After a whirlwind tour of Chiang Mai, it was off to Phuket. We were both pretty tired when we arrived and it didn’t help that it took an hour to get our bags and two hours to get to our hostel. I was especially grumpy when we arrived and just wanted a drink on the beach. After donning my big girl pants, we put our stuff down, I had my way with the A/C, and we explored the hostel. We were surprised to see the shower stalls and toilet stalls were the same thing. We didn’t know this would become a common occurrence in some of our hostels. The hostel was small but had a nice deck overlooking the beach. We spoke to a few people out there and then set off to book our underwater adventure. We made our way to a recommended dive shop and were disappointed to find out the place we wanted to dive was really about a 5 hour journey each way and would be really expensive. It looked like our best option was to do it at our next stop, Koh Phi Phi. This time it was Andrea’s turn to be bummed out. In need of pick me ups, we walked down to the beach. The water was turquoise and surrounded by lush hills. It looked like it was out of a magazine. The water was so warm. We walked for a little along the beach doing some people watching. We saw some people do parasailing which in Thailand involves a native who is not strapped in at all going up with the paying customers in order to steer. This was not the first time we saw what a priority safety was in the country. Once we got back we had a drink or two on the deck and made some new friends. One told us about a place to get some good shrimp so we set out in search of it. Unfortunately, we never made it. We walked in a small circle and ended up eating next door to the hostel. This doesn’t sound too terrible but we were both getting cranky and Phuket is full of people constantly asking if you want a taxi, want to buy something, or want to eat their food. It is extremely annoying. It’s a good thing the hostel had a great view and the beach was gorgeous because overall I think it you took everything shitty about Ocean City and made it a third world country, you’d make Phuket. By the time we got back to the hostel everyone we met earlier had gone their own way so we called in an early night.
The next day Andrea went for a run while I headed to a coffee shop overlooking the beach. After a relaxing breakfast I headed back to the hostel and met one of our new roommates and a guy in the room next to us. We all just hung out on the deck enjoying the view and some Singha’s. Once the sun crossed the sky enough to hit us on the deck we bought a couple beers and walked down to the beach where Andrea joined us. I lost one of my favorite earrings but it was fun playing in the waves. After the beach my new friends and I decided to get massages. I was getting pretty used to the massage every other day schedule. Obviously after my strenuous day I needed a nap. When I woke up some people we met at the hostel told us about the night market in the next beach up, Patong. They were going to have dinner there then buy some supplies and drink on the beach. We decided to join because we wanted to go out one night in Patong on Banglan Road. This was supposed to be the party street similar to where we went out in Bangkok. Eight of us all shared an open back taxi and we headed to the market. The food was really good and really cheap. After stopping into a Thai Walmart of sorts for beer, liquor, soda, and ice we found a quiet spot on the beach and dragged some driftwood over to make a circle. We found out two of the girls who were with us were going to the same two places as us and were even staying in another hostel with us. The other four were made up of a bisexual, a stripper, and two guys who came with a pocket full of drugs. In other words, a really interesting bunch. Emily and Abbey, our new British friends who would be traveling with us for a week, Andrea, and I headed out in search of the next party. Walking down Banglan Road was wild. Lady boys, scantily clad women, and people advertising ping pong shows were everywhere. We decided to go into one of the bigger clubs because the Brits recognized the DJ. I was hesitant to go in because I expected a cover or expensive drinks but surprisingly we didn’t find either. The four of us had a really good time but Andrea and I left early since we had to catch the early ferry to the next island. Phuket was kind of a shithole, but a pretty one. It was a laid back introduction to the Thai Islands.