I was all hyped up for Phuket but was a tad disappointed when I actually got there. While some of my friends took a liking for the city, I secretly got bored of all that beaches (I can’t swim to save my life!) and shops which had nothing worth buying.

However I grew fat with the glorious spread of seafood and found myself polishing off my plate at every meal. And oh, I had a taste of wildlife when I was seated uncomfortably on one poor elephant towards the end of the trip. But why oh why does Singapore not have fare as delicious as that? Simple dishes that were cooked to perfection and cheap at that.

Anyway, the trip started out when Zul actually planted the idea in my head. He told me that he was going to Phuket with some friends and how cheap the flights were. Ms. Gatal (moi!) surveyed sites after sites and discovered that Zul was right. I then engaged Dila into a conversation one working morning and somehow coaxed her (that wasn’t hard at all) to go on a holiday with me.

Booked our flights and hotel and off we unwind.

We arrived at night all famished from our short plane ride and because we flew by Tiger Airways, there was no food served onboard. Pay peanuts get monkeys la.

But it was all good really because our first meal consisted of plenty of dishes that had me wanting more even after the meal was over.

Fish, beef, prawns, rice and of course their famous Tom Yam Goong.


I’m sorry, I’m a foodie, I can’t help but stuff my face. Heh.

Anyway, we had checked into our hotel only to discover that we had made the wrong choice of accommodation, to our dismay. The building was located at the far end and we had to go thru some dark alley and groups of working girls before getting there. Don’t even get me started on the room, I swear I had chills when I stepped into it. And I bet we were the only ones there. Surprisingly, I slept like a baby every single night; so much so that Dila had to wait for me to get up every morning. Sorry babe! (“,)

The first day saw us chilling at Patong beach with very chilled beers in hand. We had breakfast at one of the eatery along that area and even stumbled upon a used bookstore which somehow distracted us for a while. Quite a while actually. The books proved to be useful though for when we were on those deck chairs lounging around in our bikinis.




I was quite taken aback by the tourists that were tanning topless, I mean I don’t get that here and as liberal as I am sometimes, I was still shocked. If not, it probably was due to the fact that I have not been to that many beaches around the world. Note to self, plan more beach holidays.

So we tanned and turned a pretty brown shade. By then, Zul and gang had just arrived in Phuket and we showered and changed to meet them.

Zul brought us to a local Halal restaurant. Which, again served the most delicious seafood that had one salivating away like a dog. Seeing how this entry is backdated, I can’t actually remember what we ordered but it was goooood.


Next, took the tuk-tuk back to the main town area and found the tour guide that was recommended by Ajil‘s brother. Andy’s Tours got us on a boat trip around Phi Phi the next morning and we paid quite a hefty sum for it.

When that was settled, we went around exploring the night life of Phuket which was quite interesting if you’re into kinkiness and dodgy surroundings. I hate how girls had very little value there. There they were dancing behind display glasses in outfits you often see in porn. Tsk!

It was a sight that somehow angered me but I was calm again when the DVD shop got my undivided attention. We ended the night early to prepare ourselves for the long day ahead.

But trust me, I am never going down that stretch of half naked girls anymore.



The next morning, I was up rather early (Dila prolly had to wake me up) and we waited for our van that was going to ferry us to the pier. There, we took our boat ride and changed to a different boat as the group wanted to snorkel.

I even tried going in the water with the life jacket on but came up quickly when I realized that my feet was not touching sand and I was floating uncontrollably.

But the calm surroundings instilled a peaceful feeling inside. I was quickly at ease when I set sights on the beautiful trees and the clear blue water. A life far away from the hustle bustle, I love it.





When the time was up, we were then brought to Phi Phi island for lunch. The tour guide had even set aside a table just for us with the Halal marking there.

The food could have been better but it was wolfed down within minutes as well.

Walked around after that to supposedly burn a bit of fats and came across shops that sold a variety of things, ranging from clothes to bangles, from bags to slippers , souvenirs and whatnots.

Excess baggage, that’s what. The group grabbed whatever they could and soon it was time to head back to Patong.





That night, we met again for dinner and we picked Cairo Restaurant this time. It wasn’t too far from our hotel and it was walking distance to the nearest night market. Or Patong Shopping Paradise as the signboard reads.



On our way back home, Dila and I made a pit stop at a stall that sells sweet delicious Banana pancakes that came in assorted flavors. Tasty? You bet!

When morning came, our bags were packed nicely and we set off for breakfast, one I won’t bother to describe. We had also booked another tour from Andy’s Tours and this time they brought us to some safari like area where we had fun with monkeys and elephants. We also had the chance to ride on ATVs and honestly, I’m not very good at it. I pity the ones behind me (all of them were actually!) because I was truly taking my own sweet time for fear of mishaps and such.

You can say that rocky terrains are not my forte. But it definitely tire us out to no end.







So much so that Dila and I came back to Patong for foot massages after that. Truth be told we had massages every night when we were there. It was too freaking cheap to give a miss.


Our flight back home was scheduled that very same day and with weary bodies from the many adventures we had earlier, we made our way to the airport.

Nevertheless, it was a good trip, many thanks to the friends that made it fun. But I swear, I’m not coming back. Been there, done that.