Phuket

To get from Penang to Phuket we took a 12 hour overnight bus. It was easy on the wallet but I would not recommend it. It is nearly impossible to sleep in a bus seat. The border crossing from Malaysia to Thailand was easy and fast. For Americans and most other western travelers, entering into Thailand by ground entitles you a free 15 day visa (30 days if you enter by air).

We arrived in Phuket's Patong Beach at 5 am, in time to see the sorry remains of the nighttime festivities. Phuket is among the top international party destinations. It's somewhat like Las Vegas with a beach and without the casinos (although there is plenty of gambling at the nightly Muay Thai boxing matches). The streets are filled with bars and nightclubs, however most of the action takes place on Bangla Road which closes to traffic every evening to accommodate a sea of party-goers.

A large night club at the intersection of Rat U Thit and Bangla roads

Typical night club on Bangla Rd

Ladyboys, Thailand's third gender

Bangla Rd during the day

The Tuk Tuk is the classic Thai mode of transportation. In Phuket they blast club music and have flashing colored lights in the cabin.

Our hostel was far from the action in a quieter part of Patong. We were a five minute walk from Patong Beach and a fifteen minute walk from Bangla Rd.

Our home for three nights

Our hostel was in the 'little Tel Aviv' neighborhood of Phuket. Why am I always living next to a Chabad house?

During the  day there are four activities that you can take part in at Patong Beach: eating, shopping, getting a massage, and beach-going. The shopping is very expensive and so is the food, however we managed to find cheap places serving great Thai food. Massage parlors are everywhere. A five minute walk down any street in Phuket and you will hear massaaagge??! at least a dozen times. You will also be asked to 'have a look, my friend' at every storefront and get several offers for 'a custom tailored armani suit' on the same five minute walk. The beach is no escape from annoying salespeople who walk up and down the beach looking for customers.

Hands down the best Pad Thai I've ever had

massaaagge??!

its that good

Tom Yam Pla Meuk, a spicy squid soup

my friend, have a look at my angry birds tee shirts

all drinks should come in pineapples...

...or coconuts

Thai seafood salad. I went a little too hard on the chili peppers.

Patong Beach

If you're coming to Thailand to see Thai culture, you wont find it in Phuket. The island of Phuket is a tropical city of tourists. Surprisingly we did not meet any Americans while in Phuket. Shopkeepers often guessed our nationality as we walked buy to lure us into their stores. Australian? German? Swedish? Almost never were we asked if we were American. Of the tourist population in Phuket, the overwhelming majority were Russians. So much so that many signs and pamphlets were exclusively in Russian (although English was still the langua franca).

That's not Thai...where are we again?

Little Moscow

Ask the waiter if you'd like to see a Thai menu

We ate at a Russian restaurant. I got the Okroshka. Cold soup worked well with the 90 degee weather.