2 Islands and a desert

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Our plan was to meet up with our eldest son in Phuket and then our youngest in Dubai and throw in a few days for ourselves in the middle. During the process though, a few visa issues and political unrest in Thailand. Such a contrast from a tropical island to a desert but both with their heat and humidity.



Let me fill you in on some of our family dynamics:

Our eldest son has been living in Sydney, Australia for a few years now and about 4 months ago our youngest son also flew out the nest to a distant destination as well and now lives in Dubai. The main idea of this holiday, which was arranged last year, was to go to Phuket to meet up with Jacques and celebrate his 30th birthday with him but of course all flights go via Dubai now after Philip’s speedy departure, don't they? Why miss out on an opportunity like this to visit Philip? Isn’t it our duty as parents to make sure that he is ok (says she, tongue in cheek!) After careful planning we decided to spend 4 days with one son, set 4 days aside for ourselves and then spend 4 days with our other son. Thank goodness it is so easy to travel these days with family spread out around the world!

To Phi or not to Phi? We then toyed with the idea of spending our 4 days on Phi Phi island. But being South West Monsoon time, we were a bit wary. In true cautiously adventurous style, chose a beach that we hoped would be sheltered from the worst of the monsoon and hoped it would all play in our favour.

Booking the flights to Phuket we could have a long lay over of 10 hours at Dubai airport or a shorter 4 hours. Normally we wouldn't opt for such a long lay over, because it would make the flight just too arduous but it was a good opportunity to see Philip for a few hours and then on the way back we would spend the remainder of our holiday with him.



Viva la Visa: Next issue was the visas that we required for Dubai. Apparently all visas are single entry only. For 10 hours at the airport, but just on the other side of passport control we needed a 96 hour visa. Then for the 4 days we needed a tourist visa valid for 30 days because we would be there just a few hours longer than 96 hours - complicated? Mild in comparison to our next problem. We managed to apply, pay and the visas online so we were relieved. But then we had another visa problem to deal with. Earlier in the year Paul applied for a visa for a business trip to Nigeria and due to computer issues not corresponding with payments, had a payment reflecting twice for the same visa on his credit card and now needed to have one of the payments reversed. At first the bank said they couldn't reverse the payment but after much communication, explanations and frustrations, the payment was reversed. After looking closely, we saw the amount didn't tie up with the Nigerian visa cost. Upon further inspection we realised that it was the payment for the visa for our first entry into Dubai! How this was done, considering it was a completely different place, date, amount and a different visa processing company, we don't know, but they had managed to mess this up. Panic set in, because not only did this mean that there was a possibility that we would not be let into the UAE, but it could potentially cause problems for us in the future if we applied for visas, because you have to declare if you were ever refused a visa. More correspondence, phone calls with heated arguments and frustrations and communicating at upper management levels, we were assured that if there were any issues it would be sorted and we would be compensated if necessary. When we landed in Dubai we still weren't sure that we would be allowed to enter the country but our contingency plan would be to use the second visa if necessary and make a further application for another visa.





Beyond our control was the political unrest in Thailand - would that affect us? We watched the news reports closely but still felt it would be worth going, especially considering that we were going to Phuket and Phi Phi only and not near Bangkok or any other problem areas. We did think we might be affected by the curfews but luckily that had been lifted by the time we arrived.



We arrived in Dubai at midnight and our connecting flight was leaving at 10 am. Making our way through passport control was a breeze, with such professionalism and a comment was even made that they noticed we had another visa when we were returning in ten days so we were extremely relieved and made the joy of seeing Philip even more worthwhile. As difficult as what it was to stay awake during the graveyard shift while drinking coffee and catching up, interrogating Philip on his life in Dubai, I relished every minute of it. We were satisfied that he was surviving quite well on his own in a foreign country (as we knew he would) and all too soon it was time to leave for our next flight. Bittersweet moments!



Landing at Phuket was such a contrast to landing in Dubai. The pace was much slower at passport control and we stood in a queue for what seemed like forever! I don't think it helped that we had been awake for 36 hours by that stage because the naps on the plane in distorted positions don't really make up for the lack of sleep. Eventually we were through and caught a taxi to our hotel where we could meet up with Jacques who had arrived two days earlier. Another joyful reunion and after a drink and chat we headed to bed to catch up on lost sleep so that we could enjoy the rest of our holiday.



It's amazing how perceptions can change about a place when visiting at different times of the year. The last time we were in Phuket was in
April and the seas were flat with no waves. This time the seas were more rough and dirty due to the southwest monsoons and it rained when we landed. The next day started off overcast but it was still hot and humid. We were expecting rain, and we had a few showers where we had to run for cover. We wondered if it would continue the entire time we were there, but fortunately it didn't. There were less restaurants on the beach compared to the last time and we weren't sure if it was because it was not high season, or because the Thai government decided to remove them or even because of weather conditions – it certainly was far more breezy. There were still plenty of restaurants to choose from and enjoy some of the Thai culture.



Phuket has it's own charm as well as a perverse fascination. From its idiosyncratic touters soliciting customers for seedy ping pong shows to mobile vendors, selling food that is prepared and cooked on their mini kitchens - tasty and spotlessly clean. Take-a-ways sold in plastic bags either delivered or at their street markets - fascinating, interesting. It's certainly geared for tourists with its quirky tuk tuks, thousands of deck chairs and umbrellas on beaches and tours aplenty for just about anything.

I didn't need my curiosity satisfied watching crazy ping pong shows or kick boxing, although down Bangla road you are continuously harassed by people asking if you want to watch a show and others wanting to sell you cheap plastic toys, gadgets or just about anything under the sun –‘ same same but different’ the catch phrase. Maybe we were used to being touted in numerous countries from Africa to Egypt, far more persistent and annoying than the Thais, so it didn’t worry us so much. Whatever you are looking for in a holiday experience you can find in Thailand. You would be hard pressed not to find something that would appeal to you except maybe a quieter secluded spot but even that is possible, as long as you stay away from the main touristy areas.

We did a few touristy things that we didn't do the previous trip and went to a temple, the big Buddha and an orchid farm while we hired a taxi to take us around Phuket.



All too soon, as we knew it would be, our time with Jacques was over and we had to say goodbye. Time was just to short! Onwards to Phi Phi so can't complain at all about our next destination and it would sweeten the sad goodbyes just a tad!

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