Day 3
Another early start for us as it was the day our Phi Phi Island tour was to happen. We made our way to Malika Terrace for some breakfast. As usual, the buffet table was filled with food from Asian dishes such as curry and rice to European Italian style fish fillets and pasta. There was an abundant choice depending on your appetite. If you wanted eggs cooked different ways, sunny-side up or scrambled, that could be arranged. Different flavoured juices coloured the jugs. My go-to drink was guava. Pastries were popular, especially the croissant with its flaky and buttery goodness. Who could resist? They even had a pho street style cart where a chef prepared the noodle soup, on this day it was beef. He carefully arranged the noodles in a bowl, drowned it in the clear broth and sprinkled it with spring onions and crushed peanuts for texture. It was very delicious.
Our pick up service came right on time with passengers already inside, two girls probably in their twenties. Three more hotel stops and we were full. Due to the Monday morning peak traffic, it took a lot longer than expected to reach the port. At Sea Angel Pier we were given colour coded bracelets depending on which tour you were to do. A bunch of us crowded over a very enthusiastic instructor who explained what was to happen on our tour. We were to ride on a speed boat and visit three islands, to do some swimming and snorkelling. As excited as we were, we ended up not going ahead with the tour due to Wifey’s condition as the manager told us that the speed boat could go really fast and was too dangerous for her. She promised to put us on a ferry tour instead that was to happen the next day. The news were a little deflating, but we held our heads high and thought, “The ferry tour shouldn’t be that bad”. We were going to see Phi Phi Island one way or another and but it had to wait until tomorrow.
The manager was nice enough to drive us back to Patong and we ended up at Jungceylon once again. After purchasing some aqua shoes we feasted on grilled pork belly and japchae at a Korean BBQ. Watermelon shake completed the meal. An hour later we were back at our hotel.
Night came and it was time to hit the town. Our taxi dropped us off at Patong Beach, just after the sunset. The beach was still buzzing with people. A couple of pics later we were back on the streets in search of a place to eat. As we walked the busy street, we were offered taxi and tuk-tuk rides, massages, tours and of course restaurants enticing you to try their establishment. ‘Fresh’ seafood nested on ice were on display. Wifey had an eye for ‘freshness’ and so she was to decide where we were to dine that night. Passing by an alley filled with food stalls we were intrigued with what was at the end of it. Once we reached the end we were greeted by a number of seafood restaurants, all had ‘barkers’ crying out “Fresh seafood here! Come and eat here!”. The one with the most customers must be good, I thought to myself and so that is where we headed. We were met by a very happy man, obviously joyous for his restaurant being picked again. He showed us their seafood table and he handed us a menu. “We cook for you, choose what you want”. We chose a huge tiger prawn which he weighed at first, calculated the price and asked us how we would liked it cooked. “In tamarind sauce”, as I pointed to the picture on the menu. Grilled squid and steamed barramundi were the perfect addition. The food hit the table and the smell was amazing. The prawn dish was the winner that night, the sauce perfectly balanced of sweet, sour and salty. While we ate our sumptuous dinner we were serenaded by ‘The King’ himself, Elvis Presley… well the Thai version. “Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go”, he sang as I looked at sauce covered prawn tail at the end of my fork. It was tender alright. 🙂
From Elvis to Ladyboys at Bangla Rd, the night was getting more interesting. Made up and dressed to impress (very skimpy clothing), the ladyboys lined under the Patong Beach sign attracting men and women to take a picture with them… for a price. Wifey and I stayed well clear of the paying zone and took photos from a distance. Lined with bars and loud music, Bangla Rd was alive. Promoters of ‘ping pong’ shows were aplenty. As curious as we were, we weren’t really the sporty type. 😉 As the music got louder and the place got even busier with tourists and locals alike swarming the famous road for some fun times, we both knew it was not our scene anymore.
Our walk eventually led us back to Jungceylon where we still had an hour to go until our hotel shuttle service and so we ended up at Swensens, an ice cream and dessert bar. Mango was the flavour of the month and so ordered the one with three types or mango ice cream topped with sticky rice and coconut milk syrup. The combination seemed odd at first but the flavour worked perfectly. The sourness of the sherbet mango ice cream, the slightly chewy character of the sticky rice gave texture and the coconut topping cut through all the sweetness. It was heavenly.
A not-so-great start to the day but it ended on a sugar high. How I would sum up our third day in Phuket, Thailand.
Cheerio,
Jeeps
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