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Sorry it's been so long since last message, but I'm in a very small place and the internet places are very sparse and exceedingly slow.
I got the bus from Bangkok on Sat 11th to Phuket (pronounced poo-ket) town. The bus journey was overnight and I had my fingers crossed that it would be an improvement on the Indian experience. I was to be picked up from my hotel at 1800 and taken to the bus. When I say picked up I thought maybe a van or something, but oh no, it involved being met and hiking all around the area to other hotels and picking up other people. By the time we arrived at the bus it felt like I'd done a mile hike carrying all my stuff.
We were herded onto the bus, which was 2 levels, the top of which was already full, so downstairs it was. This consisted of bench seats around a table, the windows had pink, frilly, nylon blinds and the front of the bus had a padded wall with large pink hearts all over it. I was slightly dubious as to the other activities this passion wagon may have been used for, still it was an improvement on India. Around the table I sat with 4 travellers from Israel, one from Germany and one from Thailand. I have met more people from Israel than anywhere else, as they all seem to leave en masse having completed their three years National Service. We spent a couple of hours playing poker (Lee, you would have been proud!) for sweets, cookies, crisps and cashew nuts.
After stopping for dinner we tried to sleep, but were rudely awoken at 0430 and turfed off the bus, quite disconcerting until we were informed that there were several other buses coming to deliver us to varying locations. The bad news was these did not arrive until 0730 and when it did, the one for the last 4 hours of my journey was on a very cramped minibus.
Arrived in Phuket town and got a tuk tuk to Patong Beach, where I had arranged to meet Maria and Alan. For those of you who do not know, Maria and I used to live in the same road as children and Alan is her husband, they are 10 months into their 14 month honeymoon!! Anyway, back to the story, I booked into the hotel and decided to have a snack and a coffee before getting some much needed kip. I was sitting there minding my own business when a man came and sat with me. It turned out he was Bahranian and was easily old enough to be my father, if not grandfather. After some polite small talk (and me just wanting to be left alone) he very kindly offered for me to share his room to save money!!!!! I considered this remarkably generous offer, before politely excusing myself, only to be woken at 1800 by him calling my room to invite me to dinner, and I hadn't even given him my room number. Fortunately Maria arrived shortly afterwards and I then felt safe enough to leave the room.
It was great to see Maria and Alan again as the last time had been at their wedding last October and so there was a lot of catching up to do, as well as lots of beers to be consumed.
The next day we met for breakfast and went to check out the hotel she'd booked for her parents who were arriving for a holiday from England that evening. Patong Beach was a neon sleazefest and could easily compete with any 18-30 resort. Thailand is renowned for it's sex industry and everywhere you looked there were middle aged white males with very young Thai girls. It is definitely a country of contradictions as topless sunbathing and nudity of any kind is considered offensive. The upshot was that we decided to move the parents somewhere where Paddy would not be accosted by young women offering various services at every turn.
So now we are at Nai Yang Beach, with the parents safely ensconced in a lovely resort with nice swimming pool and the 3 of us about 2 minutes walk away in some qiuet little bungalows on the opposite side of the road from the beach.
We had dinner to celebrate Vera and Paddy's 41st wedding anniversary last night at their hotel and I was a bit concerned they would not let me in as I have left all my posh frocks at home, still I made the effort to wash my hair and that seemed to do the trick.
We'll probably stay on this secluded, peaceful little beach for a few days and then see how the mood takes us.
Until then.........S xx
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