Day 2 in Thailand - Chaweng Beach

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Our hut is just beside Ark Bar, loud music playing till the morning. A half-broken fan, noisier still. Noisy and an unfamiliar room, sleeping on an unfamiliar bed, but we were both dead tired, so we did sleep alright.
We slept till about 2pm, paid the rent for the day and had our late lunch at Ark Bar. We ordered from the breakfast menu which serves throughout the day. I don’t quite fancy the sausages, so I fed it to this big, black dog which stared at my food longingly.
We took a slow, long walk along the extensive stretch of shops at Chaweng. There were so much things to see. All kinds of shops and stores. Pubs and restaurants. Shops after shops. All catered to tourists and travellers.

< It is quite unexpected to see McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Swenson, Baskin Robbins, Starbucks (!!), Watsons, Giordano! We were being warned beforehand, but we really had no idea this island is so commercialised! Wow… >

We sat down at Swenson for a rest after the ice-cream fondue caught our eyes. I mean, how can we resist that yummy-looking ice-cream chocolate fondue? 9 scoops of sinful ice-cream. A pot of warm, melted milk chocolate over a candle. Pieces of banana and melon. Wafers. Brownies. Whipped cream. How can we not be tempted? Mmmm… Heaven…
After all that walking, we made our way back to the beach. The Ark Bar puts out mats, cushions and tables on the beach at night, which is great for customers who just want some rest and relax by the shore. This is what I really call relaxing - sitting on the beach, underneath the star-lit sky. The sounds of the waves and groovy salsa music in the background. The sea breeze on our faces, in our hair. Lying down on the mat, against the cushions, with the friendly waiters bringing us food and drinks. Dimly-lit lamps adding mood to the already perfect ambience. Digging the sand with our feet. At this moment, life can’t get any better. We just laid there, gossiped and talked about our lives back in Australia. It’s just perfect. A wonderful way to end our day.

< Though we were here for only a day plus, we can understand why many tourists and travellers flock to this island for a getaway. Nice beaches, great weather, friendly people, cheap food and accommodation - need I say more? Plus lots of warm smiles everywhere. >

< And people here seem to love dogs. There are so many of them here. Vivienne took so many photographs of them. Dogs sunbathing on the beach are a common sight. >

< Drags aplenty here too. Some of them were parading on the streets, advertising their shows. Perverted men swarming around the drags was quite another ‘attraction’ to see. Hehe… Evil me. >

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Expenditure:
- rent, THB300
- Ark Bar, breakfast special THB139 (five food items plus tea or coffee, quite worth it, I think)
- 2 can of cold drinks, THB48
- Bluefin restaurant, Pepsi THB25, Diet Pepsi THB30
- Watsons, Sunplay sunscreen lotion THB259
- Swenson, ice-cream fondue THB229
- Ark Bar, Mai Tai THB100, wine cooler THB70, Calamari THB100

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