Patong, Phuket

The first proper day of our holiday - awaking early, about 8:00am, for breakfast in the hotel restaurant, swims, shopping and strolling.

Kelly had to fend for herself for breakfast, what with her 'not really being there', so Steph, Sarah and I indulged in cooked-to-order omlettes, toast and amazing fruit! The pineapple here is amazing!

A post-brekky swim took the edge off the already smoldering day. It is hot. Really hot. And so far I have spent about 60% of my time applying and re-applying sunscreen. No tan lines. But I will not speak too soon for the remainder of the trip...

Today we started our exploration of the Patong streets and shopping - I don't like Patong much, the smell is off-putting, and the constant stream of "Ah...sexy lady...you like sarong?" wears as thin as a sheer sarong! The shopping was very cheap...on this first trip I think most of us bought something, mainly sarongs for the beach etc. Not many presents for people yet [sorry!], but we'll be spending our last 3 days near Patong so that's when the real shopping will begin!

Our first day in Patong would not have been complete without a stroll to the local temple. I say this as though Steph was giving us a choice. So through the vile streets of Patong town, winding our way through motorbikes and street carts of roasting chicken necks, we walked. It was about 35 degrees, but felt like 45. The air is thick with humidity and odour, and I must have had about two bottles of water during the walk there and back.

The temple was not as I expected it. In my mind, as in Japanese culture, a temple embodies impeccable precision within the surrounding landscape to complement the workmanship, effort and beauty that is given to the structure. Although the Patong temple was quite beautiful, with remarkable detail in the painting of the entrances, dragon scupltures protecting the stephs and rooftops, the surroundings were delapitaded. To say the least. Cars were packed on the sparce grass, the remains of a fire had left scorch marks in the earth, stray dogs (about 8 that I made out before running in the opposite direction) and cocks were roaming absently and finding shelter from the midday heat under cars. To the right was what looked like a run down school, with a caged in balcony showcasing a handful of older Thai women exercising in a Tai Chi style. To the left, behind the temple, was a monk wrapped in traditional orange robes leaf-blowing paths. Directly behind me, as I stood in the centre of the courtyard taking in these images with a mix of heat stroke and fear (again, the dogs), was a busy intersection leading to Patong with a policeman directing the hundreds of Tuk Tuk, motorbikes, open utes and cars. This display, given the sheer quantity of vehicles and distinct lack of actual road rules, is executed, surprisingly, seamlessly. Later we heard from Penny that during her trip through Patong she witnessed the remains of a motorbike accident, with a Thai man seeping blood from numerous wounds. We do not know what happened, but hope that he lives to ride again.

Speaking of road rules, or the lack thereof, an entertaining sign that was described to us in the style of the Australian speeding campaigns, read as follows;

"Drive Fast. Be Safe."

Need I say more.

Walked down to Patong beach and it is quite amazing - there are about 4 rows of beach umbrellas with sun chairs that stretch the entire length of Patong Beach, which looks about 1km in length, and every evening they get stacked and chained.

The water here is incredible - warm, like a bath, and quite clear. It took roughly 30 seconds for Kel and I to take note of the competition (50yo+ sagging men and women that looked like the cheap brown leather bags of Patong markets) before our kit was off and we were splashing aroung JetStar-style in the water! I don't think the european tanned audience had ever before seen such a white person in Patong. At this point, on a scale of 1 to Kelly (who looks like a gorgeous Sri Lankan), I am approximately -2. I aim to platau at 1 for the remainder of the Holiday.

"You like sarong...cheap for beautiful lady? 250THB?"........NO!

After some more shopping, and discussions with tour companies (which are EVERYWHERE, including one named "Jenny Tour", photo below, along with 7-Elevens..thank god!) we went for lunch at an amazing restaurant. Also cost only a few dollars per dish, so we got away with about $5 each! Thai green curry soup, stir-fry, rice, fruit shakes, coke for 20THB (about 60 cents)....Mmmm delicious! While I'm on the topic of drinking and food...water here is abundant in shops, and the going rate for a bottle of Nestle purified water is 10THB - 30c. Awesome. Mum would be proud that I were drinking so much water, and it would be good if I weren't sweating it quicker than a buffalo pulling six people in a buffalo-cart, but that's another story!

Back to the hotel for swimming and a quick wardrobe change (I'm averaging 2-3 changes per day, excluding my post-dinner dress-change) and it's already time to start thinking about dinner and evening entertainment. We strolled down to the beach, sunset over Patong is quite spectacular, and decided on a restaurant that had the tables set up on the sand, and ordered seafood. It's great seafood! And so cheap! We had noodles with chicken, rice, as usual, garlic and pepper crab and fried crab in flour. Great! Beers and coctails for less than a few dollars and we were set.

Some more shopping proceeded, with the highlight being led into a room full to bursting with DVDs. We will come back. $1 for new releases, so if anyone has any requests, email me before the 23rd!

Walking through Patong town after dark is quite a confronting experience. A man with a baby Gibbon (monkey) is charging 300 Baht for a photo and several men with Iguanas are scaring me by coming way too close. There is more open prositution than one cares to see on holidays, open bars spilling tourists onto the street, carts by the road selling...something...most with hanging dried squid. The stench continues, and does not lessen with the cooling evening. Even though I'd love to stay out and have a few drinks and see a few night-spots, the exhaustion from the heat and the smell, and still being on Sydney time [four hours ahead of Thailand], lends to sleep-time. Cold showers all round and bed were the end to a very interesting day.

Daily summary;

Dried squid - 0
Fruit smoothies- 1
Swims in pool - 2
Swims at beach - 1
Seafood meals - 2
DVDs bought - 0
DVDs planned for purchase - 286 and counting...
Near-gag experiences - many...again
Cold showers - 2-3
Sunsets over Patong - 1