Bangla Fantaseas

I had been itching to travel out of the country for some time now. After all, it's been almost a year since we last did. Good thing we managed to snap up some free tickets on Air Asia to Phuket during their promo earlier this year. God bless Tony Fernandez!

The 18th of March finally came amid much trepidation and anxiety. I was supposed to take things easy due to the threatened miscarriage so I was very fortunate to have so many extra pairs of helping hands. (Tip: If you're booking a taxi to the KLIA LCCT, book with KLIA Airport Limo as they're cheaper and if you request for the Renault Enviro, it seats 5 passengers in the back.)

Our little fashionista in the Enviro

Arrived in Phuket at 1.30pm and our driver Daj (pronounced Deg) was there to meet us as he had promised in his email. I had initially thought Phuket was a small island but boy, was I wrong. We took ages to get from the airport to anywhere. First stop was Parlai Bay for lunch. It was Daj's recommendation but we didn't think very highly of the food or the price. Can't blame the poor guy though as he probably doesn't eat out much.

Since we didn't bring along a toddler seat, we were glad to note that Daj is a safe and reliable driver. He also speaks English relatively well and comes across as a humble and family-oriented guy. He drives an air-conditioned Toyota Commuter that easily seats 10 passengers. His charges are 1,000bht for half-day and 1,500bht for full-day tours. Airport transfers are 700bht per way. Anyone going to Phuket and looking for a driver may contact him here.

After lunch, we stopped by the Jim Thompson factory outlet as well as the cashewnut factory. Both were disappointing. The JT outlet in Bangkok has much more stuff at cheaper prices. The cashewnuts were also very expensive so didn't get any there. But it was our first time tasting cashewnut apple juice and seeing cashewnuts being processed. The nut is harvested from the bottom of the cashewnut apple and there's a special tool, much like a sewing machine, to remove the shell of the nut which has a very corrosive sap. Too bad I didn't get a photo of it.

By the time we checked into our hotel, the Millenium Resort Patong, it was already 5pm. Wanted to watch the sunset at Promthep Cape but since we were late, we only managed to catch it at the Karon View Point. We told Daj we wanted to go to a local market and he brought us to a 'pasar malam' near his house. Unfortunately, their night markets start closing at 8pm so we didn't get very far in trying the local delicacies. We had dinner that night at Kan Eang 1 @ Pier (Chalong Pier, that is), good seafood and lovely ambience. This place was also recommended by Jessica. At first sight, we thought "Uh-oh, cutthroat prices" but our bill came up to only about RM100, cheaper than our lunch. Kan Eang is practically an establishment in Phuket, having been around for 30 years and had only been refurbished a year ago.

Night market in Rawai Village

Kan Eang 1 @ Pier

Okay, a bit about our hotel. The Millenium is only a few months old and though it comes complete with all the creature comforts, it also has a lot of teething problems to sort out. For a start, the bathroom design was really bad. Unless you took a bath or showered sitting down, you would inevitably flood the entire bathroom floor. We also found their pillows way too high and I ended up sleeping on a rolled-up pareo the first night. We requested for a change from the reception the next morning but they said they didn't have any alternatives. Thankfully we came across the chamber maid and she managed to get some for us. Variety at breakfast was wide but the quality left much to be desired. Frankly, I didn't think I would live to see the day I tasted substandard Thai food in Thailand.

If you're looking for a hotel with a strip of sand, this is not one. Many hotels in Phuket (probably due to the Tsunami) are actually not beachfront. But this wasn't a criteria for us. Convenience was. And convenience we certainly got. Just walking distance to Soi Bangla (Patong's center of night action) and in an adjoining building to Jungceylon, probably the biggest shopping mall in Phuket, we didn't have to worry about the minibar not being stocked (yes, can you believe that? A 5-star hotel without a minibar!). All in all, the hotel was not bad but then again we were not paying full rates (got last minute discounts at latestays.com).

Since we didn't have a driver on the second day (Daj had prior engagements), we spent a good part of the day at Jungceylon. The anchor tenants are Robinsons and Carrefour and it's not unlike the malls in KL with cinemas, restaurants, bars and the like. Things were not necessarily nicer nor cheaper so it was more a leisurely walk around rather than a shopping extravaganza. Discovered a bazaar called "That's Siam" at the basement of the building where things were cheaper and prices were at least negotiable. There was also a food court on that level where we had our lunch.

See how we transported Nat around without a stroller?
By the way, she really enjoyed the special buggy rides

That night we walked out to the infamous Soi Bangla for dinner. We ate at Mengrai Seafood which came highly recommended at VirtualTourist.com The food was certainly tasty and cheap. Their garlic and pepper squid was the best I've had and chicken feet kerabu also yummy. However, the Pad Thai was too wet and sweet for my liking. Prawn cakes also not that great. You could also order cheap fried chicken and spring rolls from the stall next door.

Took a walk along the rest of Soi Bangla and back to aid digestion. It was pubs, discos and girly (some not real girls) bars all around. Wherever we walked, we were followed by the strong stench of sewage which was really offputting. The whole of Phuket was just teeming with tourists and you'd think you were in a Western country what with there being far less locals than caucasians in all of the beach areas!

See the "girls" dancing behind us

The next morning we wanted to go to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre but Daj told us that it would involve quite a lot of walking and trekking so we went elephant-trekking at the Kok Chang safari instead. We opted for the 1-hour trek since we would get to go round to the other side of the hill to see the view. It cost 1,000bht per person for that hour which was fun indeed but honestly, 20 minutes would have been enough. All that rocking even put Nat to sleep.

Mum & uncle on their 45-year old jumbo

In deep slumber long after we got down from the pachyderm

Lum Yai & Charley, Kok Chang's resident gibbons

Next stop was Phuket town. We again requested to be taken to a local market but like the other day, most stalls had closed. There wasn't much to see in town either but it was interesting to note that the majority were Chinese traders. We craved hawker food but being a Muslim, Daj didn't know much about non-halal hawker fare. According to him, 70% of the locals in Phuket are Muslims. Luckily a kind lady shopkeeper pointed us in the right direction. We ended up in this shack right opposite the roundabout from the Metropole Hotel and next to a Buddhist temple which served sinful Hokkien Mee complete with crispy rashers of pork skin, incredibly tasty otak-otak and melt-in-your-mouth pork satay that was so lean I ate 12 sticks!

Yummylicious!

The weather that day was lovely so we drove up Khao Rang hill and relaxed for a bit to soak up the atmosphere while looking over Phuket town. Nat tried to befriend a local girl who for some reason, seemed terrified of her advances and kept running away from her. Later, she did the same to a dog who also ran for cover under a fruit stall. Hmm... my daughter seems to repel certain beings.



Daj took us to Yannui beach later in the evening. It was a small stretch of beach near his village (Rawai) that he normally took his family to. Very nice and untouched. Wanted Nat to experience the surf and the sand. Surprisingly she remained undaunted by the saltwater and sand that went into her mouth when the waves came splashing over her head.

3 Generations in one shot

Yannui beach from a distance

The disadvantage of going to a secluded beach was that there were no amenities for washing up so we were still sticky and salty when we went for dinner at Rawai beach. Daj dropped us back at the hotel at 8.30 and after a shower, we went for our welcome drink at the Lounge 98.

We left for the airport after breakfast on Friday. There was a bit of drama at the airport when we were about to board the plane but realised Hubby was missing. We had all gone past customs but didn't realise Hubby was stuck outside. Apparently, the customs officer missed stamping his passport when we arrived and they had to check with the airlines whether he truly entered Phuket 4 days ago. So make sure you always check your passports when you get to a foreign country.

All in all, I still prefer Chiang Mai to Phuket and while I would return to the former, don't think I would be keen to visit Phuket again.