After few relaxing days in Bangkok spending most of the time on my thesis and working on several other projects for the University I started to think what would be my next destination. Nastya had suggested me some places few days before but I also researched a bit on the internet. My intention was to avoid extremely touristic spots, although there are some places that you must visit despite the risk of finding yourself surrounded by a bunch of drunken English or some daddy’s boys acting like hippies. In my first list I selected Phi Phi Islands, known worldwide since the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed there, and also Phuket island. I also checked Chiang Mai as a potential destination, but due to the fact that it was located in the North of Thailand, I decided to postpone it until my trip to Laos since its border is very near (now I regret this decision because, in the end, I couldn’t go). My final decision was Phuket. The plan was to rest for a week on the beach, work on my thesis and write some content for the blog. The distance between Bangkok and Phuket is huge, around 12 hours by bus, so I took a flight. It was pretty easy to find a cheap one. A one-way ticket to Phuket with Thai Lion Air cost me 760 bahts (around 19 euros). It was November 22nd and it had been 8 days since my flight arrived in Bangkok.
I used Airbnb to book a nice apartment one more time. I was trying to avoid crowded hotels. The price per night was 18 euros, a superb offer. It was a small condo a bit far from the beach area but the offer included a small scooter. The best way to move along the island. The condo was located on a new housing estate which had a gym, laundry service and swimming pool. It
seemed to be the perfect spot to chill for a few days. The owners were a lovely couple; a Thai girl called Tuk and her husband Eric, a friendly South-African guy. They told me that they used to live in Bangkok but after a while, they decided to escape from the noise and stress of such a chaotic city. They had purchased several condos in Phuket and they made a living from it, renting them through Airbnb. This was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had with Airbnb, Eric and Tuk gave me tons of advice and tips and they were always available for any questions or request. I’m still in contact with them and I hope I can visit them again in the future.
I’ve had a scooter for many years while I was living in Spain so I used it a lot since the first day. I like getting lost in unknown places to discover moments of beauty. I started visiting Pattong Beach, the most touristic and crowded beach in Phuket. Hereafter you can find Bangla Road, the temple of lust and perversion to most of the tourists who visit the island. I’ll tell you more about 
Bangla Road and its nightlife in further episodes. I arrived at Pattong Beach at around 9 AM. I barely had slept the previous night due to the early flight. After I got off the plane, got on the moto-taxi and checked in at the condo I didn’t want to spend my first hours in Phuket sleeping so I grabbed the scooter, opened Google Maps and headed towards the beach to take a morning bath. To be honest, I expected way more people in Pattong but the fact is that the beach was very peaceful. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it was too early or because it wasn’t peak season. In any case, I took a nice bath and laid down on my beach towel for a few hours.
I fell asleep for a few hours but something made me wake up. It was hot as hell but the temperature was not the source of my problems. A young Italian guy was determined to flirt with a German woman and he had placed his towel next to hers. He wasn’t accepting a no for an answer and once she stood up and began walking he decided to follow her for almost 1 mile. Once they disappeared I closed my eyes and continue sleeping, but only for a few minutes. Suddenly I heard the same voice. The Italian was back in the game, this time the victim was a poor Thai girl who was trying to read a book. The scene became so shameful that I was about to approach him and have a conversation with this fella, but all of a sudden another guy just showed up. Then, one of the most hilarious memories of my trip took place. This guy had been following the whole situation, he approached the Italian guy and placed his towel next to him, the same way he had done it previously. This dude just stared at the Italian guy for a few minutes until he stood up and left. Brilliant. After a while, he walked backwards and passed by my place. We looked at each other and smiled. I was left wondering how much better our world would be if this Italian guy had decided to find out what happens when you jump from a cliff. The world would be way better without these bloodsuckers. Thinking about the brain of this dude spread out all over the cliff made me hungry so I packed all my stuff and walked around looking for an affordable restaurant to enjoy some local dishes. It was only 3 PM and I still had time to take a nap and relish my first night in the paradise.
