The journey continued, and I was back to Phuket again after my first trip to Patong during the first quarter of 2018. I like the Patong environment and the Thai people; they are very friendly and polite and always greet you never-ending Sawadee Ka and Kap Khun Khap, you can find out more about how to greet in Thai in the Phuket travel guide.
It was a deja vu trip as the first one, Walk, Eat, Slept, Repeat but this time only with one of my friends, Tommy. I was back to the future.
Something weird was going on; I realized not many people were in Patong then I found out, according to the tour guide, it was a low season during this period. Not as happening as before during peak season in March. It was a relaxing trip away from my work life for 3 days since I needed one.
Well, I’ve noticed that there is not much music blasting from the tuk tuk. I slept well during this trip. 😆 The first day, I arrived quite early in Patong and headed from the airport to the same resort I’ve stayed in for the past 6 months. The receptionist even recognized me.
‘Ohhh! I remembered you. You came here before!’
The receptionist guy said with a smile on his face. I felt surprised but with an OMG face. 😳 The first day, we rested in our hotel room before walking to explore Patong by land.
We walked far from our resort, and the sun was burning my skin. We walked along Bangla Walking Street; I’m sure all know well about this area that is popular and happening at night. There are a lot of bars & clubs, and European & Chinese tourists like flocked to the area for drinks.
We spotted the popular Illuzion dance club opposite it, the Tiger nightclub. There are many bars around here, and also to mention, many bar girls work here. 🙄 Well, I’m not the type that wants to hang out here, and I wouldn’t say I like crowded areas.
After more than an hour of walking around, we returned to our resort to rest. To say, I’ve been eating non-stop this entire trip. From pineapple fried rice, sticky mango rice, McDonald’s pork burger (good stuff introduced by my friend), pad Thai, oysters, and to name a few. When it comes to Thai food, my latest Hua Hin trip review revealed the best place for craving food or love food hunting.
We also went for a full-body Thai massage at a nearby shop by a beautiful lady. Feeling good finally can hear some bone-cracking sound. LOL
The next day, we fulfilled our wish to visit one of Phuket’s largest Buddhist temples, Wat Chalong. We arrived there for a 30-minute drive from our resort. We have a friendly tour guide that explained almost everything from Thai culture to popular attractions around Phuket.
What I was so surprised and excited about during my first visit to Wat Chalong was the sacred bone relic of Buddha located at the top of the pagoda! 😱 We prayed and did what we needed in the temple and then returned to our resort.
There are some rules to follow when visiting Thai Buddhist temples:
– Don’t wear sexy clothes that expose the shoulder, legs and arms (for ladies).
– When facing a monk, do not ‘wai‘ while you are standing.
– Your body must be lower than the monk’s.
– Remove shoes when entering the temples.
After taking a few hours’ rests in my room, I got a knock on my hotel room door. It was my friend, waiting for me at the gym. I’ve been planning and researching about going to the gym in Patong, Phuket, before I fly. It is located just opposite Coconut Village Resort and near Patong Beach.
Called Maximum Fitness Phuket, it is a complete gym for Muay Thai training, martial arts and bodybuilding. One-day entry is 400 baht (around MYR 50). The gym is considered fully equipped with weight equipment. It has all the equipment you need, which is PERFECT; how good if there is this kind of gym in KL.
You’ll notice a lot of hardcore weightlifters in the gym. 90% are foreigners. All with huge biceps and body muscles. 😳
This is an unforgettable trip for me. I spent the night having sore muscles all over my upper body. After 4 years, we are returned to Thailand, and you might also want to read about my first travel experience in Bangkok.
So, see you again next time, Phuket. Limited time did not allow us to explore more attractions in Phuket further, but this was at least yet another relaxing Patong trip. And guess what? I was on the same flight as the Air Asia boss. 😏
