Ashleigh and Mick Reunion

As per every second day we packed our stuff up and headed out.  We have become really good at jamming all the gear into our bags and now it only takes a few minutes.  We caught a long boat into the pier.  It was overloaded and slow but we made it.  We caught a ferry across the Phuket island.  The water was really rough..but the ferry was big so it wasn't much of a problem.  We took a shuttle to Patong Beach, the touristy area of Phuket to try and find a place to stay.

Patong is insane.  There are a million yelling pushy Thai street vendors trying to sell you everything from fruits to suits (that rhyme was on purpose).  There are Tuk Tuk drivers screaming for your business and trucks driving down the main drag with Thai Kick Boxers (actually fighting) on the roof promoting the next fight.  There is really nothing authentically Thai about the experience at all.. It is probably like Mexico in the really touristy places.

Mick and Ashleigh were staying at a very up scale resort so we first stopped there to see how much a room was.  7,000 Baht per night.. yikes.. we found a local place around the corner for 700.. and it was still pretty nice.  The weather was cloudy so we toured up and down the streets. 

We met up with Mick and Ashleigh near dinner time and hit the town.  It was great to see some old faces.  It is very westernized in Phuket and full of Aussies and Euros.. so we went to the Irish pub for dinner :) 

After a beer and some food we headed for the infamous Bang-La Road.   It was crazy to say the least.  Hundreds of hawkers selling everything.  Millions of bars.  Prostitutes everywhere.  We have all heard of the Thai Lady Boys.. we ll they are on the prowl all over the place.  Its a strange place.. its very touristy with families walking in the evening and very seedy at the same time.  We stopped and had a beer at a few places.  Mick and Ashleigh were vacationing with Mick's brother and sister and their partners.  Nothing too crazy happened to us despite all the action around.  There are old guys with young Thai girls (?) everywhere and its kinda sad and creepy. 

We woke up to clouds and rain.  Ashleigh and Mick did not have anything planned until later so we just hung out in town.  We ate some delicious Indian food and really just waited the day out.  Mick and Ashleigh went to a lady boy show that night and we met them after for a swim in their pool and beers. 

The next day... it was cloudy again.  It did not matter to us because we had been to lots of beaches already.. but I felt bad for A & M because this is their exciting vacation.  We packed up our stuff and moved it into their room and waited for the evening for our bus.  Earlier we had made a special trip into Phuket town to buy overnight bus tickets to Bangkok.  Patong is very over priced so we had headed into town.

We bid goodbye to Mick and Ashleigh.. and then headed to the bus.. where we encountered our first scam.  So far.. there are sketchy people all over.. but we had yet to fall for one.  We booked our 2 tickets on a VIP bus with nice big seats so we would be comfy for the 13 hour ride.  The lady who sold us the tickets walked us to the bus.. loaded our bags.. As we got on we realized that this was not the VIP bus.. and our sales woman was gone.  Convinient.  This was a burn on 2 fronts.. we paid the VIP rate.. and we also had to spend the night on a cramped old Thai filled bus... I was choked.. but it could have been worse.  I should mention that the ticket we had said VIP on it.. and everything.. and this lady worked in a tourist store... you would have thought it was ok...