Phuk’et in Package Tourist Hell

« Return to Thailand

Minesh arrived after three days of heavy monsoon rain on Koh Samui, another paradise island where rain had cancelled play. “There was absolutely nothing to do!” he complained, so we caught an expensive three-hour ferry (about half the price of the budget flight from Bangkok to Phuket) to Railey Beach, where there was absolutely nothing to do either. Certainly the cliff islands were spectacular, jutting out the clear, green ocean like angry rocky fists. Here was the postcard picture of Thailand, but Phuket’s inequity still sat like a loose fart at the Christmas table, and tourists and travellers alike were listless, the gray skies discoloring the normally pool blue coastline. I could see why Railey was recommended to me; sandy beached cradled by spectacular rocky outcrops, chillout bars catering to a backpacker crowd, with a fair sprinkling of Scandinavian package tours at upmarket resorts. We found a place to stay, paying a lot for very little, the same with food, the same with activities like kayaking or climbing. Minesh and I started to talk about Laos. We reminisced about the good times, we laughed at the bad times, we looked back at the last two weeks as some of the best weeks of our trips around the world, and then we looked at where we were.

Look, I don’t want to come across as some kind of guru backpacker asshole, but after nine months, what I want to see and get out of a place has changed. I couldn’t wait for Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, but preferred the anarchy of Albania. And I couldn’t wait for Thailand’s paradise islands, but preferred the sincere beauty of Laos. The plan was to stick around on the islands for a week until the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan on December 16th. And then it hit us. It would just be more of the same-same. The weather forecast showed glum showers for the next week, and once we got to Koh Phangan, we would be inundated with thousands of two-weekers, less concerned with meeting people than getting laid, stoned, drunk and stupid. The word from our friends who had continued from Laos into Cambodia was promising. The country was different, interesting, an unusual culture with golden beaches to boot. With a backpack and credit card, we are slaves to no one, and that includes high-season Thailand. On Railey beach, we left a clogged toilet and caught the ferry back to Phuket, found a cheap room for the night and tonight we’ll fly back to Bangkok to make our way to Cambodia. Thailand’s sacrifice is Cambodia’s fortune. Even with foul weather, at least we’ll be moving on from the Same-Same of high season package tours and their expectations. Having said that, I know I’ll be back to this part of the world, because it is sensationally beautiful, and still affordable compared to other parts of the world. But there are not many times in your life when you can sleep in Rat Hotels and deal with bombed-out highways and rickety buses. Taking advantage while I can, I’ll see ya later Thailand…bring on Cambodia.

The Hole in the Wall
Phuket, Thailand

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