One
of the shortest trips I have ever had was to Phuket
several years ago. I was with a friend who was a
highly psychic personality and upon arrival, he
sensed that there was something wrong with the vibe
in Phuket. It didn't have the laid back, open-hearted
feel that other tropical Thai islands had. We explored
briefly but after a day in Phuket, we decided it
wasn't for us and I understood partly why Phuket
seems to have an independent identity different
from other islands in Thailand such as Koh Samui
or Koh Chang.
This
time I was compelled to go to Phuket because of
business demands. I considered how I would adjust
as I was not that excited about the trip. I don't
dive or sun worship, I'm not Scandinavian and I'm
not looking to buy an overpriced vacation home.
Prior to leaving, I asked my co-worker Gaeng, a
level-headed person, whether she thought it was
possible to have fun in Phuket and I also posted
a message on the Lonely Planet Bulletin Board asking
whether anyone knew any places to stay in the Phuket
beach area that could be described as "laid
back", alternative" or "atmospheric".
Gaeng's advice was it will be fun if you make it
fun, it all depends on your attitude. And as of
this morning, there have still been no answers to
my message on the Lonely Planet message board.
I
contemplated that one's life is the total sum of
one's experiences and one's experiences are made
up of a combination of both external, environmental
factors and internal, psychological factors. Geographical
locations were definitely in the equation, but the
amount of weight given to any one factor over another
was a matter of focus. I would focus on the small
things, the glint of sunlight, the curve of my mate's
hips, the tomato sauce at the Italian restaurant.
In this way I would enjoy my Phuket experience.
I
left from the Southern Bus Station on a VIP 24 bus.
A VIP 24 bus is a bus that has been hollowed out
and replaced with business class airplane seats
exactly 24 in number: 3 across and 8 front to back.
This is differentiated from a VIP 32 bus (which
has 32 seats) and a regular VIP bus that has too
many seats and people are packed in like sardines.
As an upper echelon member of the "bussing"
community, we left the station at 7.00 pm and played
Jackie Chan kung fu movies until 10.00 pm. We then
attempted to sleep in our oversized business class
VIP seats until our arrival the next morning.
Phuket
has been part of the tourist landscape for quite
some time. Although originally quite rustic and
even considered to be part of the original Hippie
Trail comprising Thailand, India and Afghanistan,
early on the power brokers made a decision to attract
a more materialistic type of tourists: now primarily
consisting of Scandinavians and other Europeans
on package tours and investing in the plethora of
condominium developments that dominate the landscape.
In
a sense, Phuket is now the beach tourist destination
that least resembles Thailand. It is an international
beach resort with amenities that can be found in
any other beach resort throughout the world: lounge
chairs and umbrellas on white sand, poolside bars,
Italian restaurants and obsequious service people.
I spoke with Gustav from Budapest at the Phuket
Airport. He was 60-ish with a port belly and a sanguine
complexion. His manner was stiff in the old European
style and he was returning from this, his second
trip to Thailand. His first trip was to Bangkok
and Pattaya; places, which he said, were "dirty"
in comparison to the clean beaches and standardized
service of Phuket. Gustav preferred the orderliness
and convenience of Phuket and would probably be
the first to admit that he was not very much interested
in Thailand culture.
The
Italian Restaurant
Although
Phuket has been compared to Pattaya, there are some
differences. Pattaya is more decadent, more alive
and closer to the freewheeling free enterprise Thai
style than Phuket. In Phuket, the tuk tuks are standardized
without the bellowing gulps of black pungent diesel
fumes found elsewhere in Thailand. There are no
street stalls selling ten-baht rotis or spring rolls
or fried bananas in Phuket. The expats in Phuket
are a higher class than Pattaya, older from more
northern clime. Swedish and European families and
honeymooners come to Phuket. There appears to be
fewer barflies, fugitives and sexpats in Phuket
than you would find in Pattaya, although this is
probably more true of Kata and Karon rather than
Patong beach.
