Phuket, eventually

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Thursday 25 February
Rather than waste the morning on a ferry we decide on a mini bus trip direct from hotel/to hotel 3 hours , 450BHT pp. (£18 total)? Generally, if something sounds too good to be true, it is! The hard sell Agent failed to mention that on pick up , we would plod around the whole of Krabi district for one and a half hours picking up and dropping off customers, BEFORE! being dumped at Krabi bus station to await another bus. We could have tuk-tukked to here in under ten minutes,grrrrrrr........ Another 20 minutes we finally get crammed into a 12 seater bus, luggage tied on the roof, a propeller shaft for a speed boat lying all along the gangway, which we had to step across to access our seats. There was hardly any suspension on this vehicle, a/c was on but ineffective. So much for VIP mini bus travel. With no stops after that until we reached the Sarasin bridge, we passed about two hours with most passengers suffering back and internal injuries over various humps and bumps, mainly due to drivers manic pace and the lack of suspension, however, we arrived at Phuket Old Town in one piece. We are unceremoniously dumped, along with our baggage, at Bus station 1, we mentioned that this was not our hotel and were told, 'only 15 minute to walk'. We opt for a Tuk Tuk , due to heat, and-unfortunately he delivers us to the sister hotel, so we still have to lug our gear in blazing heat for another 500 metre slog. Hotel is clean and reasonable standard but no wardrobes which saves unpacking. We stow our gear and hit the Phuket Old Town and this is what George Town should have been, clean pavements, free from motor bikers, cloistered shop fronts shaded from the sun ! Stylish early 50,s buildings . Dinner was a late lunch at a close by Thai restaurant, then early night.

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