Phuket, cooking, and surfing… Oh My!

After almost a month in Bangsak, I was ready to get out! So, on Friday when my classes were done, I hopped on a bus bound for Phuket for my first solo excursion in Thailand. This was also my first experience with Thai public transportation, which went over without any major glitches. After the two hour bus ride I got off at the bus station in Phuket town and was greeted by an intimidating group of male taxi, motorbike, and tuk tuk drivers looking for work. It is low tourist season June through September, while it is more likely to rain, so I felt a little like a piece of meat in front of a pack of dogs until I started talking with them. I used what little Thai I know so far to chat them up and answer their questions, and found that they were quite friendly and helpful. For the rest of the weekend, I felt pretty comfortable just chatting or telling them how I need the exercise whenever they hassled me on the street. Phuket town doesn’t get much of praise in the guide books, but it’s a fairly pleasant town and I walked all around it checking out the fruit and vegetable market, various store fronts, and the cheap places to spend the night.

I met up with James and Ian (fellow PiA English teachers) who were meeting friends there for the weekend and we shared a tuk tuk to Patong beach, home to one wild night scene! That Friday may have particularly crazy because 3 US navy ship went into port that morning and the soldiers had baht to burn. I get the feeling that it is a pretty boisterous place most nights considering that the beaches of Phuket province are such a tourist attraction year round. It wasn’t really my scene, but there were some memorable moments… getting a kiss on a the cheek by a kratoey (transgender woman) after complimenting her on how beautiful she looked in her hot pink mini skirt and tube top; and taking multiple shot with the hot 44 year old, mother of 5, mistress of 3 men, owner of the bar where we capped the night, who decided I would be her personal English teacher though she spoke English very well already. Needless to say it was a late night, but I managed to get up in time for my Thai cooking class in Phuket town the next morning.


I learned how to make som dtom (spicy and sour papaya salad), dtom yam (lemongrass and prawn soup), green curry, fried egg rolls, and a banana in coconut milk desert. So you all have a meal of at least those 4 dishes to look forward to when I return. I met some interesting people at the class too: a couple from New Zealand, a family from Australia, a couple originally from Chicago but currently living in London, and a woman from Holland. After the cooking (and eating!), my struck out on my own again.

I found some fascinating Chinese Buddhist temples while wandering back through Phuket town, then hopped on a local bus to Kata beach. It was lovely and very mellow despite being filled with mostly tourist. I also learned that it has some of the best waves around for surfing, so I decided to spend the night and take my first surfing lesson the next morning.

After having my first dish of authentic pad tai (looks pretty similar eh?), I found an affordable place to stay where I met Steve, a backpacker from Canada whose been traveling for the past 6 months, and Aoifa and Laura, two university students from Ireland on summer holiday in Thailand for the next month. We got on really well and decided to head to the beach where there was this awesome reggae bar built around a giant tree. It was a laid back evening with locals and farang taking turns giving twirling, whirling, and hula-hoop fire performances.
The surfing lesson the next morning was excellent despite coming out of it with angry board burns on my thighs, very sore shoulders, and a giant bruise on the back of my calf. My instructor was a super chill 23 year old local surfer with long dreads, and he said I was “not bad.” I managed to stand up for a few waves, but ended up tumbling or riding into the beach on my knees most of the time It was great fun both getting the basics of surfing and learning some informal vocabulary from the surfing dudes. I definitely think I’m going back some weekend soon.
I took a very crowded bus back to Bangsak later that afternoon and met up with Grace and Mark (past and current PiA teachers at my school respectively) for some ice cream and conversation for Grace’s birthday that evening. All the milk in Thailand is ultra heat treated, which kills off all the bacteria as well as denaturing some of the protein and the lactose, so it’s good for anyone lactose intolerant or sensitive to dairy!
The other exciting part about this weekend for everyone in Bangsak is the fair that was and still is in Takuapa, just 30 minutes to the north. There were games like bingo and darts to win giant stuffed animals or bottles of oil for cooking… quite the juxtaposition.
There are also stalls selling everything from sandals, cool Thai t-shirts, and Buddhist talismans to cross-bows, bongs, and tazers disguised at cell phones. There was great food too and I got to try several new kinds of Thai snacks such as purple sticky rice grilled in bamboo and banana paste and rice grilled in banana leaves. I stopped by on Monday night to check it out again and stayed for the beginning of the night’s entertainment… a shadow puppet show!