Friday, November 30, 2007
Island Hopping in Phuket, Thailand
Spontaneity. That could just be the theme of my visit to Phuket, Thailand. I didn’t have plans, until a few days before the trip. My friend suggested that I should utilize my last days in Singapore. She suggested that I should join another friend to a trip to the island. Being the traveler that I am, it was not so hard to convince me.
No expectations, no plans, just pure fun! A quick decision and it was 3 full days of island-fun.
We took an early flight from Singapore, arriving Phuket at 730am. In 45 minutes we were already at the beach area and checked in by 10am. We immediately headed to the beach for a heavy breakfast and then just lazed around the beach. This reminded me of my trip to Barcelona in 2004, where the first thing we did was to just sleep by the sand. Only this time, there were those nice beach chairs that were for rent (3EUR/day) and an umbrella that will protect you from direct sunlight and rain. Yes, it was raining during our visit, but only for 20 minutes or at the most was an hour.
The island was so nice, quiet and peaceful since the peak season was still a week away. That also meant we got our flights/hotel at a cheaper rate. I had to face the fact that I can also pass to be a Thai, since a lot of vendors were speaking to me in Thai. At 3pm I already felt that I’ve slept forever and yet there was still a long day ahead of me. Time seems to have stand still though I loved it because that meant I had more time to just chill.
Nightlife in Phuket was very interesting with Thai girls waiting to hook up with foreign men. You can see young girls with old men, pretty women with ugly men, and various pimps negotiating the price for them. It was fun sitting at one of the bars and just observing the people passing by. When we wanted some real fun, we decided to look for a bar with a live band playing. A few blocks away from that street we found a decent place with great live music. Did I also mention that alcohol is very affordable here? Of course this is comparing it to Singapore, where every drop of alcohol is precious. So in between sets they had a sculling or boat race a.k.a. drinking game. I was a mere observer of course, enjoying a sip of my drink rather than gulping it.
The second day we joined a tour to Phi Phi Island or what they call as Leonardo Beach, where they shot the film The Beach starring Leonardo di Caprio. It included nearby islands where we had some snorkeling, visited some caves, and just relaxed by the beach eating fresh fruits.
Even when you don’t know how to swim, there was an island where you can see fishes and corals just at knee level. I could even feel them swimming around me while I was feeding them breadcrumbs. I should have just stayed there but I also wanted to explore farther corals and fishes. I forgot to wear my life vest but I had my snorkel so it was not hard to breath underwater. Although at one point, water came inside the snorkel and it was hard to get back to the rhythm. My friend was way ahead of me, and for a second I was scared of not being able to reach the ground. I decided to swim back instead and realized that back stroke is a good way to catch some air. When I saw other Asian tourists, I hanged on to them for security, until my friend realized I wasn't following and he went back for me. At the end of the day, it was very exhausting yet all worthwhile.
On the third day I already felt like I know the place very well. We returned to our spot at the beach, and spent the day just relaxing. There were a lot of water sports by the beach, from jet skiing to parasailing. I wanted to try parasailing except that I was really scared of heights and it was pricy for a 15-minute ride. I decided to invest on a Thai massage instead. One hour of massage in a parlor, with soothing aroma and relaxing music, loosened my muscles from stress. Although it initially felt like they were going to break my bones or pinching their fingers on my shoulders, it felt good in the end.
I thought three days were too much but it was just enough time for me to get familiarize myself with the area. I would have wanted to stay longer, except that I couldn’t rebook my flight or you pay a fee almost the cost of booking a new flight. It just gives me more reason to go back again, and visit the other islands that I missed. For now, i might as well practice breathing in deep water if ever I would want to start taking scuba diving lessons.
I now live in the islands again, so it shouldn't be that expensive. Yes, I am back in the Philippines and more stories about that on my next entry.
No expectations, no plans, just pure fun! A quick decision and it was 3 full days of island-fun.
We took an early flight from Singapore, arriving Phuket at 730am. In 45 minutes we were already at the beach area and checked in by 10am. We immediately headed to the beach for a heavy breakfast and then just lazed around the beach. This reminded me of my trip to Barcelona in 2004, where the first thing we did was to just sleep by the sand. Only this time, there were those nice beach chairs that were for rent (3EUR/day) and an umbrella that will protect you from direct sunlight and rain. Yes, it was raining during our visit, but only for 20 minutes or at the most was an hour.
The island was so nice, quiet and peaceful since the peak season was still a week away. That also meant we got our flights/hotel at a cheaper rate. I had to face the fact that I can also pass to be a Thai, since a lot of vendors were speaking to me in Thai. At 3pm I already felt that I’ve slept forever and yet there was still a long day ahead of me. Time seems to have stand still though I loved it because that meant I had more time to just chill.
Nightlife in Phuket was very interesting with Thai girls waiting to hook up with foreign men. You can see young girls with old men, pretty women with ugly men, and various pimps negotiating the price for them. It was fun sitting at one of the bars and just observing the people passing by. When we wanted some real fun, we decided to look for a bar with a live band playing. A few blocks away from that street we found a decent place with great live music. Did I also mention that alcohol is very affordable here? Of course this is comparing it to Singapore, where every drop of alcohol is precious. So in between sets they had a sculling or boat race a.k.a. drinking game. I was a mere observer of course, enjoying a sip of my drink rather than gulping it.
The second day we joined a tour to Phi Phi Island or what they call as Leonardo Beach, where they shot the film The Beach starring Leonardo di Caprio. It included nearby islands where we had some snorkeling, visited some caves, and just relaxed by the beach eating fresh fruits.
Even when you don’t know how to swim, there was an island where you can see fishes and corals just at knee level. I could even feel them swimming around me while I was feeding them breadcrumbs. I should have just stayed there but I also wanted to explore farther corals and fishes. I forgot to wear my life vest but I had my snorkel so it was not hard to breath underwater. Although at one point, water came inside the snorkel and it was hard to get back to the rhythm. My friend was way ahead of me, and for a second I was scared of not being able to reach the ground. I decided to swim back instead and realized that back stroke is a good way to catch some air. When I saw other Asian tourists, I hanged on to them for security, until my friend realized I wasn't following and he went back for me. At the end of the day, it was very exhausting yet all worthwhile.
On the third day I already felt like I know the place very well. We returned to our spot at the beach, and spent the day just relaxing. There were a lot of water sports by the beach, from jet skiing to parasailing. I wanted to try parasailing except that I was really scared of heights and it was pricy for a 15-minute ride. I decided to invest on a Thai massage instead. One hour of massage in a parlor, with soothing aroma and relaxing music, loosened my muscles from stress. Although it initially felt like they were going to break my bones or pinching their fingers on my shoulders, it felt good in the end.
I thought three days were too much but it was just enough time for me to get familiarize myself with the area. I would have wanted to stay longer, except that I couldn’t rebook my flight or you pay a fee almost the cost of booking a new flight. It just gives me more reason to go back again, and visit the other islands that I missed. For now, i might as well practice breathing in deep water if ever I would want to start taking scuba diving lessons.
I now live in the islands again, so it shouldn't be that expensive. Yes, I am back in the Philippines and more stories about that on my next entry.
