LTC Pick of the Month: Sometimes you just fall in love (the taste, sound and life of Phuket)

There’s always a first time for everything. My first trip, all by my lonesome self, is to Phuket, Thailand were my cousin was working before. Being a lover of crime shows, I’m always paranoid about talking to strangers and being in shady situations but when my cousin failed to pick me up at the airport, I had to ride a cab...alone. It was a scary ride as it was already 11 in the evening and Patong Beach is quite far from the airport. Luckily, the 700 baht-ride safely delivered me to my cousin who was waiting at the Jungceylon Mall.

  

After my stuff has been deposited to my cousin’s apartment, we decided to hit up Bangla Road . If you have seen Malate during its street party heyday, it’s the same as a night in Bangla times 10. Add a hundred more “friendly” foreigners, a thousand more “entertainers” and you got Bangla. I guess men would enjoy the “ping-pong” shows more but we hit Bangla for the night life. We went to Factory twice and Famous once during my entire stay in Phuket. Factory is like a very laid back club and I can attest that I like the music better in the Philippines than in Phuket. It was kind of a mixture of a lot of house and contemporary music but the beat was slower. Famous is kind of cool with a see-through pool at the rooftop and a very cute half-Pinoy DJ.

Phuket is like a city full of different beaches. Just riding the scooter, we went beach hopping for the whole day. Patong, Kamala, Nai Harn are just some of the beaches we visited during my stay. I wasn’t able to go to Ko Phi Phi island where they shot the movie “The Beach” but I got a taste of what it might look like. The beach scene in Phuket is full of caucasians, mind you. You will feel that you are not in Asia   anymore. Almost everyone is in their skimpy bikinis whatever their shape is. Beat that!

If you want a taste of culture and history, the Old Phuket Town is a safe bet with their old establishments and an informative museum.

Food in Phuket is superb and cheap. I got to taste different flavors of Lays like spicy seafood and spicy anything. The Thais do love everything hot! I also got to taste authentic pad thai which is nothing in comparison to the Thai restos in the Metro. A 75 baht pad thai is good enough for two and drowning it down with a 1-Liter yakult (it’s not really yakult but I can’t remember its brand) and you’re all set for the day.

 

There’s a lot more that I love about Phuket but it’s better to experience it for yourself. I fell in love with it and I can’t wait to get back and experience the Songkran festival!