Dramatic title, I know, but we’ll get to that.
Today was our last day in Myanmar. As has become par for the course, it rained pretty hard all morning. Luckily for us, getting a taxi wasn’t too difficult, so we made it away from our breakfast spot back to the hotel easily enough. Where we stayed basically until checkout, hoping to wait out the rain.
By noon, we were forced out of the dry confines of our hotel and had to check out. We left our bags with the front desk and headed to a nearby market, where we wandered around and marveled in the “real jade” and “good deals”. Overall, it was a mix of tourist goods, with some local flair hidden in the back corners.
The most interesting part was when we found the food area and were immediately attacked on all sides by people wanting us to drink their coffee, eat their noodles, and partake in their other foods. It was a little scary how they all jumped out of no where with already prepared dishes just ready to go.
Afterward, we made our way to the airport and said goodbye to Myanmar.
Our flight via AirAsia took consisted of 2 short jumps. An 1 1/2 to Bangkok, and 1 hour to Phuket. By the time we arrived it was late, we were tired, and everything seemed just a tad harder than it should be. First we ran back and forth trying to find a place to exchange money. Most of them were already closed and too few people spoke english to really get us where we needed to go. Eventually we found an exchange out by the taxi stands and got that out of the way.
Next we tried to join a group bus, in order to save some money, out to Patang Beach, where we were staying. Our first hint of what was to come should have been when no one recognized our hotel name. After waiting a while, and wondering why nothing was happening, we asked around and found out that they needed 10 people to send the shuttle. This unfortunately meant we needed 8 more people… So we opted for the more expensive private car option.
Oh well, at least we’d get there.
Then came the next problem. Where’s our hotel? The driver didn’t know. People on the street didn’t know. Oh wait. It’s in the back of Subway. Yes, the sandwich shop.
When in Phuket I suppose. So we went inside.
Of course the story doesn’t end here, because of course the reception person didn’t speak english, and apparently our reservation was for the next day. Except, we had confirmation paperwork to support that we had the correct date. That didn’t matter though, after being schooled on the fact that we cannot check in at 2am, but that it is 2pm that you check in. We left, refusing to pay for yet another night at this crappy, crappy hotel.
So there we are, wandering down the beach with all our gear, fighting off the throngs of taxi drivers, who want to take us to “cheap hotels” and clubs. Wondering what we’ll do for the night, when we stumble upon the Horizon Beach Resort Hotel. Tired and frustrated we decide to just go in and see if they have a room. We really didn’t care at this point, we just needed a place to sleep. As we’re walking through the beach entrance, we’re pretty sure we’re going to have to pay way more than we can afford, but we’re desperate, so we talk to the man at the front desk.
It seems rooms are 2500 baht a night, and they have a room, with 2 doubles. Sensing our frustration with the night and the late hour, I think the man took pity on us and discounted the rate to 1950 baht. In case your currency conversion skills need a refresher, that is a hefty $61.57 … Getting better. So we took it.
As Lauren puts it, this was meant to be, as we woke up this morning to a free buffet / continental style breakfast with an omelet station, fruit, and BACON! So, we’ve spent the morning wandering down the beaches, fighting off tour guides, and just enjoying the accidental awesomeness that was our Phuket room for the night.
Next up: Ko Phi Phi Don.
Passport Proposal 