Phuket 2007 Day 1

Met Slug to go to the airport the night before because our flight to Phuket was early in the morning. Super excited about our long-awaited trip to that sunny island!

After supper at the Burger King in Terminal 2, we then proceeded to the plane-viewing lounge to while away our time until check-in at 5am. We felt so sleepy that we decided to sleep on the cold, hard floor of the lounge (amidst the snores and the smell of stinking feet from the other travellers who were doing the same). We felt like refugees.

After that uncomfortable nap, we checked in at 5am, had breakfast at McDonald’s and browsed around the duty-free shops. We boarded the plane at 7am and off to Phuket!

A lonely isle near Phuket

We reached Phuket at 7.35am (their time), and we bought 2 minibus tickets to take us to our hotel, Patong Villa, where we would stay for the first 3 nights. Have decided to stay there again because of its short distance to the beach and to Bangla Road, a stretch of road that bursts with nightlife and seedy entertainment when the sun sets.

Waiting for the minibus

As it was still very early and our room had not been made, we headed to Bangla Road to have lunch. Much to our dismay, our favourite Thai Thai restaurant had closed down, so we had lunch at the Pizza Company.

A huge pizza puff filled with ham, seafood and damm lots of cheese

We checked into Patong Villa at about 11am, and we were pleased with our room! Our room had a cozy corner which offered a nice view (though blocked by other buildings) of the beach.

Our room with that little cozy corner

Bathtub!

After that, we went to Ocean Shopping Centre at Bangla Road to get some necessities: bottled water and snacks. Bangla Road has not changed much from the last time we came. The numerous bars and pubs were still there, with bored Thai girls lounging around waiting for nightfall. The shops were hawking the usual fare: tacky T-shirts, pricey Thai souvenirs, fake Dior / Gucci / etc goods, handmade jewellery and trinkets, etc. Farangs were walking around in the afternoon heat: bronzed hunks in surfer shorts, families with cute children in tow, burly men accompanied by their foxy Thai female companions etc.

Slaking my thirst in front of Ocean Shopping Centre

Bought some hotdogs from a roadside stall

We headed to Patong Beach, the most popular and busiest beach in Phuket. Beach chair vendors were ever-eager to persuade us to rent their beach chairs and jet skis, and try out parasailing. More farangs were on the beach soaking up the sun. More Thai vendors were walking around the beach selling beverages and offering massage and hair-braiding services. After a short walk along the beach, Slug and I returned to our room, washed up and headed to our favourite Sabai Sabai restaurant for dinner.

Patong Beach in the late afternoon

We totally loved the experience of dining by the seaside, with our feet snuggling in the soft white sand and with the night breeze gently ruffling our hair. We ordered squid and vegetables fried in batter, pork with ginger and spring onion, mixed vegetables, and seaweed with minced pork soup.

At Sabai Sabai Restaurant

Enjoying the night breeze

Dinner

After dinner, we went around bargaining and comparing prices for two excursions that we intended to go on. We finally found a tour booth manned by a guy named Loppy that offered the best prices, and we booked a trip to Ko Rachai Yai and Coral Island, and a trip to Ko Similan.

As we were tired after a whole day of walking and also lack of proper sleep the night before, we returned to our room early for a bubble bath and a good night’s rest.