14/02/09
Up for another big breakfast but no rice pudding and Joy had been looking forward to that too. Got a taxi to the airport which was quite far away, we were in the LCC - Low Cost Carrier terminal, so there was only 1 tiny duty free and 1 little chemist/food shop. We were delayed a little and had a wait of 2 hours before our flight took off. Just over 1 hour later, we were in Phuket though. Took a while getting through slow customs, but once we had our bags, we spotted our names on a pre-arranged taxi signboard and we were off. Glad we had sorted the taxi as it was a bit hectic at arrivals. Our hotel in Phuket town was about 30 mins away. It all looked a little shabby so we were pleased with our posh hotel. Our room was big and airy with another massive bed and free mini bar - no alcohol though, just water and pop. Went for a wander around town, checking out places to eat for our valentines dinner. After a couple of hours, we were worn out, but had found a nice restaurant. Had a shower and went for a cocktail in the hotel bar - a bit expensive at £2.40! We then headed to the China Inn Cafe for a Thai meal and it was delicious - the best meal we'd tasted so far. Stuffed chicken wings with prawn and pork for starters got our mouths watering and our curries, Massoman for Greg and Penang for Joy for mains were superb. A large beer for £1.50 topped it off nicely. With full bellies we walked back, too full for another drink we just crashed.
15/02/09
Breakfast of cereal, fruit and toast on the hotel roof, and out by 11ish for a wander along the streets, spotting a temple here and there and a nasty smell of waste here and there too. Went to a little internet cafe to check out places to eat for the rest of our trip and soon it was time for lunch. We planned on getting a roti from a little shop, but when we got there it was closing up, as were all the other shops and businesses. We managed to find a little cafe at a hotel just down the road. Joy had an omelette and Greg had a very hot and spicy beef salad. Back to our hotel for a shower as we were hot and sweaty. We then went to the Raintree Spa next door for a massage. We both had a foot scrub and then sat in a very hot steam room where we sweated out all our toxins. Joy escaped a little early as it was too hot. A cooling shower followed where Greg cut his finger and leg on a broken soap dispenser! We were in the same room and had an all over relaxing oil massage and cleansing heat pad treatment - it was lush. A few clicky joints and a small chest area violation if you ask Joy, and 2 hours later we felt relaxed and not battered or bruised a bit. We finished our afternoon off with a hot gingery tea and a little pastry. After another shower we went out and had a beer in our hotel bar then walked to the 'Natural Restaurant' which was recommended. The place was lovely, like a big treehouse and we ordered our beer and food. An hour later we were at the bottom of our bottles and still no food. Luckily just as Greg went to the toilet (we decided to leave if it hadn't come by the time he returned), the food arrived. We both had spicy meat - beef for Greg, pork for Joy, and a plate of egg noodles. It was lush and almost worth the wait. Walked back to our hotel, glad we hadn't eaten much. Joy fell asleep quite quickly, she must have been relaxed after the massage.
16/02/09
Lovely breakfast of cereal, fruit, scotch pancakes and syrup. Leisurely packed our bags and mooched until our 12pm check out. We had a last wander around town for some final snaps and to see the Chinese temple next to our hotel. We think there was a funeral as there were loads of people and a couple of little trucks covered with flower garlands and wreaths, everyone seemed in good spirits though. A minibus picked us up at our hotel just before 1pm and we headed to the pier to catch our ferry to Phi Phi. There were lots of people and it was a good job that we arrived early so that we could get seats together. We arrived 2 hours later and weren't quite sure what to do. We rummaged through the enormous pile of bags for ours and joined the throng on the pier. We were accosted by a longtail boat driver who took us on a short trip to Paradise Resort, one of 6 or 7 resorts on Long Beach. We dumped our bags and wandered along the beach, having a swim before getting ready in our beach hut for dinner. Went to our hotel restaurant and enjoyed a beachfront table. Joy had BBQ chicken and Greg had garlic chicken which he had finished before Joy's was even cooked! A seat on the beach swing before bed.
17/02/09
Not the best sleep as working out the right temperature for the air con was tricky! We went from too hot to too cold to finally just right. The longboats arriving and departing on the beachfront were noisy too which didn't help. Fruit, cereal and fried eggs for breakfast, just managing to get some eggs after all the greedy foreigners took 2 or 3 each - blinking tourists! Spent the day sweating on the beach, breaking for swims and lunch. Greg finishing his lunch before Joy's had been served again (not his fault as they took the wrong order). Had a beer on our terrace before dinner and the pattern continued with Greg finishing again before Joy had been served!
18/02/09
Up early and had brekkie before a boat trip to Phi Phi Lay island. Just Greg and I in the boat, which left our resort at 8.45am. The journey was just over 20 mins and we had a few snorkel stops. Saw lots of fish and some barracudas in the clear waters. We also passed a little house in the caves - no sky TV or automatic dishwashers for these residents. Our last stop was Maya Bay home of the film 'The Beach.' I'm sure if you took away the dozens of boats in the water and the dozens more people on the beach it would look as beautiful as it did in the film. It was good to see though and we had a nice long snorkel there too. Got back to our resort 3 hours later and relaxed on our terrace before lunch. Back to our hotel restaurant for baguette and chips for Greg and Thai pork salad for Joy - they arrived at pretty much the same time too - bonus! We then went for a walk to Lumadee Beach just the other side of the island. It would have been quite a short walk if we had found the right path straight away. We finally made it and dipped our sweaty bodies straight into the sea. It was shallow for ages, so not much of a swim; just a sit in the turquoise water. After relaxing on the beach we headed back and got ready for a night out. Had a beer on our terrace then went for a Thai curry at the restaurant at the resort next door - the only other one on Long Beach directly on the sand. Our red and green curries were very tasty and washed down nicely with some Thai beers. We treated ourselves to cocktails for pud and then walked along the beach to a little bar at the far end. Had another beer while watching some fire dancers and got some good pics. One final take away beer which we drank on our little swing before bed.
19/02/09
Good nights sleep, probably helped by the beer. Up around 9am for breakfast then hit the beach, sticking to the shade today. Nice and relaxing , Joy nodded off a few times. Went for lunch around 2.30, back at last night's restaurant. Greg's spicy mushroom soup was nice, Joy's mushroom and cashew dish was OK. Went for a walk to the main town, getting hot climbing up a steep hill - the path just a dusty track. Once down the other side it was a bit better. The town was a bit tacky - bars and souvenir shops mainly, glad we weren't staying there. Got some bats and balls for the beach, some sun cream and some cash so it was a successful trip. Walked back and rewarded ourselves with a dip in the sea followed by some fruit smoothies on our terrace.
Good nights sleep, probably helped by the beer. Up around 9am for breakfast then hit the beach, sticking to the shade today. Nice and relaxing , Joy nodded off a few times. Went for lunch around 2.30, back at last night's restaurant. Greg's spicy mushroom soup was nice, Joy's mushroom and cashew dish was OK. Went for a walk to the main town, getting hot climbing up a steep hill - the path just a dusty track. Once down the other side it was a bit better. The town was a bit tacky - bars and souvenir shops mainly, glad we weren't staying there. Got some bats and balls for the beach, some sun cream and some cash so it was a successful trip. Walked back and rewarded ourselves with a dip in the sea followed by some fruit smoothies on our terrace.
20/02/09
Good breakfast of hard boiled eggs before checking out around 11am. Spent the morning on the beach, going in the sea whenever we got too hot. Had an indulgent lunch of chocolate brownies and ice cream, banana milkshake for Joy and a chocolate oreo and banana one for Greg. Feeling not too healthy, but our sweet tooths satisfied, it was time to say goodbye to Long Beach and the shouts of 'Boat Boat!' as the taxi drivers touted for business. We arrived at our ferry to Ao Nang early but we could still board and at 3.30pm we were on our way, passing a picturesque Railay en route (tomorrow's destination). We arrived at Ao Nang and luckily the ferry company provided a free bus to the 'Laughing Gecko' our home for the night. We piled onto the open sided bus and a short ride later got off and dragged our bags down a short dusty path. The first building we saw was our reception/dining area/bar/sitting room/shed! We were vaguely informed that the owners weren't around, but would be back soon. We waited, and Joy was already missing the treats of clean floors and general niceness! We were only here for one night though - and it was dirt cheap - we could see why! The owner soon came back and showed us our bungalow. It was much like the first bures we had in Fiji but with our own 'bathroom,' consisting of a room with a hand made bed, and a bathroom with a non flush squatting loo, a shower head that may/may not have worked, and a bucket with water in to flush the loo and presumably wash hands. Joy thought she had done her roughing it in Fiji, at least they had flushing toilets, oh well, we had a place to sleep and thats all we needed.
Had a wander into town - not too much to see - mainly places to eat, and cheap shops. Got back to 'Laughing Gecko' at 19.30 as they did an authentic Thai meal we thought we'd give a go. We had some beers to get us through the dinner, and actually enjoyed the meal, although we had to wait nearly an hour for it which was a shame as it meant we had to spend longer there!! We soon escaped to our bungalow to play scrabble and Greg discovered that he had something stuck in the back of his throat!
