Lost Horizons

Phuket - day 1

My expectations for the flight to Phuket were not high, especially since Thai Air had re-arranged my return flight to enable me to kick my heels for four hours in Bangkok’s new Cobra Swamp Airport. However, this time my expectations were pleasantly exceeded. For a start the flight was only about a half full, so I had the seat next to me empty; secondly, the cabin service was exemplary – I think I fell in love with the young stewardess who kept making sure that my glass of Singha never went dry. Dry is a good adjective to describe the fish/rice meal that was served – but it was tasty.
We landed in Phuket three and a half hours later, just behind a Russian charter jet, so the queues at immigration were not short – I supposed it took me about forty minutes to clear that particular hurdle. By then the luggage had been unloaded and there was my suitcase sitting forlornly by the carousel. The customs officer wanted to scan my luggage and then was interested in my case full of camera gear, but accepted that I was an enthusiastic photographer on holiday, and let me through.
The drive to the resort was uneventful, and soon I dumped my suitcase in my room and headed across the road to the Friendly Massage hut, where I let a Thai lady work the stress of the flight from my muscles. After that I headed to the Beach Bar. Several of the staff there remembered me (mind you it was only ten weeks since I was last here) and I supped a few ales. After that I staggered across to another bar, where several of my friends were drinking, and it would have been churlish to refuse the drinks they were offering. Then it started to rain, so I couldn’t leave the bar.
After a while the rain eased and I managed to head back to my hotel room and have a shower before going out for the evening. The first tuk-tuk driver I asked the fare to Basngla Road told me 150baht. When I asked why it was so much, he told me it was due to the new one way system. The fact that the new one way system doesn’t make the journey any longer didn’t appear to appease his argument. So I walked there, instead. Fortunately, because it was still raining the pavements were relatively clear.
Heading up Bangla, I popped into Kangaroo Bar, where Bim was very happy to see me; she introduced me to her sister Mei, who seemed charming enough. I only stopped there for a couple of drinks, before heading up to Mai Thai Bar, where the owner’s fiancée Ead was having her birthday party. Fortunately there was food at the party, but I was still on the way to becoming “kee mau”
Then Peanut turned up, we went and sat down at a table on our own. I told her that I was a little surprised to get a phone call from her last weekend; it seems I have her mother to thank for that. Apparently her mum said that she wasn’t a young girl any more (25) and needed to work out what to do with her life. Now that her sister has finished school and started work in Carrefour, there no longer the monetary pressures that she used to have- although of course she still needs to send money back for her son, Joe. On and on she went, not letting me get a word in edgeways, and when I told her, that if we were going to get back together again, we need to have a serious talk she told me to “talk to her tomorrow”
So, anyway, back to the hotel – this time the tuk-tuk cost two hundred baht, which was a pure rip off, even Peanut said so and she is not often willing to defend the Farang over the Thai; but it was all to no avail – two hundred baht was paid.
Back up to the hotel room and we had great sex – that’s a bit of a lie, as I was to pissed and tired to be up for much, so Peanut had to do most of the work, and it was jolly good for me, at least.
Got up late this morning and went and had a breakfast of chicken rice soup (kao tom gai), which is great after a night on the piss, then down to the beach, a few beers after lunch and then a siesta. Peanut is going to some kind of concert tonight, so I won’t see her till later on; and I will definitely be eating before I start drinking, this evening – I feel like som Phad kaprow mua.
I am a littler bit sunburned all ready, I would guess about two or three days before I turn into a lobster and peel. The weather today has been great: sunny, not too hot with a nice breeze off the ocean, and the sea was lovely and warm.

posted by Luke @ 9:19 PM