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Published: March 1st 2008
Where to begin?
The feeling of "What have I gotten myself into?" intensified once I arrived in Phuket. After dumping my backpack at the hotel, I walked around Phuket town in a daze. Even though I had already gotten a taste of the Thai hospitality and friendliness (on the bus from the airport a girl was showing me our location on the map) I was freaking out. The chaos around the streets of Phuket and the sense of being completely alone (in the midst of all these people no less) was just scary. Staying in a completely sterile hotel without character and other travellers to talk to didn't help matters. Add to that the humidity, taxi drivers constantly offering me lifts, the sight of rubbish everywhere......
Now don't get me wrong, all this is not to say that I wasn't entirely fascinated and excited by the sights, sounds and smells of the place. But yes, I was feeling overwhelmed to say the least.
On my second day I was still aimlessly wandering the streets, taking it all in and coming to terms with my new surroundings, when I stumbled across a small coffee shop/art gallery. The owner, Nui, insisted
phuket locals
apparently it's considered inappropriate in thailand to pat a strange kid on the head. nothing inappropriate however about taking your entire family on a motorbike with no protection whatsoever. (well, dad's wearing a helmet at least.) go figure. this pretty much exemplifies the thai attitude towards road safety in general. after a long night at the pub, nobody has any hesitation whatsoever about getting in their car or hopping on their scooter.I accept a glass of water, if not a coffee, and stay for a chat. He was extremely friendly, so much so that I was beginning to wonder whether he was one of those people the guidebooks warn you about. Anyway, we had a good chat and I accepted an invitation for coffee the next day. Coffee the next day led to a drive to the beach (yes I know how this sounds), and before I knew it, I had myself another much cheaper place to stay, my own personal cook, tour guide, travel agent and most importantly a local friend. So here was my in to the local culture, people and places.
I stayed with Nui for five days. Some days I would hang around Phuket and explore the town, the beautiful sights of which I was able to appreciate a lot more now that I was feeling a bit more comfortable. Other days Nui would show me some of the cool places around the area, that aren't completely infested with tourists, of which there are many in Phuket province, and some that are. I got to go out drinking with a bunch of Nui's friends (interesting experience,
which I will talk about later), see a Thai soccer match, chill out at a little Jazz festival and attend a show (yes, the ladyboy kind) in Patong.
We also stayed on a little island (Ko Yao Noi), where the locals are actually still surprised to see foreigners. From what I could gather, there is only one tourist resort on the island, and everyone moves between there and the pier. The rest of the island is pretty much untouched by tourism, but I'm sure won't stay like that for long. Some rich developer bought up a huge amount of land, and is planning to turn it into a massive resort. I just so happened that while we were on the island we came across a gathering, near the purchased land, by representatives from different provinces, discussing land management and preservation. However, after seeing all the tourist resorts and all the rubbish everywhere (oh, the rubbish), you wonder whether it's not too late.
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dietzke
non-member comment
awesome
hi ft,just to let you know i received all previous messages!i hardly can´t believe what you have experienced in this short time of your year out...thanks for the great photos and i´m even more pleased with your written contribution.d