Amazing Thailand

Postcards from Kho Phi Phi, Thailand

I’m done with my postcard-sending bit of this holiday and sent out two (2) postcards to two ‘lucky’ friends! 🙂

The last postcard I sent was when we were travelling to Chiang Mai. So to share a bit of my holiday to friends and loved ones, I’m gonna make this my ritual every time I’m travelling. So give me a shoutout if you’ve received a postcard from Phi Phi, yeah? 🙂

If you want postcards sent over from my future travels, drop me a line and email me your mailing address. 🙂 I can still send a few from Koh PP, you know. 😉

Our First Holiday: Phuket, Thailand.

There are a couple of firsts for me today. 🙂 It has been a year since we had our first couple holiday. Our destination? Phuket Thailand.

Not the best beach to hangout in Phuket, Thailand, but Patong Beach is pretty decent though a bit crowded.

G and I are both beach bums. Growing up, you would probably catch me and my family at the beach during weekends (Sundays we go to church) as my hometown is thankfully blessed with good beaches. When I went away for university, my beach visits were lessened as there were no nice beaches in Manila that I can easily go to, so whenever I’m back to Davao vacationing, I never ever pass up the opportunity to go to the beach. As for G, I’m not sure about his childhood + beaches but knowing him, he’d also choose a beach holiday over something else.

I bought the (sale) ticket to Phuket even before G and I started going out. When I told him about my planned trip, he asked if he could come and I am not stupid enough to say No to G’s company! 😀

We stayed at Burusari Hotel which was a nice surprise for us. Considering that I got the place cheap as it was on sale, it was a really, really chic and posh hotel nonetheless. Even G said it’s the ‘nicest hotel that he stayed in’ on a holiday. Our room had a balcony, with a four post bed, overlooking their indoor pool which actually goes around the hotel. If you’re lucky and got the first floor rooms, your balcony will lead straight IN the pool.

Going around Phuket is easy. If you have an international driver’s license, you can easily rent a scooter for 300 Baht per day or even less. Even if you don’t have a license and can drive, you can easily get one, just be careful as Thai police randomly flags tourists on motorbikes and asks for their license. If you get caught driving without a license, then, erm, sorry! 🙂 You can hire a Tuk Tuk (like a multicab) to go around the island and the different provinces. There’s also the bus but only at designated areas in Phuket Town and Patong. And if you want your own transpo to take you around, hire a taxi. We got one (1500 Baht for a day) to take us around Phuket Town, Karon Viewpoint, Kata Beach, and the Big Buddha.

A glimpse of the (in)famous Bangla Road, Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand.

We pretty much stayed in the Patong area as there are so many things happening there. Don’t miss the Bangla Road. There’s not much to see at daytime but it gets really crowded at night as this is where the nightlife is-their red light district. There’s your usual lady boy sightings, a-go-go shows (you know, where ladies shoot off darts from their private parts, we went in to one by the way), lots of dancing ladies on table tops which you can easily see from the street, drunk teenagers, blasting music from each and every shop, and even more drunk backpackers…

The view from the Karon Viewpoint.

And of course, you’d go to Phuket for the beach. The Patong beach isn’t that good. So if you want to justify your ‘getting darker’ or even skin cancer by frolicking in the sand under the sun, try going to the better beaches in Phuket Island: Kata is decent enough; this is the nearest beach to south of Patong area. Rawaii at the southernmost part of the island is a perfect choice if you want peace and quiet and a bit of privacy.

This sketch, made by G, was inspired by a certain lady boy who insisted on having a photo with us for only 50 Baht. Location: Along Bangla Road

An insistent and scary lady boy demanding us to take a photo with him, of course, at a fee (tip) of 20 Baht (a bit low for their standard). Location: Pre-show photo op at Simon Cabaret Show

There are some other things that you shouldn’t miss when in Puhket like: the Simon Cabaret Show which is a musical performance by the famous lady boys of Phuket (Did this), Wat Chalong Temples (these temples are fairly new so the ‘cultural’ feel of it is a bit amiss; another check), Big Buddha (check), Phuket FantaSea Show (X), and their fantastic fare which you can easily get anywhere.

These are just a couple of beautiful temples that you can visit in Wat Chalong.

Don’t miss out on Thai Food: Green and Red Curry Dishes! And don’t be afraid of buying from the street fare, it’s quite safe. I mean, we haven’t died yet.

We actually missed visiting to the neighboring islands of Krabi or Phi Phi. Well, that’s perfectly fine because we’re going to Koh Phi Phi for honeymoon, our first holiday together as husband and wife! The Beach! 🙂

Oh, another first for me today: Our First Monthsary as a married couple! Happy Monthsary, G! ❤

Side Story: Being born Filipino, I am limited to visit SEA as I don’t need a visa to enter SEA countries. So that’s limiting G as well as he’s married to a Filipina. 😀 We were had three countries to places to choose from: Phi Phi, Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. And yes, the beach bums in us won! 🙂

Side Comment: You might want to read about our Pulau Tioman holiday – it’s definitely worth going there. Again!

Yuu Shop – Chiang Mai

My first day in Chiang Mai found me and G in taking our own route of the walking tour in inside the walled city – the Old Town of Chiang Mai. With the help of our Lonely Planet Thailand Guide and my own Nancy Chandler’s Map of Chiang Mai (a must have!) which G got me for my arrival present, we went on for a day of temple-seeing and discovering more of Chiang Mai Old Town. Detailed post on Chiang Mai to be posted soon.

So after a few hours of walking, a visit to a couple of small temples and What Phra Singh, we chanced upon this cute little shop further down Ratchadamnoen St. (central street inside Old Town Chiang Mai) and the note on the board outside it was effective enough for us to stop and follow what it said:

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