Our Thailand Adventure: Chapter 4- Patong, Phuket

"We have just returned home from Patong. We spent 4 hours there and heard alot of this:

Where you from mate? DVD? Got a big showroom. Ping Pong? massage, massage? You speak English? One lady even took me by the arms and tried to pull me into her shop."

Patong is a 15 minute bus ride from Karon. Our hotel had a free bus that would go back and forth from Karon to Patong during the evenings, this was very handy indeed. We ended up spending 3 evenings in Patong. It is an absolutely CRAZY place! It's all about shopping, bars, and Ping Pong shows. 

On the rickety bus to Patong

Straight way we got off the bus people started annoying us, we were constantly hassled, and I didnt dare make eye contact with a stall holder or they would start trying to sell stuff to me. At first we found this really hard, but by our 3rd visit we just went with it, and had a bit of fun with them. One hint, don't wear a superman t'shirt. Todd did and it just attracted attention and comments the whole time! On our first evening there we found a quiet bar that sold 99 baht cocktails and then escaped the craziness by going to watch the sunset on Patong beach.

Enjoying my 99baht Pina Colada. I was very very hot at this point, I edited heaps of the red out of my face :0) The place would be so much nicer if it was 10 degrees cooler!

Patong beach at Sunset

We had to do the Tangled thing and let a lantern go. Todd did this one and I did one later in the week at Karon Beach. These things get really hot!! I wonder where they all end up.

 Next stop Bangla Rd, it was lively, loud and ummm what can I say, interesting.
People continuously come up to you trying to get you to come to  Ping Pong shows. Todd kept telling them he was allergic to Ping Pong shows.  It is so gross!!! It was sad actually.

 We held these cute little things.

 

The next time we were in Patong I was even sillier and got a photo with this ladyboy. Todd got one too but it's a secret and im forbidden to show anyone the photo :)  sshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

We had fun playing 'spot the ladyboy'. If you can't see them, you can hear them, they have a unique voice.  Id watched a documentary about them so I was intrigued for sure!

I think the reason we went back a few times was to shop for presents. Todd got pretty good at bargaining and getting t'shirts cheap. He'd just walk off and they'd often call him back and take his offer. They say, "How much" and you say some ridiculously low price.  They look at you as though you are ridiculous and come back at you with a much higher price. We were stubborn and didnt budge much from our first offer. We tried to deal with one lady and she argued with Todd that there is no way she could sell the top that cheaply... it went on and on and we ended up just walking off. The next night we went back and she recognized us ( don't all Australians look the same?). When she saw us she said, "You made me cry last night". She didn't try to sell us anything this time. I do feel sorry for them. They work so hard to make a living, long hours, day after day. We are so blessed in Australia, so so blessed. 

 Here are a few happy snaps from Patong

 

I had fun. I enjoyed it even though I was sweating like a hog, or as a good friend once told me, 'glistening'. You sort of get used to being red and wet.

If I never go back to Patong, I don't think i'll be that sad about it. But I love that I have been and can add it to my list of experiences :)  My advise, as was advised to me,  if going to Phuket, dont stay in Patong (unless you want to party all night long) It is a lot more relaxed in Karon or Kata or further out :)