After breakfast, we walked to McDonald’s along Beach Road for some familiar food. It was only 10am but the sun was already glaring and the pavements were already heating up. The air-conditioning of McDee’s offered some cool respite while we shared a now-defunct-in-Singapore McCrispy meal.
Long time no eat
Respect begets respect
Getting drunk on McDee's Coke?
We then boarded the local song thaew (bus) to go to town. As the bus picked up more passengers along Beach Road, it started to get very packed and the lack of air-conditioning made the bus very hot and stuffy. The steep slopes in mountainous Phuket and the lawless driving made this bus ride a memorable one.
Inside the song thaew
An hour later, we finally arrived in Phuket town, and we proceeded to have lunch at a small noodle shop. It purportedly sells Hokkien Mee, but it seemed more rather like prawn noodles to us.
Just as we were about to explore the town on our feet, we were stopped by a tuk tuk driver who offered to take us around the main shopping areas in town for a small fee. I was aware and wary of such scams: tuk tuk drivers who will take tourists to jewellery and gem stores because they are given commission by the stores for doing so. Under my questioning, the tuk tuk driver, named Manit, admitted that he was going to take us to a local gem store, but promised that we would not be pressurized to buy anything. So we got on his tuk tuk and off to the gem store.
We were not alone when we arrived at the gem store; scores of farangs were also innocently brought there by other tuk tuk drivers. We browsed through the showcases of gems and jewellery while the pesky sales people followed us around and tried to be of assistance. True indeed, they did not pester us to buy anything from them and Slug and I had some leisurely time looking at some of the biggest jewels we have ever seen in our lives.
Manit was waiting patiently for us outside the jewellery store and he took us to the Viewpoint next. It is a park on the peak of a hill which overlooks Phuket town. The scenery was great but we did not stay long because we felt faint from the afternoon heat.
At the Viewpoint
Overlooking Phuket
Much to our irritation, Manit wanted to take us to another gem store before bringing us to the butterfly garden. So off we went to the “world’s largest gem store”, and when we got there, we were spellbound because the store was indeed very big. So we just mesmerized ourselves with their extensive collection of gems and semiprecious stones with absolutely so intention of buying anything, and the sales people were not in any bit pushy.
After the gem store tour, Manit took us to the butterfly garden and boy, were we delighted to have the opportunity to come into close contact with butterflies and other cute little creatures! We were given a small plate of some jam-like substance which was actually food for the butterflies. We then roamed around the butterfly garden looking at the insect exhibits and playing with the butterflies.
Inside the butterfly garden
Feeding a butterfly the 'jam'
A butterfly that looks like a dead leaf ...
... but when it opens up its wings ...
By a mini waterfall
Colourful bird
An angry-looking monitor lizard
Squirrel
Butterfly specimens
We also explored a nursery where butterflies were bred, and we saw several cocoons and spiky caterpillars (eeks!). We arrived at a miniature pond in the middle of the garden infested with catfish, koi and some other fishes, and we bought some fish food to feed them.
A newborn butterfly on my hand!
Oooooh ... Sexy tarantula
Slug at the pavillion
Fishes in a frenzy fight for fish food
Awww ... Nancy the 12-year-old otter!
After a full two hours there, we left reluctantly because Manit had to rush back to town. He dropped us off at Robinsons Shopping Centre where we walked around for only a short while because there was not anything much to shop. We also had to rush back to the bus station because the last bus back to Patong beach leaves at 6pm.
Robinsons (not the one in Singapore)
Along the way to the bus station, we bought two yummy chicken wings from a roadside stall and sat by the pavement to eat. We also passed by a Chinese temple and we stepped inside to pray and make some offerings.
Guan Yin temple
After that, we had an extremely hard time locating the bus station even though I had a map in hand for consultation. I nearly pulled out my hair because the thought of missing the last bus back to the beach terrified me. We finally decided to open our mouths to ask the locals and farangs for directions, and when we arrived at the ‘bus station’, we realized that it was nothing more than a signpost with a sign that said ‘Bus Station’. We were speechless.
We boarded the song thaew that was waiting there. It was a different one from the one we took earlier. This song thaew looked more like a Isuzu pick-up van with three narrow benches in it. Thai techno was blasting from the speakers all throughout the journey, and we, physically worn-out from the heat and all that walking, found it one very torturing bus ride.
We returned to our room and had a luxurious bubble bath before going for dinner. As we went downstairs and passed by the shopping arcade in Patong Villa, one of the shopkeepers called out to us. She told us that she remembered we came last year and that Slug had bought a pair of slippers from her. We were pleasantly surprised that she had kept us in her memory even after one year. So we stayed at her shop and chatted with her for a while.
We found that her name is Mai and she is actually Vietnamese who moved to Phuket to work. So we exchanged contacts and we took pictures together, to which she was overjoyed when I promised to send her the pictures after I have developed them.
I love that little cozy corner!
Slug and I at Mai's shop
Together with Mai
As we walked along the streets aimlessly, we spotted a Muay Thai publicity van inching along the road. A boxer was punching his fists pompously while phrases of “Big fight ... big fight ... tonight ... tonight ... ” were blaring from the van speakers. The boxer posed for a picture and handed me a publicity poster.
We spotted a small alley from Bangla Road and we decided to have dinner at one of the tze char restaurants there. We ordered glass noodle soup with minced pork and tofu, pork fried in garlic and pepper, mixed vegetables and charcoal-grilled squid.
After dinner, we cruised along Bangla Road and paid a visit to Joker again. Today she was wearing a beautiful chiffon dress in shades of orange and blue. We took pictures with two fargly trannies in elaborate costumes.
At Soi Bangla
Ahhh ... lovely Joker
He sure looked happy
After a while, we returned to our room to pack our bags and then watch lame Thai shows and commercials (which we could not understand a single word) for the rest of the night.
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