For the oddest reason, having slept at 2am didn't stop me from waking up at 8:45am- possibly due to the fact that I didn't get to shower prior to sleeping so the thought of being dirty unconsciously forced me to get up n take one. Actually, I quite enjoyed the cold shower in the morning, although I never had the habit, prefering to go to bed in a "clean" state. So anyways, after I got cleaned up n ready to go, I headed out to the lobby to book some tours. Since I arrived late early this morning around 12:30ish am, the office was closed already. I didn't realize it was a family-owned hostel. We have tons of these in southern Taiwan, where locals just enjoy living in the outskirts , n with such a big house, they'd decorate it with themes n rent them out decently. I do prefer these kinds of stays because it's just a lot more "homey" than hotels. They've got a common room n computers free for use. Other than the fact that they don't do breakfast, overall, I quite like it here; hence my decision to continue staying for the rest of my trip (except tmw night when I visit my friend in Rawai- most likely will just crash at his place as it might be too late for me to get back to Kata area after). Coincidentally, another girl was just done booking her trip n strongly recommend me to do the same because the weather was nice enough for it today. Seeing that I didn't make it for the Phuket Sightseeing tour that left at 8am n it being the only afternoon tour- without much of a lead- I took their suggestion: Phang Nga's (i'll hv to check the spelling later) Sleeping Budda & "City on Sticks"- as I call it- & James Bond Island.
The trip started with a really long driving, having picked up different travelers from their hotels, then heading to mainland Thailand, which was about almost 2hrs drive. I didn't think we'd have a tour guide because no one was did any introduction when we first got on, but then, all of a sudden, the grandpa in the first row rose up from his seat with a mic n started talking. It was probably one of the most painful lectures ever because I couldn't even make out ONE sentence that he said. So u can see why I had no clue of the itinerary for the day- his accent was so strong like tom yum + green curry + english muffins => just such a random mix that even I- with quite the experience with accents if I can say so myself- gave up listening. I mean really, I'll be easier when I see it myself anyways.
The whole tour was just amazing, with all the green mountains n endless sea. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so small- relative to the world, such a puny dot. We also visited a mini city that's entirely built on stems. Being completely secluded, it was very "local" indeed, but u can tell they have grown dependent on tourists as well with all their shops n restaurants. Nonetheless, the scene was definitely something to take in slowly as we bolted down the river to James Bond Island. By now, it was literally raining on my side of the long boat with all the splash n I was basically soaked from my head to toe on my left side...until I remembered I had an umbrella! The dinky 3-fold did pretty well pulling its weight on this trip! Oh, they played the original James Bond movie from eons ago on our way there, but I just pass out on rides- especially long ones, but I did see the beginning where the movie begins on the beach. Overall, I enjoyed the scenery for its beauty rather than its presence in a movie. Oh yah, n definitely take the staircase to the other side of the island! The view from there was just gorgeous with the sunset. It was the perfect place to watch it, no doubt.
I don't want to go into too much detail, but in general, its a safe bet to book urself a tour to save all the hassel. U get picked up n dropped off from ur place of stay n everything from there'll been taken care of. All u have to do is enjoy the view. Having took just as long to return, we- as in the girls that I ended up joining with- booked the Simon Cabaret show for tomorrow night, n headed off in search for food. Nutella&banana cake/crepe & thai sweet n sour chicken hit the spot. After walking around the kata shopping district, it was soon hitting bed time. As our phi phi tour begins at 8am, I really should be sleeping! Will update the post with photos when I get on a computer :)
Peace out from Phuket!