Hello Phuket!

I think this was the earliest morning YET! 5:00am baby! We were pretty much packed the night before so we really only had to get our stuff together and head out! The taxi only took 30 minutes (someone told us it could take an hour and a half) so we were NICE and early to the airport. Although now, after my experience getting to the airport in Hanoi, it is NEVER too early to arrive at the airport. We checked our bags (yes, I had to pay a bit more) and then we struggled trying to find the entrance to the terminals. We found the international entrance but knew we didn’t want that, so the woman directed us further down. I walked right in, but all of a sudden Lorna was calling my name. The woman told her this was another international entrance and we couldn’t enter. The domestic departures were on the OTHER side! Sheesh! We did finally make it though and check in was fine!

We ended up each having our own row on the plane which was well needed after only a couple hours of sleep! It was VERY bumpy so I don’t think any of us fell asleep but it was nice to rest.

We were picked up at the airport by the shuttle bus from the hotel and we were off. The island looks like any of the island you see in the Caribbean (very poor until you get to the resort area). We were on a main road for a while and then he took the BACK ROADS! This guy was flooring it, slamming on the breaks, whipping around corners..it was crazy! Our backpacks were literally sliding around the floor. He was passing on yellow lines and around corners like it was no big deal! I tend to get carsick and I was NOT feeling well. The ride to the hotel was about an hour and when we arrived ALL I wanted to do was lay down!

Even though we were a bit early our room was ready! It is very beautiful and has a very nice view of the pool. Lorna especially likes the shower head (it’s huge and square and makes it seem like it’s raining on you).

We decided to spend some time exploring the hotel and made our way to the other side of the resort to get some lunch. The place looked like it was closed (we were literally the only ones) but they said it was open and we sat down for a great lunch!

We then went off property to walk around the area and got hassled by tuk-tuks and everyone selling everything you can imagine. EVERYONE kept thinking we were from Australia although we have noticed most of the tourists have an Australian accent.

I then NEEDED to do laundry (I literally had no clothes left) and had read the hotel had self serve laundry (in addition to the VERY expensive laundry they will do for you). We are staying in a newer wing of the hotel (it has the BEST pool) but it is a bit of a walk to the main building. It was an even FURTHER walk to the upstairs laundry area. We had to buy these special coins to put in the machine (it was a bit expensive) and then we started the wash and left.

I had read in the “welcome packet” that they had free head, neck and shoulder massages at the spa today at 2:30pm. It said you needed to register a day in advance but I called anyway to say we were interested. They told me that nobody had signed up so it was cancelled, but they would see what they could do. The man called me back and said the three of us could do it! We showed up at the spa for a VERY quick (but FREE) massage and it felt wonderful! We spent a little bit of time lying by the pool since it wasn’t as hot in the afternoon.

My mom and I then went to change the laundry from the washer to the dryer, but this time we were on a mission. We had spent a little over $3 for one of the special coins you had to put in the machine. But, we had read the machine and saw it was like the ones you find in the U.S. and just had a sign that said 25 cents on it. SO my mom (being the smart woman she is) thought we should bring quarters and see if they worked. AND THEY DID! We tricked the system! So instead of paying over $6 for laundry we paid 50 cents! I have turned into a rebel on this trip..stealing wireless and paying less for laundry! And now you know I get it from my mom! Anyway we were so excited that it worked and now we know we can do laundry and it won’t be THAT expensive!

We all came back to shower and get ready. I went first and while the shower was cold I didn’t have any problems. LORNA on the other hand caused it to clog! My goodness! So we had to call the front desk to get them to come and unclog the shower!

We decided to try the steakhouse in the hotel for dinner but since we didn’t have reservations we couldn’t go! Who knew it would be so busy? We decided we would just start walking off property and see what we found! Across the street was a Marriot with a restaurant so we went there! It was DELICIOUS! Honestly, the best meal I have had since I have been here! I got a steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables and it NEVER tasted so good! I realized I haven’t had a GOOD piece of meat in about 3 months (and I am a steak kind of girl!)

We left and spent some time walking around, specifically to a market across the street. It was the kind of market I was hoping we could go to, but since Phuket is SO touristy we spent time looking rather than buying.

Our plan was to go down to the “main road” that has the bars, transvestites, you know! On our way though we saw a Hagan Dais and HAD to stop! The ice creams we got were DELICIOUS as they should have been for about $10 each! Oh well we are on vacation right?

We then found our way to this street and MAN was it happening. It looked like spring break central with more bars than you could imagine. We also saw a lot of transvestites walking around and girls pole dancing etc. We are hoping to go back a bit later tomorrow night to REALLY see the action.

It was only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel but EVERYONE was out so it took us a bit longer to get back as the sidewalks were packed. We did enjoy more people watching as that it always fun!

Hugs and kisses from Phuket!