In my world Thailand consisted of sipping mojitos in the glorious sunshine, swimming and snoozing poolside cabana style, pampering on the beach where-ever + when-ever, eating amazing Thai food on it's home turf, shopping when-ever, lapping up the joys of the barter system and most importantly; learning about the Thai way of life and in one word it's easily summed up as; Simple.
Jealous? Don't worry, I would be too!
How about Chanel ma'am? What about the latest Dior? Do you like Armani suit ma'am?
My answer was consistently 'no' as I trailed past the many street stalls in Patong, loud screams of 'special price for you ma'am' and 'Rolex, Rolex, Rolex' ringed in every direction and more than anything the hustle and bustle put a smile on my dial.
Patong was where I was to spend only 5 days, followed by Koh Samui and then Hong Kong..I just knew this was the beginning of a new obsession and I could hardly wait!
It was dirty, it smelt really bad, it was noisy, overcrowded and there were no road rules as such: Welcome to Patong my dear friends, a place worth waiting for.
For those who may not know, Patong is a small beach side area in Phuket, Thailand. It is filled with resorts, scooters, tuk-tuks (taxi) and street stalls selling everything from designer copies (you name it they have it), to hand crafted thai home furnishings, children's clothing, souvenirs and much more.
To everyone's surprise shopping was not high on my to-do list in Patong as I had little desire for replica designer hand-bags. My days were spent poolside in my glorious resort sipping ice cold, minty mojitos and on the beach lapping up the manis, pedis and massages (ohh baby).
Let's get back to the "simplicity" part..When I think about life in Thailand I can't help but smile and feel a surreal sense of calmness wash over me, the tall shady palms swaying gently in the not so cool summer breeze, the strong waves crashing into the shore leaving crystal blue waters in their wake, the locals sitting under the palms in groups chatting amongst themselves and waving 'hello' always eager for conversation, people selling bits and pieces on the beach to vacationers and vacationers being plonked on the sand experiencing the mystical hands of the Thai women repairing aching muscles and relieving that thing we go on holidays to get away from.. I think it's called.. stress (eww). Then of course you open your eyes and ears and you have screaming jet skis, soaring boats, car horns, people yelling and selling things and of course without a doubt children screaming and parents screaming back.. but hey.. if Patong was perfect we probably wouldn't know about it, would we?
To your excitement, or possible dismay, I am going to blog about my post holiday!
I have negotiated with the concerned parties and have come to the agreement that one new blog on the topic will be posted every second day as of today..(such negotiations were with myself.. just incase you are wondering I drive a hard bargain)!
See you Thursday Amigos!
TTFN.
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