We flew into Phuket and headed to Patong as Mark wanted to see how it had changed since his last visit in 2008. It was only in the Grab on the way there that he let slip it was like a Thai Benidorm, a big party town with loads of bars and the infamous Bangla Road.
As much as I enjoy a day of people watching in Benidorm and a night out, I was expecting something very different for my first beach experience in Thailand. Roads were busy, streets were busy and Bangla Road is like a fever dream, we didn’t stop for even one drink. However we did find plenty of good food and had a few drinks with a semi famous Australian fisherman (his words) and enjoyed some relaxation at the pool.
We also stumbled across a street not far from Bangla Road with lots of different bars, some with bar girls working, some without. One thing they all had in common though was that none of then had any customers. We sat down for a drink and realised we had inadvertently found “Thai Nessa” behind the bar. She had a similar build, tattoos, a leather waistcoat and the same direct manner which became clear when she looked at Mark’s sweat covered head and said “I’ve got something for you” before handing him a frozen wet wipe and following up with a point at his head and the line “because that’s not normal.”
After two nights we went to Kata Beach and stayed for 4 nights. This was much more like it; night markets, great beach (I don’t normally go in the sea but the water was so warm and clear I had to) and a massage place where I enjoyed seeing a robust masseuse almost standing on Mark as she tried to make his body bend. We also had a day at Phuket Town which has some great architecture to look at and lots of “artisan” shops whose products could also be found on the market stalls at a much better price.
Next stop Koh Phi Phi
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