Mark Adams' Phuket trip report
Michael's comment: My long-time friend and Groomsman Mark Adams departed Melbourne for London in April in search of new adventures, fun times and endless opportunities. On his way he stopped in Phuket, Thailand, to see what all the fuss was about. Below is Mark's trip report about his time in Phuket. If anyone else has a trip report they would like to submit please feel free to send it to us via email.
Hi Everyone,
Just thought I would write up a short report on the amazing experience I had during my recent stop over at Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand. There is so much to do and see that I wish I had stayed longer than five days. In the time I was there I did a lot of shopping at street markets, saw a snake show where a crazy guy named Johnny kisses cobras, visited a shooting range and bought a tailor made suit from Michael and Chantelle’s local tailor.
While in Patong I also went out to explore the rich night life on offer in and around Bangla road in Patong which comes alive after sunset with bars, clubs, discos, restaurants and stalls. Almost all of the bars and clubs are open space venues and the music gets tremendously loud as you walk past. Drinks are cheap and a beer should only set you back 120 baht. If you’re looking for something fun to do between drinks a lot of bars have games available including connect four, ‘hammer the nail’ or you can even have your photo taken with a monkey on a leash!
There are a couple of quick tips and skills that will come in handy for the next time I visit Phuket. The first tip is to wear sunscreen! By the third day I was already sunburnt on the neck and shoulders. The second is to learn to bargain. In one example I was looking at a street vendor’s ‘Rolex’ watch. When I asked how much it was he gave me an initial price of 12,000 baht. I said that was too much and as I was turning to walk away he quickly made his second offer of 1,500 baht. Michael provided me with a lot of useful advice in negotiating prices with sellers but it still took a few goes to practice.
I’m already excited about the next time I’ll be in Phuket to see Michael and Chantelle get married and I look forward to seeing everyone there.
Cheers,
Mark Adams