Holiday - Part 1

Holiday : Thailand - Phuket & Phi Phi Don

As an overview, here is what to look out for and what to expect when you are in Phuket and Phi Phi Don.

• Phuket is a beautiful city if you are after the buzz of constant chaos.
•   Patong beach is overrated and overcrowded, but again, if you are a crowd person, this if for you.
• There are a lot of bargains in Patong if you know how to barter, never settle for anything more than half the starting price. Regardless of their cries, this is their game, they will use the trick of human pity to sell at highest price. They always make profit.
• The Thai people are very helpful, hardworking and beautiful all over, please refrain from acting like a fool. These people respect their country to the bone and you would do well to do so too, or suffer the consequences. They may seem money hungry and they do rely on tourism to survive, however they get paid peanuts for the amount of work they do, and still manage to sustain a high level of humour and cheerfulness.

I am honestly in love with the Thai people. They are the nicest bunch of people you will ever meet, just remember to maintain humour and lightheartedness and you will have the time of your life.
Uptight people, stay home, seriously.

• You will never find a Thai person sitting around doing nothing. Every single one of them has a job to do, the only time you will see them sitting is when they are waiting for clients in their shops.
• Traffic controllers do not help you cross the road.
• Hundreds of massage and tattoo parlours
• Everything is hand-made. They make use of all scrap and unwanted materials. They even make photo albums out of Elephant faeces.
• Phi Phi Don has a beautiful beach, but it constantly low tide during dry season. It is worth visiting long beach by longboat from the pier as well.
• Phi Phi Don is a complete maze with hundreds of bars and restaurants, it can be quiet dirty and in some parts you will encounter strong smells of urine and faeces coming from the sewage. I am not certain if it is still suffering the aftermath of the tsunami, however the smells CAN be unbearable. They are constantly building new hotels and restaurants too.
• Fire shows at the beach are an amazing sight. The boys (and rare girls) put on quite a show, it is an amazing talent and a great display of fire handling.
• Phi Phi has beautiful surrounding islands, it is worth to attend a day trip, but do not expect a long stay for 250B . If you want to snorkel longer, hire a private boat instead. The 250B covers the main attractions such as Maya Bay (The Beach), Monkey Island, snorkelling, Viking cave and a couple of other attractions.
• Overall, if you are after piece and quiet, Phuket and Phi Phi are not it.

Things you will need in Thailand

• Mosquito repellent
• A sense of humour
• Taste for adventure
• An empty suitcase for your shopping
• 50+ sunscreen (trust me on this one)

Things worth doing

• Island safari in Phuket
• Snorkelling
• Rock climbing
• Diving
• Parasailing
• Muay Thai fights at Bangla stadium in Patong
• Phuket Fantasea cultural theme park

Phrases you will constantly hear/use (remember to drag the words)

• Sa-wat-dee Kah (Female)Sa-wat-dee-kap(male)-Hello
• Kapunka (Female) Kapunkap (male)-Thank you

You will also be harassed constantly for massages, tuk tuks and taxis, but it’s all good fun!
Just be respectful, put your palms together and always thank back!

Foods worth tasting (Remember, follow the locals)

• Noodle soup and Pad Thai from the streets of Patong
• Watermelon and Coconut shakes at Patong beach
• Basil chicken and rice
• Spring rolls made by Mama (no 62 at Patong beach)
• Fried rice with pork and chicken from the streets of Patong (beef in Thailand is very chewy)
• American sized pizza slices at Phi Phi Don
• Nutella and Banana pancakes at Phi Phi (ask for extra nutella/the ones at Patong are more like crepes)

So just remember,

1. Follow the locals
2. Dare to try
3. If you do not like chilly, ask them not to add it. Most of Thai dishes are extremely spicy.

Bargaining Skills

Never was there a better opportunity to practice your bargaining skills, and your Thai. Expect to bargain for a reduction of around 10 -30% for most items. Stall holders will unusually punch prices into their calculator, so you don’t need to worry too much about understanding the numbers. However, you’ll soon get the hang of it, and if you know the magic words “Can you give me a discount?” in Thai, then this will usually initiate a broad smile from the stall holder, and quite possibly, a bigger discount.

We ate street food every day in Patong and not once did we get sick, and to add to the irony, the first time I tried spaghetti at a restaurant, I spent 20 minutes in the toilet.