Phuket-Sun, Sea, Fun, PARTY!

The last time I visited Phuket was 10 years ago. Just 12 years old, I remember being so excited about the beaches that I spent hours on and the sea activities that I did. I went there expecting it to be somewhat just like the place I visited 10 years ago. But the place looked beyond familiar (except for Patong beach). There's a street called bangla street, which I don't recall seeing 10 years back, consisting of pubs and clubs. But then again the street might have already existed back then but my parents would have thought it was unnecessary to bring their twelve year old daughter and ten year old son to a street full of party-goers, 10 years back. 

We were lucky that the hotel we stayed in, Andakira hotel, was located only a 7 minutes walk away from bangla street and a 15 minutes walk away from Patong beach. There were many shops along the streets selling clothes and souveniers, with the shop owners constantly targeting gullible tourists to purchase their overpriced items. It is always wise to check the prices at several shops before buying it (most of the shops sell the same things!) and it is always good to bargain because the owners tend to increase the selling prices of goods by three times more than the actual price. I bought a top that supposedly cost 750 bhat for 250 bhat!

On christmas eve, we made our way to Bangla street which was packed with party goers (mostly tourists). We heard a lot about a club called seduction and decided we should definitely celebrate the start of christmas there! With midnight approaching, we were looking forward to a countdown to christmas. Unfortunately, there was no countdown to christmas. We were still happy because we managed to enter for free and the club itself was really impressive. There were three levels, each level played a different type of music. The top level, which played the latest club songs and house music, was the most popular.

Getting ready for the Christmas countdown which never happened!

Club Seduction

The next day was packed with activities. We started of with flying fox! It was 60 metres high.

The next activity we did was white water rafting. It was our first time rafting, therefore it was the most anticipated activity! Two local men followed us on the raft. They were really entertaining and made our rafting experience a really enjoyable one.

Next up was a ride on the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). It was the most enjoyable activity for me.  Each of us had our own ATV and were travelling at high speeds. The path we were going on contained many bumps, curves and downhills which made it challenging and exciting.

The most challenging activity for me has got to be the FISH SPA! I struggled to keep my feet in the water. The fishes were happily nibbling away on the dead skin on my feet while I was suffering because it was too ticklish! I'm never going for a fish spa again!!

We also went for elephant trekking and a monkey show! The elephant that we sat on was called Puki. It was so adorable. Each time we called it's name, it would raise its trunk and make the cutest sound ever.

Later that night, we headed to a show called simon cabaret. It is somewhat like a musical. The people who perform are actually transexuals. We do not have these kind of shows in Singapore therefore we were really fascinated by it. I was blown away by how flawless the transexuals looked. You would never guess that they were actually males before, well not until you hear them open their mouth and speak!

The next day, we visited Maya beach, Phi Phi island and Khai island where we snorkelled. The picturesque scenery, the endless crystal clear emerald green water surrounded by limestone cliffs, was simply breathtaking!  

I simply loved Phuket. It is the best place to go if you want to party, relax and do something adventurous, all in one trip. The best tip to surviving in Phuket without spending a whole lot of money is to BARGAIN (except for food). Do not settle for the first price that a shop owner tells you. We managed to get tickets for the simon cabaret show (VIP seats and transport to and from the show) at 650 bhat from a street shop, when most of the other travel companies were selling it at 850 bhat. I'm sure there would have been people who got it for cheaper but we were just picking up on the new 'skill' we learnt from this trip- bargaining!