Day 19 - Patong
We took the 7 am ferry back to mainland Phuket. We enjoyed spending the two days out on the remote islands. We are really enjoying island life, very relaxing, and for some reason, the days fly by. Some reviews of Phi Phi Islands compared their beaches to the Maldives. We did not find this to be even close. Phi Phi was gorgeous (and different as it had beautiful cliffs and hills), but the water is no where close to the clarity and marine life in the Maldives.
We are lucky that today is a special day in Phuket which means Patong is going to be hopping tonight. It is a full moon (which they party to each cycle) and it is Loy Krathong Festival (celebrating to the God of the Sea). To celebrate, people make krathongs, a floating offering to the sea. We got to make on in Phang Nga Bay. After five days of secluded beach time, we are excited for some night life.
The Krathong festivities started about 7 pm, so we ate right on the beach so we could see locals and tourists light their krathongs and set them in the ocean. Additionally, there were hundreds of white and red balloons being lite like hot air balloons and let in the sky. This along with occasional fireworks made for a beautiful sky.
We spent about an hour back at the hotel so we would be ready to hit the nightlife. It lived up to the craziness that was advertised. There were all sorts of risqué behavior going on. After a few hours of just taking in the commotion, we landed at a new dance club to get our grove on. Eventually the dance floor filled up and we had a blast. We felt like trendsetters as no one was dancing when we started, but everyone was soon after our arrival. I think we dance so poorly that everyone else felt comfortable dancing too. I'm sure more alcohol had a role also.
1:00 am came before we knew it and decided to head back. Long day of massage, pool, and beach tomorrow!
Day 20 - Day of relaxing in patong
To take advantage of a buy one get one free at the hotel spa, we had to take the 9:30 am appointment. We settled in for our 90 minute Thai couples massage. Despite being more expensive than the 400 Baht ($13) per hour on the beach, we wanted a professional massage with no chance of insects. We paid 1600 Baht for 3 hrs worth of massage, so I still felt like we got a good deal: 533 baht per hour ($18 per hr). An extra $15 bucks for a professional, indoor, and couples massage.
It gets hard psychologically when dealing with money when traveling. Your mind initially thinks there is a huge difference between a 800 vs 1600 baht massage. However, when you divide by 30, the variance isn't actually that significant.
We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool and eventually in the shade as it got really hot. We took some time to upload photos and videos as the hotel had good wifi. Additionally, we spent about an hour finalizing our New Zealand adventures. Well, we actually only booked our flight, but decided on spending almost all of our time (6 days) on the South Island. Auckland where we fly internationally in and out of is on the North Island.
We decided to eat dinner at Charm Thai because it had great reviews and that they supposedly have the best Pad Thai in Phuket. After investigation, it was ironically a restaurant in the Holiday Inn down the road. We took off to explorer the best Pad Thai. Holy cow, the Holiday Inn was a beautiful property. It looked like it was built for families, but was huge and fun to walk through to get to the restaurant. It is interesting how I have a bias on certain businesses from being in the US. Who would have thought Holiday Inns would have at least three beautiful properties in Phuket (we have seen 3). Additionally, seven eleven has helped keep us stocked of water, beer, and snacks. We haven't eaten yet but KFC, Burger King, and McDonalds are busy places over here.
Anyways, back to pad thai. It was good. However, Oldies Cafe in Bangkok was better. They prepared an thin omelette and placed it on top. I think that was the difference. We got ourselves in a pickle again as we barely had enough cash to pay for dinner as I forgot the credit or debit card in the safe. Wouldn't have been a big deal, but an extra beer would have made waiting out the rain more enjoyable. Oh well, I've had enough Chang beer in Thailand.
We called it fairly early tonight as we had to pack our bags for a 7:00 am taxi to the airport. On to Bali! Excited to move on from Thailand, but glad we are still going to the beach! Diving the ship wreck is on my top 10 experiences list!
Thailand summary.
A few people have asked about how great the food is. Kristen and I both agree that the food in Thailand has not been better than the Thai food we have eaten in the US. It isn't worse, we would rate the same. I think this is two fold:
1) we have fresher vegetables. Being that we both enjoy a lot of vegetables in our Thai, this is huge for us.
2) if you prefer different meats, Thailand doesn't exactly have the infrastructure to raise the best beef, pork, or chickens. In fact, I didn't eat much meat as I have seen the refrigeration systems and the lack of proper food handling here.
This surprises Kristen as she felt the Indian food in India was hands down better than any food in the US.
The Thai people have been very accommodating to us as tourists. Many get excited to "practice" their English with you. The better they speak English, the better opportunities they can have.
Phuket is beautiful. Bangkok wasn't as nasty overcrowded as I had imagined (wonder if we just stayed in the right place). Motorbikes and taxis are the only vehicles on the road.
Click here for Southern Phuket pictures
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