Day 22 - Sunday, March 6 - Phuket

Waking up was tough today. I'm not in college anymore and I think my body (and my liver) hated me at 7:20A as the little chirping alarm clock made itself known.

Nevertheless, I managed to get ready pretty quickly and went down to the lobby. The alcohol hadn't absorbed fully into my system and I certainly wasn't hungry for breakfast. I decided to reply to some e-mails and as I was sitting at the computer, the lovely lady at the reception desk called over to me and announced I had a phone call. Who the hell was calling me at "The Little Mermaid Hotel" in Phuket, Thailand? It was the guy from the tour group who I booked the day trip through. "I'm sorry Mr. Marc, but the boat to Phi Phi will cancel today - the captain says wave too big and no safe today".

SHIT. The entire reason I stayed here another day was for my day trip to Phi Phi. I was disappointed but no reason to get bent out of shape. I finished my e-mail and said....."screw these people, I'll get myself to Phi Phi". I went across the street to catch the city bus to Chalong Bay. That's where lots of day excursions leave from. I really didn't know how to get there but when the bus came, I asked and the driver said he could stop at Chalong on the way to Phuket Town. COOL, I was in business. When you get on the bus, you don't have to pay right away. Periodically, the bus driver will pull over and come around and collect money. When he did this, I pointed to my map and asked him when I should get off. He said......"oh, so sorry, Chalong back that way - I forgot - so sorry". I now was on a bus to Phuket Town again and I really never wanted to go back there again. He said he would show me how to get back once at Phuket Town. A few minutes later, he flagged down a bus heading in the opposite direction and waved me off the bus and onto the new one. That was great as I didn't have to waste any more time.

These busses don't normally stop at Chalong Bay. About 10 minutes later, the driver pulled over and pointed me in the direction of the Bay and I walked the rest of the way. I walked down to the pier and the surf was pretty choppy. There were dozens of speedboats, long tail boats, and crusiers tied to the buoys and I was convinced I would find SOMEONE to take me to Phi Phi. NO SUCH LUCK. I even asked a few local fisherman but was turned down. I went to a few local tour offices and they said I couldn't go to Phi Phi for the day as if I got on a boat at noon, I would already miss the last boat back to Phuket by the time I got there. I exhausted all options I knew of and figured Phi Phi just wasn't meant to be. I could stay another day and try tomorrow, but I didn't want to stick around here and prolong my arrival in Lanta any more.

I walked to the main road and found a motorcycle taxi back to the beach. I still don't know why they don't carry an extra helmet for the passenger.

Got back to Karon and went right on the beach. The sun was out, the water blue, sand white, and I was excited to get in the water. As I headed towards the water, I saw a big long-tail boat just offshore that had my name on it. I swam out to him, asked him how much for a little drive around the beaches and agreed on a price and hopped on. We went south past Karon, Kata, and a few other gorgeous beaches. Once you are ON the beaches here or looking AT them from the water, it really is a beautiful place. It's just the towns and the people here that I am not a fan of. It does suit many peoples needs I guess as that's why it's the most popular tourist destination in the south of Thailand.

During my boat ride, I jumped off the boat a few times to swim and it was great.

Back at Karon, I sat on the beach for a little while and found a little roadside noodle shop for lunch.

It got a little cloudy so I popped into a little bar for a drink and just bummed around the rest of the day.

I showered and went back to Tka Bar and Kata Mama Seafood, the locale of last nights mayhem because there was some talk about meeting up again tonight. The army wasn't there so I had dinner and a few drinks and pondered many thoughts of which I wont bore you with. HOWEVER, for dinner, I had some fride rice and 4 JUMBO PRAWNS "bbq'd in garlic" and they were FANTASTIC. These things were massive! The flavor was very similar to the shrimp at the Kuhuku Shrimp Truck on the North Shore of Oahu that I fell in love with while shooting there last year.

After dinner, I decided to walk back to the "Mermaid". It's a pretty long walk, but there was a nice breeze masking the humidity and it felt great. Got back to the hotel at about 1AM and went straight to bed for my crossing to Lanta in the AM.

SIDENOTE: The prostitution here is RIDICULOUS. All you see are
old (and young, but mosltly old) horny, gross, pathetic men who pick up
these young girls for a night or a weekend. It's so blatent. It's
pretty sad at the same time. Lots of times they are sitting at an
outdoor restaurant groping each other and kissing because it's the only
universal language they have. Other times you see them sitting on a
beach with one another doing the same. ALWAYS holding hands and gazing
into each others eyes cause it's the only thing they can do together.
She speak no English and he certainly speak no Thai except for "suckie
for a buckie" and even then, not so sure she understands.

On the walk home from the next beach over, there is a stretch of
nothingness on the road. There are these hookers and ladyboys
(sometimes you can't tell if they were born a man until you get real
close) who patrol this stretch of road (both by foot AND on motorbike)
and when they see you coming in the distance, they get all ready and go
in for the kill as you approach. The ones on foot, primp themselves up
as if they were looking in an invisible mirror and the ones on bike pull
ahead of you, stop the bike, get off, and do the same primping until the
distance between you 2 is the appropriate one for them to make their
move. It's funny cause you can see them gearing up and going in for the
kill just like the guys who man the area outside their "tailor" shops
trying to get you to buy a suit.

Last night I encountered one of the same ones who I wasn't so nice to
after literally 3 or 4 minutes of her trying on Saturday night and she
looked over and gave me a look and drove away. Then she started making
circles around me on her bike as if it were intimidating me. At least
she remembered me and didn't harrass me but it's not like it happens
just once on a walk. It goes on every 50 feet or so. I'm happy to be leaving here!