Phuket Night Life Part 1

As I have mentioned earlier, this is not a backpacking experience. I was here for a conference. Hence, all the logistic arrangements including flight ticket, accommodation, meals and transportation were arranged by the organiser. 

Departure from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)

My beloved Home Ministry called me few minutes before I boarded the plane, simply to recap her never ending list of "Don't forget to do this - and to do that - and have you done that - have you checked that is in that". After saying "Goodbye, I love you muah muah" to my beloved Home Minister, I hastily went straight to find my seat in the plane. Then I realised my passport was gone! I must have dropped it while my Home Ministry was on the line. 

I quickly told the nearby Malaysian Airline stewardess, who was about to perform her briefing gestures. She smiled, but through her eyes I can feel she was about to say "Dude, seriously? Passport is vital, how could you drop something as important as your penis?"

I ran back to the waiting area and asked the nearby staff whether they had seen any passport left by passenger. Luckily one of them found it on the floor and handed it over to me. I went back to my seat, where my office mate named Nissa was ready to nag endlessly.

Arrival in Phuket International Airport

We arrived in Phuket International Airport around 5.00 p.m. Kuala Lumpur is one hour ahead of Phuket, so I had to adjust my watch accordingly. Getting to Patong beach from the airport is easy, since there are various bus and taxi services provided at the airport, which will charge you maximum of 700 baht. My bosses chartered a van for us (the fare claimable from the organiser) and we headed to our destination that took about 45 minutes (34 km).

Graceland Resort and Spa

This is the venue for the conference as well as the accommodation for the whole four days and three nights stay. It is indeed a very nice place to spend your holiday...if you are willing to spend from 7100 baht to 19500 baht per night. 

My room consists of a queen sized bed and a single bed. That's big. I should have brought my whole family here. Wifi is available but chargeable. The speed? It took one solid hour to load my facebook page. If you know what I mean. 

Patong Beach

After a tiring day at the conference, I went to the beach late in the evening to ease the brain. The beautiful beach scenery is really wonderful to those who are searching peace of mind. Behind this beautiful place, I could not imagine the 2004 tsunami tragedy that once struck on this land, claiming hundreds of souls. After almost 10 years, Phuket was built again. Hopefully with better evacuation system to face the tsunami, if it ever come again. 

As you can see, there are various activities you can do at Patong beach. Since I am not a beach person, I didn't find these offers interesting. One day I will. Maybe. 

Halal Meals
Unlike Cambodia and Bangkok, it is easier to get halal food in Phuket. A walking distance from the hotel, you can find some halal restaurant offering local halal cuisine. 

My friends and I celebrated my 27th birthday in the halal restaurant nearby. The food was nice and the place is less crowded too. 

Muay Thai
One of the sports that lure most spectators in Phuket is Muay Thai, a popular martial art. While eating at the halal restaurant, we saw a small lorry promoting Muay Thai show for that particular night. 

What is even more interesting is the fact the Phuket also provides classes for those who would like to learn Muay Thai. Go figure if you are interested.

Tourism Booth

From our hotel, we walked towards the main road. There were small shops nearby promoting tours packages around Phuket. We dropped by at few stalls and shops to search for night time activities (since throughout the day me and Nissa need to focus on the conference discussion). 

As you can see above, there are a lot of brochures on attractive deals and tour packages. All you need to do is common sense and discretionary power exercising in search for the best deal. Too bad we did not have much time for island-based activities. 

Simone Cabaret
We were told that there are two famous shows not to be missed in Phuket. One, Phuket Fantasea, the Ultimate Nighttime Cultural Theme Park that showcases the beauty and the charms of Thai tradition, aided by latest technology and special effects. Phuket Fantasea offers carnivals, games, handicrafts, shopping, dining (buffet) and theatrical shows. The admission rate is 1900 baht for adults and 1700 baht for children. However, it is important to note that there will be no shows on Thursday night. In fact, it WAS Thursday night so basically we missed the show =(

Second, Simone Cabaret. And to illustrate how ridiculously innocent we had been, it took us half way show to realise that this is a transvestites's show! The show girls...er... show guys... were very convincing! Pardon me girls, but I have to say that majority of the guys are more feminine and more beautiful than you are. It was almost impossible to say that these girls... er guys were not... emm.. guys.

With just 700 baht for adult, you can "let your imagination fly..."

Reminder: DO NOT BUY VIP SEAT IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE UNEXPECTED! HAHAHAH

Stay tuned, as for the next entry I will share on souvenir shopping, Bangla road, motorbike ride around Phuket town etc. 

Til then, adios. 

Hairi Tahir

to be continuted...