Phuket!

Ok SORRY I've been so slack.. the last few days of our trip were spent in Phuket, pretty much doing nothing.. hence updating the blog would have interfered with the 'nothingness' and there really isn't that much to report on anyway!

We had prebooked ourselves a Deluxe Room at the Rayaburi Hotel at Patong Beach to celebrate the end of our 2 month adventure (and to try and cheer ourselves up about the fact that we were about to return home to work/study!).

Our days consisted of lying on sunloungers on the very-crowded Patong Beach, reading, swimming, shopping, eating.... that's it. I can tell you that I am not missing the constant "G'day Mate, want a suit?" or "Hello lady, you want massage?" that followed us wherever we went!

One night we ventured to the infamous Bangla Rd to check it out, and I can safely say that it was the seediest place we've been on the whole trip! Prostitutes everywhere, Thai girls (or ladyboys? hard to tell sometimes) dancing on bars, PingPong Shows etc etc. Absolutely packed with people! There were guys carrying around big iguanas, trying to get tourists to get a photo with their iguana so they could charge them money. Those things really freak me out... which is why I went running when about 5 guys with iguanas started cornering me. ARGH. There were also a group of ladyboys in costume standing on the side of the street getting people to take photos with them (and charging for it, of course). I went up for a photo... "Hold me!" squealed the ladyboy, so I obliged.. even though I'm not entirely sure why they'd want me to hold them, considering I'm a female. Steve didn't want a photo, but the ladyboys protested (Steve has a way with Asian men...) so Steve decided to lose his inhibitions and get a photo too. Turns out the ladyboys really like Steve too, as evidenced by the way one of them held Steve's hand to their 'breast'. Check the photo out, it's hilarious. Funny how they got a lot closer to Steve in his photo than they did to me in my photo....

After that we decided to escape Bangla Rd and head down to the beach and check out the party that they were throwing for the Chinese New Year. We lit up a paper lantern (which I've always wanted to do!) and sat in the sand watching it float away.

Next day was Valentine's day and we spent the day lounging around in true Phuket fashion. We both got Thai massages, and went to a really nice restaurant literally on the beach for dinner and delicious dessert. It was a really nice way to spend the last night of our trip!

The next morning we took a taxi to the airport, on the way we reminisced and made a list of things we would and wouldn't miss about SE Asia.. actually I might post that here on the blog if I can remember it all!

After aaages lining up at Phuket airport (there was a 10m line just to get in the door.. they really need to redesign that airport!) we caught our first flight to Singapore. At Changi airport we had a stopover for a few hours in which we used the free foot massage chairs, free internet and visited the Butterfly Room! Changi really is the best airport.

The flight to Brisbane was great.. I love Singapore Airlines. Plenty of leg room, seats recline a fair way back, your own personal screen and heaps of movies and tv shows etc, AND the food is great! Only problem I found was that they only turned the lights out for about 2hrs and then served breakfast straight away... which didn't allow for much sleep! We arrived at Brisbane airport at about 6am. It felt so good to be back on our home turf and to hear Aussie accents, even though it meant we were no longer travelling.

I've added a Thailand photo album.. but then realised really how 'on holiday' we were; we took about 4 photos in Thailand! oops! Sorry guys! But hey, we had fun :)

Amiee x

Slightly more detailed itinerary...

Dec 14: fly BNE -> Singapore, O/night train to KL, Malaysia
Dec 15 - 18: KL, Malaysia
Dec 18: O/night train to Singapore
Dec 19: Singapore
Dec 20: fly Singapore -> Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Dec 21&22: Vietnam/Ho Chi Minh area
Dec 23 - Jan 12: Cambodia
Jan 13 - Jan 26: Laos
Jan 27 - Feb 7: Vietnam
Feb 7: fly Ho Chi Minh -> Bangkok
Feb 7 - 15: Thailand
Feb 15/16: fly Phuket -> Singapore -> BNE

10 Things I learnt whilst flying Virgin Blue domestic

1. Apparently, silver bangles can set off metal detectors, but silver bracelets are fine.
2. The metal detectors are temperamental; after taking off the bangle and still setting the metal detector off, the attendants told me to walk through keeping to the very centre, and without pausing, which actually worked!
3. Laptops have to be taken out of your bag and put in a separate tray before they’re put through the scanner.
4. You can be randomly selected to undergo ‘explosives screening’!
5. When they give you a laminated card to read that explains that there will be some physical contact involved (eek!) with the screening, don’t be worried; the ‘physical contact’ is just 2 brief touches on the hips (through your clothes) and then on your bags with some sort of explosive-detecting instrument.
6. Remember to pick up your boarding pass after being screened!! Otherwise you have to walk back down and go through the metal detecting process all over again……..
7. The ‘explosives screening’ guy will generally send your boarding pass with a staff member into the terminal for you..
8. You won’t be able to find the aforementioned staff member.
9. Waiting at the ‘Enquiries Desk’ at 6am with the hopes of finding the staff member with your boarding pass is pointless; no-one comes.
10. Don’t stress. At Virgin Blue (not sure about the other airlines) they can print you a new boarding pass at the boarding gate desk. The male staff member there was very friendly and helpful and quickly printed me a new one, easy!