I almost couldn't wake up the following morning. I supposed I had tired out myself by dancing too much the last night. Sames goes for Oh, and we decided not to join the streeet procession in which Oh's parents were supposed to take part in. It was simply too rushed, for after the procession, we had to return home,get changed and pack our stuffs quickly to head for Don Meuang Airport. Therefore, we decided to just head straight for the airport after washing up and bidded everyone goodbye. Well words were simply not enough to express my grattitude, for the family really treated me very well during my 3-day stay with them despite me unable to communicate with them very well due to language barrier. Oh told me that his parents liked me alot, and his father even felt that I and Oh really looked quite alike.
We reached Don Meuang International Airport (now dedicated to domestic flights only) at around 7.45am, and after purchasing our air tickets to Phuket, we headed to the market opposite the airport for our breakfast. We did not eat much, for Oh has got a habit of eating relatively little for breakfast, whereas for me I wasn't feeling too well. Perhaps I was feeling lethargic that I would be back to the slogging work life the following day, and that somehow affected my mood. Our flight to Phuket was scheduled at 10.40am, and being still early, we lazed around the airport till it was time to check-in.
We arrived at Phuket International Airport at around noon, and we took the airport bus to the Phuket Town. Actually I like Phuket for it's beach atmosphere, but I don't really like it for having too many Farangs (foreigners). Nto that I have anything against them, but having too many foreigners in any place would simply make the place too commercialised, and will somehow affect the beauty of the place (sometimes I'd simply felt as though I haven't even stepped out of Singapore). Oh and I had Su Ki for lunch. It is a kind of light spicy glass noodle dish which I thought looked rather Chinese. In fact, Phuket town has got a very strong Chinese presense, as everywhere I go, I'd see those Chinese "Heavnly God" altars. I even saw those big Chinese graves like those I've seen in Bukit Brown Cemetery in Singapore (native Thais do not get buried, but are cremated with their ashes buried down the foundation of stupas and chedis).
Oh and I had actually intended to go to Patong area for final shopping before I head back home, but the journey to Patong was kind of expensive and I didn't have much money left. Hence we could only make do with a short trip to a local wat. I don't know what the name of the wat was, but I could tell that it was a very popular destination with the tourists from every part of the globe. It's architecture style was somehow not quite the same like other wats, or so I felt. This was the first Thai temple (other than the one we went to the previous night for performance) that I've actually visited in my entire trip to Thailand this time round!
After visiting the temple, there wasn't much time left, so we headed back to the bus terminal where Oh and I had an early dinner before we took the airport bus back to Phuket International Airport. It was there I started to have stomachache, and even visited the toilet twice. Actually this was something quite remarkable for me, as I have not had any "major relieve" during the past few days until the last day. It was even more remarkable as prior to my trip to Thailand, I was down with high fever, had diahhrea almost everyday and my appetite was poor. However, the moment I stepped onto Thai soil, my illness seemed to have disappeared, and I could eat well and only visited the toilets for "minor relieves".
It was soon time for me to check in, and I bidded farewell to Oh, and thanked him for his kind hospitality for the past few days. I proceeded with the check-in, while he left to find a lodging for the night in Phuket before heading back to Suratthani the following morning.
On looking back, this trip to Thailand was a very special one, as I actually ate, lived and played just like how the locals did. In fact it was only in Phuket town and the two airports that I had actually came into contact with non-Thais. However, there was still a bit of culture shock, like having to bathe in the enclosed but open-air backyard of Oh's house, and sleeping in a stuffy bedroom in the kitchen with mosquitoes feasting on my legs throughout the night. Well, although uncomfortable, I'd still prefer to experience such kind of "Tai-tai" life than to live in a posh hotel and behave like a typical Farang!
This wraps up my four-part diary of my "Tai-tai" trip to Thailand for the Songkran Festival period for this year. Now I had to get ready to go to work later. How I hate such anti-climax!
We reached Don Meuang International Airport (now dedicated to domestic flights only) at around 7.45am, and after purchasing our air tickets to Phuket, we headed to the market opposite the airport for our breakfast. We did not eat much, for Oh has got a habit of eating relatively little for breakfast, whereas for me I wasn't feeling too well. Perhaps I was feeling lethargic that I would be back to the slogging work life the following day, and that somehow affected my mood. Our flight to Phuket was scheduled at 10.40am, and being still early, we lazed around the airport till it was time to check-in.
We arrived at Phuket International Airport at around noon, and we took the airport bus to the Phuket Town. Actually I like Phuket for it's beach atmosphere, but I don't really like it for having too many Farangs (foreigners). Nto that I have anything against them, but having too many foreigners in any place would simply make the place too commercialised, and will somehow affect the beauty of the place (sometimes I'd simply felt as though I haven't even stepped out of Singapore). Oh and I had Su Ki for lunch. It is a kind of light spicy glass noodle dish which I thought looked rather Chinese. In fact, Phuket town has got a very strong Chinese presense, as everywhere I go, I'd see those Chinese "Heavnly God" altars. I even saw those big Chinese graves like those I've seen in Bukit Brown Cemetery in Singapore (native Thais do not get buried, but are cremated with their ashes buried down the foundation of stupas and chedis).
Oh and I had actually intended to go to Patong area for final shopping before I head back home, but the journey to Patong was kind of expensive and I didn't have much money left. Hence we could only make do with a short trip to a local wat. I don't know what the name of the wat was, but I could tell that it was a very popular destination with the tourists from every part of the globe. It's architecture style was somehow not quite the same like other wats, or so I felt. This was the first Thai temple (other than the one we went to the previous night for performance) that I've actually visited in my entire trip to Thailand this time round!
After visiting the temple, there wasn't much time left, so we headed back to the bus terminal where Oh and I had an early dinner before we took the airport bus back to Phuket International Airport. It was there I started to have stomachache, and even visited the toilet twice. Actually this was something quite remarkable for me, as I have not had any "major relieve" during the past few days until the last day. It was even more remarkable as prior to my trip to Thailand, I was down with high fever, had diahhrea almost everyday and my appetite was poor. However, the moment I stepped onto Thai soil, my illness seemed to have disappeared, and I could eat well and only visited the toilets for "minor relieves".It was soon time for me to check in, and I bidded farewell to Oh, and thanked him for his kind hospitality for the past few days. I proceeded with the check-in, while he left to find a lodging for the night in Phuket before heading back to Suratthani the following morning.
On looking back, this trip to Thailand was a very special one, as I actually ate, lived and played just like how the locals did. In fact it was only in Phuket town and the two airports that I had actually came into contact with non-Thais. However, there was still a bit of culture shock, like having to bathe in the enclosed but open-air backyard of Oh's house, and sleeping in a stuffy bedroom in the kitchen with mosquitoes feasting on my legs throughout the night. Well, although uncomfortable, I'd still prefer to experience such kind of "Tai-tai" life than to live in a posh hotel and behave like a typical Farang!This wraps up my four-part diary of my "Tai-tai" trip to Thailand for the Songkran Festival period for this year. Now I had to get ready to go to work later. How I hate such anti-climax!
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