Today has been hot. Yesterday there was light cloud cover and it took the edge off the heat. Not that we are complaining. January is the driest but coldest month of the year in southern Thailand with average daily temperatures of around 30 degrees. Today it topped 35 degrees and is very humid. The poor Thai guys are feeling the chill though and are wrapped up in their hoodies.
There is not much to report today as it has been a chill day gathering supplies for the islands. The most important purchase has been a new ukulele to accompany us on our onward journeys. Karen's brother, Dave and his wife Lisa, Very kindly gave me some baht for my birthday and I thought this would be an excellent way to use them. Thanks guys it's very much appreciated. I shall treasure it always.
After acquiring the necessary jungle gear and equipment we would need on our adventure ( sun cream Factor 50. After sun. Razors and wet wipes) we wandered down to the sea front park to spend a quiet chilled out afternoon by the sea. There are no beaches on this part of Phuket island. It is more like Knott end on a sunny day at low tide. Mud flats and shingle. Not the tropical paradise of white talc sand and swaying palm trees. The beaches are on the western side of the island where all the major resorts are. Phuket town is still a working harbour complete with immigration and customs offices. We did not choose this kick off point for it's natural beauty but it's ferry connections to the outlying islands. Saying that it has been amazing and will go down on the list of great places we have visited.
Once arriving at the park we found a huge open air market being set up. It was still in its formative stage at this point with food sellers and cheap clothing stalls in various stages of readiness. We decided that we would relax in the parks and walk along the mangrove forests till it was ready. There is a long boardwalk leading to the park that snakes it's way through the mangroves and this was a perfect way to kill the early afternoon. Afterwards we sat in the park whilst Crispy had a nap and I tried out my newly acquired ukulele.
Around four we made our way back to the now buzzing market to sample some of the delicacies on offer. We didn't need any clothing as we have enough in our little Matilda's to see us through but the food stalls are always an education. Thais are big on insects as a snack and the market had it's fair share of insect delicacies. I have tried these before. Cricket. Meal worms, beetles and other multi legged delights, they all taste like toffee popcorn but are a little hard to swallow as the legs are prickly and get stuck in the throat. I didn't bother this time. Crispy isn't a fan so didn't indulge either. There was also a pet shop. At least I think it was a pet shop consisting of live snake, voles, kittens and other small furry animals. To be honest I don't really know if these things were meant as pets or the starter course for a BBQ. It's hard to tell sometimes. Some of the other "delicacies" looked like they had been eaten once, regurgitated and put on a skewer. We decided to eat back in the old town.
After a peruse of the goods on offer we made our way back to shower and chill under the Aircon till tea time.
On our way back we called into a tiny shop to buy some water. The lady in the shop spied my uke and immediately produced from under the counter her own little uke. She's learning this glorious little instrument and graced for us with a Thai song she has been learning. She sang and played for us and it was lovely, really lovely.
I suggested we do a duet of a George Formby song but unfortunately she didn't know the words so it remained a solo performance.
Once back at the lodgings we showered and went out for tea. Tomorrow we make our way to the ferry boat pier to board our water borne transport to Koh Phi Phi. Stage 2 of our little island adventure. We are really looking forward to some quiet time.
Bare and Crispy signing off Phuket, Thailand
Enjoy
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