During the first week of October, China grants its citizens
a seven days of paid vacation to celebrate national day. Many people (including ourselves) decided to
take advantage of this break by taking a much-needed vacation. Our trip was to Phuket, Thailand.
Thailand is a beautiful, amusing country. I found the food, the beaches, and the people
to be extraordinary. There are some
things you need to know before booking your trip to Thailand. So my dear readers, I give you my do’s and
don’t s of traveling to Thailand.
DO visit Phuket. There is so much to do in the city, and the
beaches are beautiful.
DON’T pronounce the
Ph like an F. It sounds vulgar and
is incorrect. The name of the town is
pronounced POO-ket.
DO visit Phuket
during the dry season. We made the
mistake of visiting Thailand during the rainy season.
I kid you not; it rained EVERY DAY we were
there.
We weren’t able to swim in the
sea because the current was too strong.
In spite of the weather we did have fun.
We did pack ponchos and umbrellas so we were able to participate in many
other activities.
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| Most guests were rocking the ponchos for the majority of their vacation. |
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| Fortunately, our hotel had these lovely hammock beds that allowed us to enjoy mother nature while staying dry. I could've read on these beds for hours. |
DON’T be afraid to
take Malaysian Airlines to Phuket. Much
to my Mother’s chagrin, we took Malaysian Airlines and arrived safely.
However, make sure you arrive EARLY to check
in.
We got bumped from
two planes even though we had seat
assignments and arrived at the airport two and a half hours before our
flight.
After our delays, everything
about Malaysian Airlines was great.
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| During every bi-weekly phone call for a month my mother asked me if we were traveling Malaysian Airlines. They are safe. |
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| We weren't happy to spend another 5 hours in the Kuala Lumpur airport, but at least Malaysian Airlines let us relax in their first class lounge. |
DO eat the local
food. Thai food is amazing!
I had no idea spicy food could ever taste so
delicious.
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| Tom Yum Gung is an AMAZING spicy and sour seafood soup. I HIGHLY recommend trying it. |
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| My waitress made sure I had some watermelon on the side to cool the burn. |
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| I never thought I would enjoy Khao Niaw Mamuang, a desert made of mango, sticky rice, and coconut cream. Now it is one of my favorite deserts. |
DON’T expect to be
the only creature that enjoys the food. Little birds joined us for breakfast every
day.
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| These little birdies enjoyed my omelet while I was reading. |
DO something stupid,
like get a henna tattoo just to say you got a tattoo in Thailand. As soon as I saw the henna tattoo hut, I
knew I needed to try on a tattoo for fun.
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| I decided I needed a little ankle ink during our trip. |
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| I can see how people get addicted to tattoos. I felt a little rebellious for two weeks. |
DON’T do something
stupid, like get a henna tattoo on your face a la Mike Tyson or get a real
tattoo just to say you got a tattoo in Thailand. The henna took a good two weeks to wash
off, and real tattoos are permanent.
DO ride an
elephant. We had a great time on our
Siam
Safari.
I highly recommend it for
anyone who is an elephant fan.
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| We had a slow but scenic trek through the Thai jungle. |
DON’T get in a fight
with a local. Didn’t happen to us,
but you never know.
DO see a local Muay
Thai fight. No trip to Phucket is
complete without seeing Muay Thai fighting.
Before this trip I had always wanted to see a live boxing match.
Bangala Boxing Stadium did not disappoint !
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| I have to admit I was a little creeped out to see six year old kids boxing. |
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| Girls can fight too! |
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| As the night progressed, the caliber of fighters increased. We had a great time watching fighters duke it out on the mats. |
DON’T pass up a
chance to see fire dancers.
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| Thai fire dancers put on a show a few times per week at our hotel. |
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| The dancer greeted us at the end of the show. |
DO visit a ladyboy cabaret. The Simon Cabaret was one
of the best shows I have ever seen.
Their lip-syncing, sequined costumed production elicited a level of glee
I had not felt since watching The Love Boat as a child. The dancing
was cheesy, and the seats were extraordinarily comfortable. They even provided a complimentary bottle of
water for each guest.
DON’T take pictures
inside the Ladyboy Cabaret, or expect to take a picture with a ladyboy without
paying.
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| I was so excited to finally be able to take a picture of the performers! They were so eager to have guests pose with them after the show. |
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| I didn't realize they wanted to get paid for the picture...oh well. |
DO visit a night
market to witness the spectacle. We
didn’t buy anything at the market because we can buy locally in Shanghai,
however the colors were magnificent.
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| Night markets are great places to pick up faux souvenirs. |
DON’T forget to take
time to take it all in. Phuket is
one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
Even though there is so much to explore on
the island, make sure to plan a lazy day to take in the beauty of Thailand.
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| So when can we go back? |
