Nov 2000 : Phuket

Travel Title Company’s Staff Trip to Phuket, Thailand For Year 2000.

When: November 2000.

About The Trip:

Purpose: Cmpany’s Staff Trip to Phuket, Thailand For Year 2000.

Days/Nights: 4 Days 3 Nights

Arrangements: Travel Agent / ~~Self-guided Tour~~

Route: Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA – Phuket (3 nights) – Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA

Traveling Method & Time:

Kuala Lumpur – Phuket = aeroplane (≈ 2 hours)

Around Phuket = in a tourist bus provided by the travel agency (whole day)

Phuket – Kuala Lumpur = aeroplane (≈ 2 hours)

Details:

1. Phuket town area – It was not easy to find halal restaurant back in year 2000. However, according to some of my friends who have gone to Phuket recently, halal restaurants can now be found almost everywhere especially at the town center.

Don’t forget to try out their traditional Thai massage. For men, if you are lucky you might get more than what you bargain for. *winks* Well, they surely don’t call Phuket a sex paradise for nothing, right! Be careful of pickpockets. They’re everywhere in Phuket.

Do visit The World’s Largest Gem Store while in Phuket. It’s amazing how they store so many kinds of gem stones around the world here! And you might wanna swing by some shops selling Thai silks and crafts around the town center too. And the last but not the least, never ever forget to check out The Fantasea. Or else, you’ll be going home full of regrets.

2. Patong Beach – Night-time in Phuket meant party time! While I was there, I could see the wild side of the world famous Soi Bangla Road near Patong Beach which have obviously kept the visitors entertained until dawn. Most bars had themes or private shows, this, the perfect stage to have a good time. Be prepared with some cash in your pocket if you wish to snap photos with the showgirls and the transvestites. Last time I checked, it was about 100 Baht for one snapshot. Rumours had it that in Phuket you could see almost anything but trust me, it was nothing like that at all. But… (ahhhh, yes, there’s a ‘but’…) there are private places where you can see them wearing absolutely nothing. Ask your tour guide! As for our tourist guide, Mei Mei, she brought us to a secluded pub where they stored naked Thai girls for some good shows. Hmmm… with enough cash in our pockets, we were headed to a quiet attic of a pub where those naked ladies dance. After paying 100 baht to a burly man who stood guard at the doorway, we were led into a small hall by an old lady (ibu ayam). A small stage was set up at the center of the hall. We gathered ourselves around the stage as close as we could, hoping that we could get a clearer and closer view of the girls. The erotic show was not erotic after all, but nevertheless, we were quite impressed with their daring acts.

One of the most popular sports in Thailand, and now gaining world renown, is the martial art of Muay Thai. For tourists in the Patong Beach area, nightly displays of Thai Boxing are carried out in a specially built stadium on Soi Bangla. If you don’t mind the violence, a Thai boxing match is worth attending for. The pure spectacle, the wild musical accompaniment, the ceremonial beginning of each match and the frenzied betting around the stadium will definitely amaze you. For all of you who don’t know, let me share with you what I recollected from the event. As the boxers entered the ring, I saw them perform a special pre-fight dance known as the “ram muay”. During the dance, they wore a headband given by their trainer believed to be a sacred talisman earned after many years of dedication to the art. The dance started with “wai khru” where you will witness each boxer kneeling and bowing three times, well, obviously a show of respect to his teacher. With the ceremonies completed, the fight began. Each fight consisted of five rounds of three minutes each. Accompanying the fight was music stimulated by action in the ring, rising and falling as the boxers battled it out. All surfaces of the body were considered fair targets, and any part of the body except the head may be used to strike an opponent (Wow… this is cool, man!). I was told that the common blows included high kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs, and low kicks to the calf. And oh my, a contestant could even grasp an opponent’s head between his hands and pull it down to meet an upward knee thrust (oooooh, that must be very hurtful!). Punching was considered the weakest of all blows and kicking merely a way to ‘soften up’ one’s opponent; most matches ended with a knee or elbow strike.

3. Phang-gna Bay – My friends and I were taken for a ride on a small boat to perhaps the most beautiful scenery in South East Asia. Phang-gna Bay, very pristine and clean. It was once the location of the filming of the James Bond classic “The Man With The Golden Gun”. It was definitely the place to sun-bathe and get tanned. During the past few years, it has become one of Phuket’s most famous attractions thanks to the sea kayaking enthusiasts.

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