Friday, March 30 - Getting to Phuket

This airport may not have any frills, but you'll get to your destination for cheap!
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I've wanted to go to Thailand for quite some time now. My mom had this beautiful Thai ring that she gave me several years ago, and I guess I got it into my head that I should visit the place. So I finally am. I'm so excited!! :-D

The taxi to the airport wasn't cheap; it cost RM70, but it was, after all, about an hour's trip to the LCCT (Low-Cost Carrier Terminal), which is where Air Asia is located. Air Asia is one of the most cost-effective ways to travel around Asia - my ticket to Thailand cost me less than $100 USD, and that's for a round-trip ticket! The airport is simple, with no frills to speak of. But there are bathrooms and places to get snacks or batteries, so it's not that bad. Just don't expect to find those machines that massage your feet!

I can't remember the last time I had to walk to my plane! How fun!!
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Another thing to note: there are no assigned seats on the flight, so unless you're with your family or friends, it might feel a little like a middle-school cafeteria. "Can I sit here? Is anyone sitting here yet? Am I cool enough to sit next to you?" But maybe that's just me... :-)

When I arrived in Phuket, I hadn't really decided where I wanted to go first, so I spent about half an hour looking through the free maps that were provided by the airport. That didn't do me much good though, since the only places advertised were the more pricey resorts, and I definitely wasn't going to any of them!

My room at the Wasana Guest House - no frills here either, but at least it's clean!!
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As I walked outside, I was approached by several taxi drivers wanting to take me wherever I wanted to go, but I still hadn't decided just where that was. I glanced around and noticed a cluster of people about my age standing nearby, so I walked up and asked them where they were going!

The two girls were headed to Patong Beach, which I didn't care to visit; everything I'd read about the place sounded like everything I wanted to avoid! The guy who was talking with them, a 30-year-old Belgian named Bart, was headed to Koh Phi Phi, an island off the east coast of Phuket. I'd heard good things about the place from a traveller I met in Singapore, so I decided to buddy up with Bart and head to Phi Phi Island!

Ronald greets you Thai style as you walk into this Phuket McD's!
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Since there were no more boats to Phi Phi that day, we had to spend the night on Phuket Island, and Phuket Town seemed like the best place to go: not too far from the harbor and a likely place for finding cheap accommodation. It was a good long while before our minibus left - probably an hour, at least. (They don't usually leave for a place unless the bus is full.) So we made the most of it, sitting on our backpacks and filling our time with conversation. At last, some other travellers joined the trip, and we were off!

I had a nice view of the sunrise from my room at the Wasana. The rooftops of Phuket Town weren't much to look at though!
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Halfway through the bus ride, we pulled over in the middle of nowhere at a travel agency. We both got a little panicky, thinking that perhaps we'd gotten sucked into a scam, where they drop you in the middle of nowhere and you have to pay beaucoup bucks to get to your real destination. Fortunately, this was not one of those situations. We got our luggage, changed to a new van, and we were on our way once again! Whew!!

A fellow on our minibus was also headed to Phuket Town, and he suggested the Wasana Guest House, since he'd been there before and it was pretty cheap. The cost would be just 250 Baht - less than $10 USD.

I must say, the neighborhood around the Wasana didn't seem like the greatest at first. Neither Bart nor I were too sure about walking around there! But we had to get something for dinner, so we didn't have much choice. Well, Bart got a craving for McDonald's, and he couldn't shake it, so we were off to find a McD's. I elected to look elsewhere for my first meal in Thailand...

As it turned out, the nearest McD's was at least a 15-minute walk from our guest house, so we started the journey! Remarkably, we didn't get lost, despite the long walk and many intersections we had to pass through! On the way, we found a travel agent and purchased round-trip (but open-ended) tickets for a boat to Phi Phi the next morning - 700 Baht each. A one-way ticket was 400 Baht, so it seemed like a good deal. Plus they provided a minibus to take us from our hotel to the harbor... We weren't sure if there would be cheaper or better-timed boats once we got to Phi Phi, so we went ahead and got the tickets. It turned out to be a fairly regular deal - nothing special, but not overpriced either.

When we finally made it to McDonald's, Bart was surprised that I didn't order anything. What kind of American doesn't like McDonald's?? 'Tis true, I'm a strange one. But I'm not getting sick this early in the trip!

On the way back, we stopped at an Internet cafe - a place called Juice - to send a couple quick emails. Then we were off again in search of adventure...and my dinner! Along the way, we discovered a huge produce market that was just getting set up. At least a dozen trucks full of veggies were all getting unloaded into the street - giant bundles and baskets of various greens and other fruits and vegetables were lying on the road, ready to be moved into one space or another for this night market. Why didn't I take any pictures???

At around 10:30, we were close to our guest house (and I was near to falling over from sleepiness and hunger), so we made our way back toward the McDonald's again, looking for a place to eat. Many places were already closed, so my choices were limited. We ended up stopping at Juice again! My first meal in Thailand? A tuna sandwich. But it sure was a good tuna sandwich!

Refreshed and filled, we walked the long way back to the guest house (not a walk I would've taken alone, mind you!) and went to our rooms. The minibus was set to pick us up at 8am, so there was no more time for conversation - it was time for sleeping!!

And despite the ants in the bathroom, I actually had a good night's sleep. ;-D