2009 Phuket Trip

Phuket 2009 - saw another part of the world and I would say, another experience. Different culture, different types of people. No OH&S. No Nothing. Just different compared to a developed country. But I'm glad I did make the full use of our 3 days 2 nights over there. Elephant Trekking, Snorkelling, Turtle Reseach Centre, Shooting Range, Bamboo Rafting, LadyBoys, Phi Phi Island, Speedboats, LadyBoys, Ladies, PingPongs. Some of the memorable experiences brought from the below pics.

Elephant Trekking - This naughty elephant seen peeping at my basket of bananas, caused a stir as we approach bamboo trees on our way back to camp. For about 2 minutes, this 'friendly' giant charge towards the bamboo trees and began pulling down them. Yes, the whole tree. What a roller coaster ride without the proper safety belts. Denise and I were amazed by the power of its trunk. No matter how hard the keeper tried to get him back, he just wouldnt give up. I would say, fortunately, we didnt fall off our seats. The keeper gave him a whack on his skull with a hammer-like tool which caused him to bleed a little. Naughty and cheeky as the photo suggests. Most importantly, we had fun! OH ya, denise's hair nearly got pulled off by a gibbon while posing a photo with him. One of those moments you see on TV.

65kg groupers @ the fishery research centre where we saw almost every growing stage of a turtle.

Fantastic views of the islands. Hopefully they are still around in the future with the global warming issue worsening every day. Love the snorkelling as well. First time doing it and was glad that in this small part of the world, unpolluted waters with variety of tropical fishes still exist.

Hope Denise enjoyed the shooting experience. First time for me with a handgun.

It was all right for me. More of the thrill of firing off with no safety instructions or any form of strict guidelines.

Beers (Singha and Chang) are cheap everywhere. $1.50 per can.

Drinks, Ladyboys, Ladies Pole Dancing are everywhere when you walk down Bangla Street of Patong Beach. Not surprising that after much persuasion, we got swayed to watch one of the 'shows'. *Eyes widening experience* How did they do it?

Thanks Denise once again for organising the trip.

Nice hotel. Good Deal. Highly recommended - Ban Thai @ Patong Beach

The tours were fantastic as well. Cheap and got the most out of it. 2 snorkelling opportunites. Covered majority of the islands.

Overall, Phuket is very tourist orientated. Don't be surprised if "Wai Lao" gets priority better services. Generally safe, but the locals will try to get every single dollar out for you, to join their dodgy tours or airport transfers services. To be fair, tourism is their main source of income.