4 hours of time to spare. I’ll decide when I’m over there based on how much I have left to do, and how reliable the ferry seems. They don’t have that option.

We’re astonished by how many people are out bugging you to spend money. It’s maddening. “DVD?! DVD?!” “Where you going?” “Tuk Tuk?”, god I hate this place. People grab onto your arms, stand in your way. This is worse than anywhere in Thailand we’ve been.

We find a restaurant that seems good enough and sit down. It’s more expensive than any meal we’ve eaten here by an order of magnitude, but there seems little choice in this tourist trap. The service is slow, but the food is excellent. I chose Mussman Curry, and I think it’s the best curry I’ve ever had. It’s made with potatoes, carrots, peanuts and cashews, and I asked for it hot which comes out “white hot” as my dad calls it. It’s absolutely delicious.

We head down to the beach, the weather is cloudy, and it drizzles from time to time, but the water is warm as is the air so it’s not unpleasant at all. The wind is coming from the west right on shore and there is some small breakers I can body surf. It’s been too long since I’ve been to the beach, I really want to go more often this summer. Some people are doing para-sailing for 1000 baht, and it looks pretty crazy. You start standing just at the water’s edge before being drug out just over the surf and sand into the air. A Thai man stands on the cords just above the shoulder holding on like a monkey in a tree. That’s his job apparently. After a quick lap around the beach they land which looked the most hair raising of the whole process as you swing over land before floating down onto the sand. I elect not to take any pictures today as I’m tired and it’s really nothing special here. The beach is very similar to Huntington Beach but lined all the way down, every inch, with beach chairs for rent. No one is sitting in them. People walk up and down trying to sell you stuff. It’s ruined by the people.

We stop back at our hotel for a swim in the pool and some rest before heading out for dinner and look around. Phatong is busy at night with people trying to get your money. More than normal. There are “Massage” parlors everywhere with women in makeup asking you if you want a “masssssaaaaaaggggggeeee” some even so bold as to say “I massage your cock”. Prostitution so blatantly open here. One guy tried to convince us to go to some party saying “there much free pussy up there”. We even saw places with signs that said “Lady Boy Massage”. I never want to come back to Phuket. It’s such a wretched place. All we wanted to do was enjoy the beach and relax, instead we’re fending off touts and prostitutes. I really hope Ko Phi Phi is less of this, but I know it won’t be, it’s at least a change of scenery.

When we returned to the hotel Elmar was gone so we had a beer and watched some TV. Danny decided he didn’t want to go to Ko Phi Phi because he was worried on time, but I was so I went to bed early for a 6am wake up.