Quizzers

One thing we enjoyed about Phuket last trip was Quiz Night at the Irish pub in the mall by us. We even got second place and won 1,000 baht the second time we played, so we felt that the gods were with us for our rematch.

As we walked into a bookstore in order to peruse magazines from home, we spotted the headline on The Phuket News:

RIP DJ Doris.

We looked at each other and thought the name sounded familiar. Mike then realized that this guy was the quizmaster at the Quiz Nights we attended back in 2010, and he was recently killed in a motorbike accident. Sad.

We soldiered on and proceeded to the pub that night. Quiz Night started at 8pm, and we didn’t realize the “buy one, get one free” drink specials began then too. We got there about 25 minutes early and were hounded by the bar staff to order something. Hanna finally ordered fries. When the clock struck 8, Mike ordered something he had never heard of: a Harvey Wallbanger (vodka, orange juice, and Galliano). Hanna made fun of Mike for ordering a girly drink, but it was quite delicious because it tasted like an Orange Julius. It also came in a glass that looked like a naked woman. No, we don’t have a good picture of it. Sorry.

Quiz Night was five rounds of ten questions each: Potluck, Thai Provinces, Art & Literature, Fashion, and Same Names. You could pick a round that you would receive double points on all correct answers. We battled between Art & Literature (Mike) and Fashion (Hanna). The woman finally won as she pointed out that most of the teams were crusty old men.

Potluck was harder than expected, and clearly we kicked ass at Thai provinces. The young British quizmaster pointed out to us that most of the old British guys had Thai girlfriends at home, yet they didn’t do too well on Thai provinces. Made us laugh. We got nine out of ten questions right on Art & Literature but only five out of ten questions right on Fashion. See, you should always trust Mike’s judgment.

Before the final round, the scores were updated. We were second out of six teams. There was hope. Sad to say, but most people used their double points on the last round. We ended up in fourth place. Whomp whomp…

Phuket Redux

When we were planning our route for this trip, we definitely knew we wanted to come back to Thailand. Phuket surprisingly held fond memories for us, so we knew we wanted to return. We, however, were slightly wary about whether we would like it as much this time around. After being here for four nights, we have determined that it was a case of RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME on our last trip.

Please keep in mind that we had been traveling for about two-and-a-half months before arriving in Phuket last time, whereas we now have only been away from home for about two weeks. We were missing some of the comforts of home (huge grocery stores! movie theaters! cable TV! good WiFi!) last time, but after returning this time, we aren’t in love with Phuket as much. Before you tell us to shut the hell up and enjoy the beach, we want to say that we AREN’T complaining…just tellin’ it like it is.

We have pretty much done the same things we did last time: relax on the beach, eat at Pizza Hut (twice), go see a movie (Captain Phillips), eat lots of Dairy Queen cones, and wander around the massive grocery store. While we aren’t scratching our eyes out to leave, we are 100% okay with leaving tomorrow.

There are definitely a lot more tourists here right now, especially from a certain country that is gearing up for the Olympics. While the beach is still pretty, it’s way overcrowded:

Beach Chairs as Far as the Eye Can See.

There were definitely a lot of chairs last time, but there were still wide stretches of uncluttered sand. This time it’s just rows and rows and rows of chairs without much empty sand. We pay 200 baht total (a little over US $6) for our two beach chairs for the day, and it’s totally worth it to keep Mr. Sun off of us. Mike has nightmares about the horrible sunburn he received here last time. The beach seats give prime viewing of the well-dressed beachgoers:

Gut and a Speedo: Winning Combination.

It’s Hard to Tell, But He Is Wearing a Speedo.

We are not trying to be mean; we are just sick of seeing men who have eight-month-pregnant (with triplets) bellies and tiny swimsuits. Some other things Hanna forgot to pack? A skin-tight white dress, a thong, and ridiculous high heels. No, we haven’t explored the craziness of Phuket nightlife as we’re too old and boring now.

Our five nights here have sealed the deal that Phuket isn’t on our list to return to any time soon. Oh well. You live, you learn.

Parasailing at Patong (Oh No We Didn’t)

We have rented beach lounge chairs for the past two days. They cost $3 per person and are totally worth it. The friendly chair attendants are ridiculously helpful because they adjust the umbrella according to the sun. When the rain came drizzling down, they even set up another umbrella to protect us. Thanks, guys.

Beach View for the Past Two Days.

Though the souvenir vendors are kinda annoying because they approach you every two seconds, we had to laugh at a massage lady today. A woman in her sixties approached us and asked if we wanted foot massages. We smiled and shook our heads. She then proceeded to rub Mike’s knee and calf and asked again in a flirtatious voice. We laughed and kindly refused again. While continuing to rub Mike’s knee, she then said, “Come on! I need money today!” Keep in mind that Mike’s legs are mildly sunburned too. The last thing he wanted was a massage.

We’ve enjoyed people-watching from our lounge chairs. Because Patong Beach is so touristy, the options for activities are endless: jet-skiing, parasailing, tubing, etc. We’ve been fascinated by the parasailing…not because we want to do it but because of how dangerous it seems.

It costs about $34 for a five-minute ride. Here’s what comes with that ridiculous price: a thin, fraying rope that connects the parasailer to the boat, a speedboat with a sputtering motor as it tries to gain momentum, and this guy:

Watch that again, but ignore the two guys who walk in front of the camera. We hate them. During takeoff one of the employees runs behind the parasailer and JUMPS into the cables to ride along. No, he is not harnessed and could fall at any moment. He’s only hanging on with his hands and feet. Nuts. He must be there to help direct the parasail, but if we were parasailing, it’d feel a bit weird to have some random guy hovering around you. We’ve even seen him wrap his legs around the parasailer for stability.

No, we did not parasail…

http://80liters.com/2010/11/09/repeat-of-yesterday/

Phuket Success

We have heard so many things (all mostly negative) about Phuket, so we were feeling a bit wary upon arrival. Hanna kinda had a feeling that she may like it because it would be more developed (i.e. more Western chains) than other places we’ve been recently.

Phuket is a huge island, and we had a hard time deciding which area to set up camp. Most of the nicer beaches only have expensive resorts, so we were at a bit of a loss. We finally decided to stay at Patong because of its nice beach, not the nightlife. After doing some research, we found a guesthouse that we thought we might like.

A lot of Phuket is junky (think crap Florida beach town), and we didn’t want to stay near all of the obnoxiously loud bars. We lucked out: we have a huge room (complete with jacuzzi, small balcony, and working dorm-size refrigerator) that isn’t surrounded by bass-pumping clubs. Our place is even near a huge mall and grocery store. By getting snacks from the grocery store, we’ll save a lot of money…and the huge, modern mall has a lot of familiar restaurants. Hanna’s in heaven.

We dropped off our stuff and wandered over to the beach (about a fifteen minute walk). This place is packed with massage parlors of both the chaste and naughtier varieties. There are at least five parlors in a row on every street, and each one has ten masseuses waiting outside to try to beckon you in. We don’t think we’ll be getting any massages here.

When we finally found the beach, we finally felt like our decision to fly to Phuket was a good idea. It was sunny! There was a big beach! It wasn’t windy! Although there are a ton of people on the beach and vendors are bugging you every two seconds to buy something, we are happy that we are here. These are the beaches we have been looking for. Hopefully tomorrow we will have some sun and can finally enjoy our day at the beach.

We present to you evidence of sunny weather:

Hanna and Amish Mike...and a Blue Sky.

You Can Sit in Them...But It'll Cost You.

Patong at Sunset.

Our mindset for Phuket: ignore the crap town, and just enjoy the beach. That’s all that we have been after for the past week.

Oh yeah, we ate at Pizza Hut for dinner…and we had Dairy Queen for dessert. Sue us.