The Highs and Lows of Life
Trip Start
Jun 12, 2006
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127
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Trip End
Jul 01, 2007
Patong, Phuket,
Thailand
Friday, March 9, 2007
I actually got on a nice a comfortable bus, although I did have to endure The Di Vinci Code at maximum volume in Thai for the first two hours of the trip!!!
I arrive in Phuket late the following morning after the bus driver had decided to give all his mates a lift, a local bus to Patong and a bike ride to where my mum and sister where staying. I'm not quite sure what the 5 star hotel thought when I rocked up on the back of a bike, with my back pack on...not there normal type of guest. Another week of luxary with my mum and my first bath in months later..i started to enjoy the ride.
Ao Phang Nga 1
Second day into the trip and refreshed we booked up some tours to the nearby Phi Phi and Phang Nga bay to go kayaking.
Later in the evening I met probably the remarkable person so far on my travels. We had dinner a couple of drinks, mum and nat went home and I went off to find somewhere to watch the football.
Now for anyone that hasn't been here before, its off the backpacker circuit and definetly for holiday makers and sex tourism. The main strip of bars has minimum places to drink with getting hasled by go go girls or lady boys..or come to think about it somewhere confusingly in between! So off I went, ever bar girls grabbing every possible part of your body, shaking arse in your face trying to lure you into a bar...not a bad thing you might say however everyone is out for your money.
I came across a bar and asked the bar tender where was good to go out and watch the football, with of course young Thai girls hanging off me. She was cool, pointed out some good places and said if I wanted to... come back and join us for a drink.
Ao Phang Nga 10
A quick walk around later I decided to go back, knowing I was intersted in nothing else the girls left me alone and I chatted with bar owner, watched Spurs beat West Ham 4-3 and started chatting to one of the quiter girls Neu. She thankfully one of those girls not interested in being paid to do anything and a welcome relief for the crazyness going on around me.
After chatting a while i discovered that she had just come down from Bangkok in the last couple of weeks to try and get some work, slightly older than me she had been with the same bloke all her life and he had just dumped her and there 7 year old boy...she now had no money and had to come down here to try and get some money as a go go girl. I asked her how she felt about this and the response was, I'm thai this is what we need to do. A remarkable way of life and i have all respect for her....
The following day we went off to Phi Phi island and Maya beech the set of the film the beech and a defiently tourist trap with over 20 boats croading the bay. On main land Phi Phi we saw the effects of the Tsunami where 1000's died due to the nature of the small land strip between two bays. The reef here is also completely wrecked as Nat and I discovered snorkling later at another island
Ao Phang Nga 11
.Later in the week we went to favourite place in Thailand so far, Ao Phang Nga... a bay full of limestone mountains, with crystal clear water and hidden caves. We spent the dat kayaking between the rocks and swimming in the water around the caves. the pictures don't really do justice to how good this place is, with its interesting rock formations. And another film was made here, the final scenes from James Bond...The Man with the Golden Gun...you can reconise some of the set from the pictures
That night I met up with Chris again whom I met in Borneo, I took him to the bar I knew we wouldnt get too much hastle from. Again Neu was there and we all went of to a club later....there we met an Irsih dude how got in a bottle of Vodka..free drinks all night!!! Later again I had to feel for Neu, couple of drinks down her and she got really upset at the predicamet she was in...missing her ex-boyfriend and having to work the area to raise some cash to support her family, what could I say, nothing...and this really made me think that i am lucky to be from a western country and I should make the most of the life i have been born into.
