Up for breakfast; the nice hostel ladies cook us fried eggs on toast with fruit, tea, coffee and juice. It’s really simple but effective – we get so full from it.
We had planned to walk up and down our street looking at all the touristy options (we want to go to Phi Phi islands, elephant trekking, ATV biking and white water rafting), rather we ended up walking around the streets looking at houses and shops along the way. We found ourselves miles away from our hostel, yet conveniently outside an ice-creamery – wasn’t expected, but with the 30 temp it was very inviting. I ended up ordering a massive three scoop chocolate delight – even the was made of waffle. Jono ordered ice-cream and waffles. We shared of course. YUMMM!!
It was hot, so we walked back to the hostel (looking at mobile phone and ipod shops along the way) and promptly sat infront of the super sized tv to watch movies with everyone for the rest of the afternoon.
We have been here a while now, and we have been very careful with what we eat and drink in an attempt to avoid being sick. We met a guy who had spent the last few weeks cycling from top to bottom of Thailand, and he said that all the market food and tap water he had had didn’t make him sick. So we resolved that we were tough enough to test out the market food. The markets are about a two min walk away; we browsed through the various options. Mostly not knowing what it was (prob tastes like chicken anyways), we finally chose a few items. I chose, what looked like a, sausage – turned out to be a pork and rice sausage?? All the rice in the sausage made it very filling, not sure I would order it again though. Jono got some skewers… what a funny experience!! Jono didn’t particularly want to be eating chicken liver or tongue so wanted to establish what kind of meat he was about to eat.
We were standing in the middle of a busy market place, thai people running around everywhere push and prodding us to move and hurry. The food stall owner didn’t speak any English (all we know is hello, thank-you, yes and no); we resorted to body language. Jono stood there pinching and pointing at his chest say ‘breast?? Chicken breast??’ then lifting his shirt up pinching and pointing at his stomach saying ‘or chicken liver??’. Between the giggles and tears the stall owner pointed to his arse and said something in thai. We settled on it being chicken thigh. I hope so for Jono’s sake!!
:-)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Phuket Town Day 8 - 21/11/2008
We started out with a pretty breezy day today; woke up in our Thai 1000 bed, checked emails and ate our breakfast. We decided to take a look around, so picked up a map and started walking. We got as far as across the road and found a temple. It wasnt a very nice temple plus you couldnt actually get inside.
We then found a taxi driver who took us to Rang Hill lookout and then onto Wa Khun Chee temple. The lookout was great, we were able to see all of Phuket Town and out towards the beach. Our driver told us not to bother with the beaches in Phuket Town as they were dirty and mostly waste water. Next was the temple, the buddah towered over us. It was quite a walk to get from the street up the stairs to where the was sitting. We met a monk who took us to the construction site for the new temple next door. The detail on the building was mind blowing, every inch of the building has carvings or paintings. We had a few photos taken. Jono was talking to the monk about their living conditions, next thing you know we are getting a tour of the monks home, where they worship and where their bedrooms are located. He even showed us where he keeps his shoes. Certainly not the most lush of living conditions, but nice none-the-less.
Once returning home from our exploring we decided to find a massage parlour for a quick rub down. After my last unpleasent experience, I decided to go for the oil aromatherapy massage. Such a good choice, it was so relaxing. I could have fallen asleep if it werent for the fact that I was embarressed about snoring (or farting!!). Jono got the thai massage again, he seemed very happy with the service. We both walked out feeling like we were on cloud nine. Time for some dinner and a quick walk about the shops.
We grabbed a quick bite to eat and started looking at the local stores. I found a couple of cheap dresses and Jono found a kimono; we went to the next store to compare prices - they wanted to charge us double!! Jono met a german guy at that shop who was also buying a kimono; jono told him the price we were going to pay and he followed us out. If I were to understand thai better I could have betted that the shop lady was cursing Jono for taking away her business. he he he.
:-)
We then found a taxi driver who took us to Rang Hill lookout and then onto Wa Khun Chee temple. The lookout was great, we were able to see all of Phuket Town and out towards the beach. Our driver told us not to bother with the beaches in Phuket Town as they were dirty and mostly waste water. Next was the temple, the buddah towered over us. It was quite a walk to get from the street up the stairs to where the was sitting. We met a monk who took us to the construction site for the new temple next door. The detail on the building was mind blowing, every inch of the building has carvings or paintings. We had a few photos taken. Jono was talking to the monk about their living conditions, next thing you know we are getting a tour of the monks home, where they worship and where their bedrooms are located. He even showed us where he keeps his shoes. Certainly not the most lush of living conditions, but nice none-the-less.
Once returning home from our exploring we decided to find a massage parlour for a quick rub down. After my last unpleasent experience, I decided to go for the oil aromatherapy massage. Such a good choice, it was so relaxing. I could have fallen asleep if it werent for the fact that I was embarressed about snoring (or farting!!). Jono got the thai massage again, he seemed very happy with the service. We both walked out feeling like we were on cloud nine. Time for some dinner and a quick walk about the shops.
We grabbed a quick bite to eat and started looking at the local stores. I found a couple of cheap dresses and Jono found a kimono; we went to the next store to compare prices - they wanted to charge us double!! Jono met a german guy at that shop who was also buying a kimono; jono told him the price we were going to pay and he followed us out. If I were to understand thai better I could have betted that the shop lady was cursing Jono for taking away her business. he he he.
:-)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Phuket Town - Day 7
We check out of Ibis today. Had our breakfast and started the long drawn out process of packing our bags. What a nightmare! As we tried to squish all our stuff into our bags we realised that we had laundry to pick up. GRRR.... more stuff to pack. Time to buy another bag :-)
Finally we got our stuff packed, returned the motor bikes and checked out. We caught a taxi to Phuket Town - Phuket Backpackers. We have such a big room with aircon and the Thai 1000 matress. Jono and I have a running joke over how hard the beds are. The first few nights in Bangkok we had the Thai 1000 (solid matress that doesnt allow for any comfort what so ever), the Ibis had the Thai 5000 (the upgraded version; a little more cushiony, yet still solid) now at the Phuket Backpackers we are back to the Thai 1000. Puting aside the shitty bed, we have a great room with a tv, fridge and our own bathroom. Its a hot spot for all the backpackers. All of them sit in the lounge room swapping stories and email addresses. The internet connection is a little better here too. WiFi from the lounge, but drops out just before our room.
The hostel has its own kitchen, so we went to shop and bought some food and drinks from the local super market. All the locals told us that its the biggest in the area 'lots of stuff' they said. I was expecting a big Coles or Woolies, we found a small IGA equivalent. Gotta love this city. After stocking out fridge up with food, we promtly stuffed our faces. I went down to the lounge to upload some of the blogs from the days before. The backpackers hostel has a massive tv (bigger than adams and chris's) with an even bigger dvd collection. After playing online for a while I watched Shawshank Redemption (great movie).
After a movie we walked down Ranong Road for dinner at the local Down Town Inn - two main meals, two soups and one large beer to share 100 bht = $4.80AUD. Cheap cheap!!
Like old farts we came home and were in bed by 9pm.
:-)
Finally we got our stuff packed, returned the motor bikes and checked out. We caught a taxi to Phuket Town - Phuket Backpackers. We have such a big room with aircon and the Thai 1000 matress. Jono and I have a running joke over how hard the beds are. The first few nights in Bangkok we had the Thai 1000 (solid matress that doesnt allow for any comfort what so ever), the Ibis had the Thai 5000 (the upgraded version; a little more cushiony, yet still solid) now at the Phuket Backpackers we are back to the Thai 1000. Puting aside the shitty bed, we have a great room with a tv, fridge and our own bathroom. Its a hot spot for all the backpackers. All of them sit in the lounge room swapping stories and email addresses. The internet connection is a little better here too. WiFi from the lounge, but drops out just before our room.
The hostel has its own kitchen, so we went to shop and bought some food and drinks from the local super market. All the locals told us that its the biggest in the area 'lots of stuff' they said. I was expecting a big Coles or Woolies, we found a small IGA equivalent. Gotta love this city. After stocking out fridge up with food, we promtly stuffed our faces. I went down to the lounge to upload some of the blogs from the days before. The backpackers hostel has a massive tv (bigger than adams and chris's) with an even bigger dvd collection. After playing online for a while I watched Shawshank Redemption (great movie).
After a movie we walked down Ranong Road for dinner at the local Down Town Inn - two main meals, two soups and one large beer to share 100 bht = $4.80AUD. Cheap cheap!!
Like old farts we came home and were in bed by 9pm.
:-)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Patong Day 6 - 19.11.2008
Today was a little more exciting. I shot two guns!! But we will get to the shortly.
We woke up early again, headed down for breakfast and wroke a few postcards. We lazed about the room for a few hours checking out accommodation on the local islands. Nothing yet! We took our laundry to the local place to get cleaned - the hotel was ready to take us for all our money.
We decided to keep the bikes for another day to adventure to the bottom end of the island. Amazingly beautiful. We left Patong and headed down towards Freedom Beach. We stopped at Karon Noi / Karon Beach for a beer on the beach. We took a little look about town but were back on our bikes for more exploring. We then rode down to Kata / Kata Noi Beach and Stopped at the Kata View Point. I saw a small sign I think it was called 'Siam Beach' so we decided to get off the beaten track and see what was down there. It was a steep down hill ride, there was overgrown shrubs everywhere - these roads werent looked after. You could see that a mud slide had washed bolders, mud and trees onto the road. Even some parts of the road were missing - my vast motor bike experience ensured I was able to swurve past all the obstructions. We passed two houses that didnt appear to have any facilities (ie toilets or running water). When we got to the bottom we met a couple of older german men who explained that this wasnt a popular road - not many tourists visited this area. Apparently there was a big storm about three years ago that washed away houses, crops and destroyed the area.
We eventually made our way up the mountain on our bikes (poor thigs were going flat chat). We headed around to Phromthep Cape. This was by far the best view I have seen our entire trip. Blue and green ocean with a massive island right in the centre. We took a few photos, enjoyed the sights and motored on. We stopped for lunch at Rawi beach. The food made us tired so we decided that instead of going to the Big Buddah not far from Rawi we would head straight home. On our way our of Rawi we were pulled over by police at Haaek Chalong circle-bypass. They asked for our licences. We got them out and were a little nervous because neither of us had motorbike licences? Did we need them? The tourist lady didnt mention anything about licences - she didnt even ask!? He barely even looked at them and waved us on. Crazy!!
We rode about 500m down the road and found the Phuket Shooting Range. We pulled in, two guys came running out to us with ear muffs. You could hear the faint sound of the guns firing. We walked inside, we saw people (kids to adults - both men and women) shooting in little booths. We were just their to look at prices, but thought we may as well do it while we were here. 'What you want?' the man asked. I dont know - a gun is a gun! Doesnt make much of a difference to me. Actually no I want to shoot a shot gun. I looked at Jono, he had a different idea. He wanted to shoot a hand gun. We compromised, we got both :-)
So if I remember correctly it was a 12 guage pump action shot gun and a 45 calibre hand gun. 'Jono your going first'.
The guy took Jono to the little booth. I looked around, there were other people with hand guns and they seemed tame enough. Bang bang bang - nothing much to it. Jono sat down, the guy handed over the gun and explained how to use it (point and shoot I thought - its not that hard?!?). I could see Jono breating and concentrating intensly. He lined up the target and click. There werent any bullets? It was a practise run. I was a little deflated! He got one more practise run. Ok now its time for the real deal. I saw the guy put the case of the bullets into the bottom of the hand gun. Jono looked over with this 'CRAZY' look on his face. Like a kid in a candy store. He had a smile from ear to ear - I laughed. Jono looked back around, the guy took the safety off the gun. He put the gun in Jonos hand. Jono lined up the target. His breathing slowed down, the guy took a step back. I waited for a min or two - nothing happened? Had he broken it? 'BOOM' The sound was piercing. Jonos entire body shook from the power of it. I was expecting to get a bang and a little shake but his whole hand bounced from the force. He got the target! Jono was shaking, I moved to see he face? I hoped he was ok! He was laughing so hard. Almost in tears actually. He finished off his rounds getting the target each and every time, then it was my turn. We swapped goggles and he told me to hold on tight.
I got up to the booth, the guy gave me the gun, told me where to hold and pointed at the target. I aimed and tried to line up the two pieces of mental as good as I could. Then pressed the trigger. Deflated again, it was a test run! After my second test run he put the case into the gun. I am loaded. All I could think of was Counter Strike 'Go go go'. The guy put my the gun in my hand, then moved back. I looked at the target and squeesed the trigger. The darn thing didnt move? I squeesed some more, if jono can do it so can I - it turned out that I had somehow broken the gun. He took the gun out of my hands, mumbled something in thai and took the case of bullets out. He spent a couple of mins fixing what ever it was that I had broken. After fixing it he put my hands in the right places (again) and moved behind me. I held on for dear life, lined up the two pieces of metal again and moved my finger onto the trigger. Once I had the two pieces of metal lined up I pulled the trigger. I thought i was going to loose the blimmin thing, my entire arm bounced with each shot. Such a rush! I finished off my round. Even if you dont like guns, I think you should give it a try. AMAZING! I only hit the circle on the target once, and missed the piece of paper once. Im a terrible shot.
Next was the shot gun. We walked outside into a firing area with little metal bodies as targets. Jono had his go - he hit one target and missed the rest. He said it hurt. I wasnt looking forward to this one. It was my turn. I stepped up and the guy gave me the shot gun. He told me to aim low on the target. He pushed the butt of the shot gun into my shoulder and put my hands in the right places. I lined up the two pieces of metal again, aiming low on the target and pulled the trigger. 'BOOM' Now where talking!! I hit the target! The target fell to the ground. WOW!! My body shook from the blast. This was so much better than the handgun. I tried to do the movie thing and pumped the hand piece really quickly - out popped the empty bullet thing. I felt so cool! I managed to hit four of my five rounds. I could be an fbi agent easily - if I had a shot gun to play with. He he he.
We left the shooting range and sat outside for a few mins. we were both buzzing with excitement and adrenalin. Prob wouldnt ever do it again, but what a rush. We headed home.
At the hotel Jono took his shirt off, I could see a mark from where the shot gun butt had been. I have taken some photos and will load them up later. We both have marks that prove we are tough shot gun tooting idiots. I could of passed as Sarah Palin.
Another day of excitment.Naomi:-)
We woke up early again, headed down for breakfast and wroke a few postcards. We lazed about the room for a few hours checking out accommodation on the local islands. Nothing yet! We took our laundry to the local place to get cleaned - the hotel was ready to take us for all our money.
We decided to keep the bikes for another day to adventure to the bottom end of the island. Amazingly beautiful. We left Patong and headed down towards Freedom Beach. We stopped at Karon Noi / Karon Beach for a beer on the beach. We took a little look about town but were back on our bikes for more exploring. We then rode down to Kata / Kata Noi Beach and Stopped at the Kata View Point. I saw a small sign I think it was called 'Siam Beach' so we decided to get off the beaten track and see what was down there. It was a steep down hill ride, there was overgrown shrubs everywhere - these roads werent looked after. You could see that a mud slide had washed bolders, mud and trees onto the road. Even some parts of the road were missing - my vast motor bike experience ensured I was able to swurve past all the obstructions. We passed two houses that didnt appear to have any facilities (ie toilets or running water). When we got to the bottom we met a couple of older german men who explained that this wasnt a popular road - not many tourists visited this area. Apparently there was a big storm about three years ago that washed away houses, crops and destroyed the area.
We eventually made our way up the mountain on our bikes (poor thigs were going flat chat). We headed around to Phromthep Cape. This was by far the best view I have seen our entire trip. Blue and green ocean with a massive island right in the centre. We took a few photos, enjoyed the sights and motored on. We stopped for lunch at Rawi beach. The food made us tired so we decided that instead of going to the Big Buddah not far from Rawi we would head straight home. On our way our of Rawi we were pulled over by police at Haaek Chalong circle-bypass. They asked for our licences. We got them out and were a little nervous because neither of us had motorbike licences? Did we need them? The tourist lady didnt mention anything about licences - she didnt even ask!? He barely even looked at them and waved us on. Crazy!!
We rode about 500m down the road and found the Phuket Shooting Range. We pulled in, two guys came running out to us with ear muffs. You could hear the faint sound of the guns firing. We walked inside, we saw people (kids to adults - both men and women) shooting in little booths. We were just their to look at prices, but thought we may as well do it while we were here. 'What you want?' the man asked. I dont know - a gun is a gun! Doesnt make much of a difference to me. Actually no I want to shoot a shot gun. I looked at Jono, he had a different idea. He wanted to shoot a hand gun. We compromised, we got both :-)
So if I remember correctly it was a 12 guage pump action shot gun and a 45 calibre hand gun. 'Jono your going first'.
The guy took Jono to the little booth. I looked around, there were other people with hand guns and they seemed tame enough. Bang bang bang - nothing much to it. Jono sat down, the guy handed over the gun and explained how to use it (point and shoot I thought - its not that hard?!?). I could see Jono breating and concentrating intensly. He lined up the target and click. There werent any bullets? It was a practise run. I was a little deflated! He got one more practise run. Ok now its time for the real deal. I saw the guy put the case of the bullets into the bottom of the hand gun. Jono looked over with this 'CRAZY' look on his face. Like a kid in a candy store. He had a smile from ear to ear - I laughed. Jono looked back around, the guy took the safety off the gun. He put the gun in Jonos hand. Jono lined up the target. His breathing slowed down, the guy took a step back. I waited for a min or two - nothing happened? Had he broken it? 'BOOM' The sound was piercing. Jonos entire body shook from the power of it. I was expecting to get a bang and a little shake but his whole hand bounced from the force. He got the target! Jono was shaking, I moved to see he face? I hoped he was ok! He was laughing so hard. Almost in tears actually. He finished off his rounds getting the target each and every time, then it was my turn. We swapped goggles and he told me to hold on tight.
I got up to the booth, the guy gave me the gun, told me where to hold and pointed at the target. I aimed and tried to line up the two pieces of mental as good as I could. Then pressed the trigger. Deflated again, it was a test run! After my second test run he put the case into the gun. I am loaded. All I could think of was Counter Strike 'Go go go'. The guy put my the gun in my hand, then moved back. I looked at the target and squeesed the trigger. The darn thing didnt move? I squeesed some more, if jono can do it so can I - it turned out that I had somehow broken the gun. He took the gun out of my hands, mumbled something in thai and took the case of bullets out. He spent a couple of mins fixing what ever it was that I had broken. After fixing it he put my hands in the right places (again) and moved behind me. I held on for dear life, lined up the two pieces of metal again and moved my finger onto the trigger. Once I had the two pieces of metal lined up I pulled the trigger. I thought i was going to loose the blimmin thing, my entire arm bounced with each shot. Such a rush! I finished off my round. Even if you dont like guns, I think you should give it a try. AMAZING! I only hit the circle on the target once, and missed the piece of paper once. Im a terrible shot.
Next was the shot gun. We walked outside into a firing area with little metal bodies as targets. Jono had his go - he hit one target and missed the rest. He said it hurt. I wasnt looking forward to this one. It was my turn. I stepped up and the guy gave me the shot gun. He told me to aim low on the target. He pushed the butt of the shot gun into my shoulder and put my hands in the right places. I lined up the two pieces of metal again, aiming low on the target and pulled the trigger. 'BOOM' Now where talking!! I hit the target! The target fell to the ground. WOW!! My body shook from the blast. This was so much better than the handgun. I tried to do the movie thing and pumped the hand piece really quickly - out popped the empty bullet thing. I felt so cool! I managed to hit four of my five rounds. I could be an fbi agent easily - if I had a shot gun to play with. He he he.
We left the shooting range and sat outside for a few mins. we were both buzzing with excitement and adrenalin. Prob wouldnt ever do it again, but what a rush. We headed home.
At the hotel Jono took his shirt off, I could see a mark from where the shot gun butt had been. I have taken some photos and will load them up later. We both have marks that prove we are tough shot gun tooting idiots. I could of passed as Sarah Palin.
Another day of excitment.Naomi:-)
Patong Day 5 - 18.11.2008
Lazy wake up this morning - still up before 7am. Body clock is still out of wak.
We hired a couple of motor bikes today and hit the road. We rode from Patong beach to Kalim, kamala, bang tao then took the sri soonthon road to phuket town. We ride through the beaches and country side was beautiful. We seemed to pass through little towns that were stricken with poverty and then two mins later in beautiful forests. While in Phuket Town we had a quick look through the Phuket backpackers and booked a few nights for later this week. There were lots of backpackers so I am hoping that we will be able to find some people to get hints off. Ibis isnt exactly the type of place backpackers stay.
Phuket town is like a little bangkok, very busy and slightly stressful. Jono popped a tyre so we found a small place on the side of the road and got his tyre fixed. It was quick an inexpensive. Very lucky. We also managed to find a store to buy a ice block. Sitting by the road and people watching in town was fun, especially when you try to imagine what they are talking about. I am missing not being able to talk to people in english.
After Phuket Town we rode along the wichtsongkram road back to patong. We sat in the aircon for a few mins then went to subway for lunch - again very similar to home. Nothing special.
It was a hot day so we sat by the pool for a few hours drinking cocktails and taking the odd dip... so relaxing!! I will sleep well tonight.
:-)
We hired a couple of motor bikes today and hit the road. We rode from Patong beach to Kalim, kamala, bang tao then took the sri soonthon road to phuket town. We ride through the beaches and country side was beautiful. We seemed to pass through little towns that were stricken with poverty and then two mins later in beautiful forests. While in Phuket Town we had a quick look through the Phuket backpackers and booked a few nights for later this week. There were lots of backpackers so I am hoping that we will be able to find some people to get hints off. Ibis isnt exactly the type of place backpackers stay.
Phuket town is like a little bangkok, very busy and slightly stressful. Jono popped a tyre so we found a small place on the side of the road and got his tyre fixed. It was quick an inexpensive. Very lucky. We also managed to find a store to buy a ice block. Sitting by the road and people watching in town was fun, especially when you try to imagine what they are talking about. I am missing not being able to talk to people in english.
After Phuket Town we rode along the wichtsongkram road back to patong. We sat in the aircon for a few mins then went to subway for lunch - again very similar to home. Nothing special.
It was a hot day so we sat by the pool for a few hours drinking cocktails and taking the odd dip... so relaxing!! I will sleep well tonight.
:-)
Bangkok to Patong (Phuket) Day 4 - 17.11.2008
We woke up at 4am this morning. It was a little tough. We got a cab to the airport at 4:30am, then on a plane at 7am. At the airport we had to catch a bus from the terminal to the plane. They have some kind of aeroplane car park that the buses take you to. The plane was a little old and tattered (Air Asia). Kind of like a Virgin or Jet Star plane. No breakfast, however you could buy snacks and stuff once the flight was underway.
Only a one hour flight from Bangkok to Phuket. I tried to get a little sleep but Jono kept fidgeting. They werent comfy seats. We found a cheap cab and headed to our hotel. Ibis - Patong. We were about 20 mins into the 1 hour drive when the driver pulled into the side of the road and said 'I will be three mins, have to sign taxi paperwork'. WHAT?? We sat in the car for a few mins, then a lady from the tourism shop conveniently located next to the car came and opened my door. She had touristy stuff she wanted to offer us. I said no thank you. She wanted to know my hotel. I said no thank you. She wanted to know my name. I said - I have paid for this taxi to take me to my hotel and thats all I want. Hotel... NOW!! I think she could see how furious Jono and I were and walked away. The taxi driver returned to the car and was silent the entire trip. Jono refrained from ripping the taxi drivers head off and putting it up you know where!! ;-)
We have a lovely hotel. Great view of the mountain above Patong Beach, and on a nice quiet street. The beach is about three mins away. We have a range of cafe, bar and food options within a short distance. Starting to feel more and more like a holiday.
Once settled into the hotel we took a walk down to Bang La Road and had a beer at the Aussie Bar. We walked back along Patong beach and looked at some of the touristy things to do locally. We had a quick swim at the hotel with a few cocktails. Really starting to feel like a holiday. After our swim we went to the beach for dinner, we ate at a placed called Dubai. Can always trust halal meat!! Such soft chicken too. Straight to bed after dinner - soooo full and tired.
Patong is very different to Bangkok, not as many people attempting to sell you stuff or hound you with tuk tuks and taxi rides. Much more laid back here. Much cleaner here too; Bangkok had a stench that can make your eyes water, whereas Patong on really has that same stench on the main roads. Not sure if the smell is sewerage or just the rubbish. Either way not nice at all.
Adios.Naomi.
Only a one hour flight from Bangkok to Phuket. I tried to get a little sleep but Jono kept fidgeting. They werent comfy seats. We found a cheap cab and headed to our hotel. Ibis - Patong. We were about 20 mins into the 1 hour drive when the driver pulled into the side of the road and said 'I will be three mins, have to sign taxi paperwork'. WHAT?? We sat in the car for a few mins, then a lady from the tourism shop conveniently located next to the car came and opened my door. She had touristy stuff she wanted to offer us. I said no thank you. She wanted to know my hotel. I said no thank you. She wanted to know my name. I said - I have paid for this taxi to take me to my hotel and thats all I want. Hotel... NOW!! I think she could see how furious Jono and I were and walked away. The taxi driver returned to the car and was silent the entire trip. Jono refrained from ripping the taxi drivers head off and putting it up you know where!! ;-)
We have a lovely hotel. Great view of the mountain above Patong Beach, and on a nice quiet street. The beach is about three mins away. We have a range of cafe, bar and food options within a short distance. Starting to feel more and more like a holiday.
Once settled into the hotel we took a walk down to Bang La Road and had a beer at the Aussie Bar. We walked back along Patong beach and looked at some of the touristy things to do locally. We had a quick swim at the hotel with a few cocktails. Really starting to feel like a holiday. After our swim we went to the beach for dinner, we ate at a placed called Dubai. Can always trust halal meat!! Such soft chicken too. Straight to bed after dinner - soooo full and tired.
Patong is very different to Bangkok, not as many people attempting to sell you stuff or hound you with tuk tuks and taxi rides. Much more laid back here. Much cleaner here too; Bangkok had a stench that can make your eyes water, whereas Patong on really has that same stench on the main roads. Not sure if the smell is sewerage or just the rubbish. Either way not nice at all.
Adios.Naomi.
Bangkok Day 3 - 16 November
We were up early today for the floating markets. The drive was long - about two hours. We were with another group of people in a mini van. I think they were German or Austrian, from what I could interpret it was a family. A son, with his thai husband, and the sons parents. Possibly with an uncle along for the trip. They all looked hot and bothered.
We arrived at a small concrete shed, with toilets and tables - not much else really. Where are the markets? The ladies who worked their took us to a table right along side a small muddy creek. They gave us some young coconut drinks... yummm!! After about three or four mins of drinking our coconuts all the boats started jetting past. The boats are long, thin and have massive V8 engines that look like they have been welded together in their garage. We got onto our thin boat and started cruising through canals. The water was dirty, with lots of floating plants. I swear I saw a massive pyton swimming with the plants - its body was a thick as my wrist. Peoples houses backed onto their canals. So while crusing along in the boat we could see into peoples lives. The houses were falling apart, many of them tied together with some kind of rope, tape or tarp. It is easy to get depressed when looking at how difficult it is for some of these people to live, they dont have electricity, flushing toilets, fridges or cars. Im finding it really hard to turn a blind eye to their unfortunate situation. Im starting to realise how good we have it in Australia. On a lighter note, as I peered into one house, expecting to get a glimpse of their poverty, I saw a massive flat screen tv with the simpsons playing, a microwave, fridge and a stereo. What the? He must be the rich one that lives on the street - every street has one.
After passing all the houses we finally made it to the floating markets. It was massive - there were little boat everywhere with something to sell. The first boat we passed had drinks - 'two tiger beer please'. We mostly got food, we are running out of space in our backpacks. It was interesting to see a markets in the middle of no where doing so well. It was popular, with both locals and tourists. We travelled back through the canalsto get back to our mini van. We said our thanks for the ladies and got into our vans.
There was an unplanned stop at the snake farm. I was a little excited by the thrill of seeing a snake but that soon disappeared once we got into the hell hole. There were snakes, crocodiles and many other reptiles. There were all housed in small boxes, even the crocodile was shoved into a small cage. I started to feel guilty for the entry fee I had just handed over. We were pushed through the cages into a small pavillion type area. The snake show was just about to start. The men/handlers in uniforms were standing out the front and the music began. One by one they got snakes out of boxes or bag and threw them onto the fake green grass. They tossed them about jumping back everytime a snake would hiss or spit. They would take the snake by the tail and fling it about without a care. I didnt want to be there anymore. They even had big pythons out stirring them up and trying to scare the audience. The final part of the show included a couple of snakes being thrown on the ground and attacked by a mongoose. Jono and I both felt sick - it wasnt right!! But this country doesnt have the same animal rights as Australia. Wont be doing that again.
We slept pretty much all the way home. It seems that we get exhausted pretty quickly here. We had a few drinks at Khaosan road again. Met a couple of aussie backpackers on their way to Europe. Home for an early night.
:-)
We arrived at a small concrete shed, with toilets and tables - not much else really. Where are the markets? The ladies who worked their took us to a table right along side a small muddy creek. They gave us some young coconut drinks... yummm!! After about three or four mins of drinking our coconuts all the boats started jetting past. The boats are long, thin and have massive V8 engines that look like they have been welded together in their garage. We got onto our thin boat and started cruising through canals. The water was dirty, with lots of floating plants. I swear I saw a massive pyton swimming with the plants - its body was a thick as my wrist. Peoples houses backed onto their canals. So while crusing along in the boat we could see into peoples lives. The houses were falling apart, many of them tied together with some kind of rope, tape or tarp. It is easy to get depressed when looking at how difficult it is for some of these people to live, they dont have electricity, flushing toilets, fridges or cars. Im finding it really hard to turn a blind eye to their unfortunate situation. Im starting to realise how good we have it in Australia. On a lighter note, as I peered into one house, expecting to get a glimpse of their poverty, I saw a massive flat screen tv with the simpsons playing, a microwave, fridge and a stereo. What the? He must be the rich one that lives on the street - every street has one.
After passing all the houses we finally made it to the floating markets. It was massive - there were little boat everywhere with something to sell. The first boat we passed had drinks - 'two tiger beer please'. We mostly got food, we are running out of space in our backpacks. It was interesting to see a markets in the middle of no where doing so well. It was popular, with both locals and tourists. We travelled back through the canalsto get back to our mini van. We said our thanks for the ladies and got into our vans.
There was an unplanned stop at the snake farm. I was a little excited by the thrill of seeing a snake but that soon disappeared once we got into the hell hole. There were snakes, crocodiles and many other reptiles. There were all housed in small boxes, even the crocodile was shoved into a small cage. I started to feel guilty for the entry fee I had just handed over. We were pushed through the cages into a small pavillion type area. The snake show was just about to start. The men/handlers in uniforms were standing out the front and the music began. One by one they got snakes out of boxes or bag and threw them onto the fake green grass. They tossed them about jumping back everytime a snake would hiss or spit. They would take the snake by the tail and fling it about without a care. I didnt want to be there anymore. They even had big pythons out stirring them up and trying to scare the audience. The final part of the show included a couple of snakes being thrown on the ground and attacked by a mongoose. Jono and I both felt sick - it wasnt right!! But this country doesnt have the same animal rights as Australia. Wont be doing that again.
We slept pretty much all the way home. It seems that we get exhausted pretty quickly here. We had a few drinks at Khaosan road again. Met a couple of aussie backpackers on their way to Europe. Home for an early night.
:-)
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