PHUKET - THAILAND

My first couple of days in Thailand were dull to say the least. Phuket town was just a place where the bus terminal is. The reason I stopped there was because it had a highly rated backpackers that looked a great place to meet other people. Trouble was it was so new it had yet to get into the guidebooks and was completely empty after the first day.



After that I took the short ride down to Patong beach which was a big party town. After being in the reserved muslim country of Malaysia it was a big culture shock. I seen more western tourists in 20 minutes than I had in the previous month. Apart from the food and the locals it was like being back in Europe. The signs advertising "Full English breakfast" were a bit much!!!!!



I stopped in a little hostel near the boxing stadium opposite Lek Murphys Irish bar. This place quickly became my starting point for nights out. It was also a welcome refuge if you just wanted a drink without being pestered all the time.

Despite the fact I was nearly the only person in the hostel I was never short of people to meet and talk to. Several nights I went to local night clubs or bars that had live music. Looking back I'm still a bit unsure how I managed to spend a whole week there.




One productive thing I did do was the James Bond island tour that involved several other places as well. A great place to take pictures but the area has been ruined by the vast numbers of souvenir stands. I have no objection with people trying to make a living but all too often in this part of the world it gets too much.



Part of the tour included a trip to a muslim fishing village on stilts.



The monkey cave was interesting but teasing the monkeys with food is not advised as it's nothing like teasing the dog back home!!!!!

After that it was a flight to Bangkok