Even with a 6:45am wake-up call, I was surprisingly eager to get up n start the day. But as I had to decide how to pack for today- spending most of the traveling on speedboat- everything had to fit into my newly bought dry bag that I got for a bargain price (or that's what fellow travelers said anyways). No really, there's no need to bring my whole wardrobe out, especially when I'll be out on 3 beaches styling in my- drumroll plz- t-shirt n shorts! Don't ask why I didn't hit the beaches in my bikinis; I just didn't. Maybe its the whole getting wet part, but now that I think about it, I would've dried off within 5minutes on our speedboat anyways. Oh wells, that's what "next time"s are for!
Now, I don't remember the names of the beaches- will find out when I get my hands on the broucher- but they were amazing! Although, I do have to say- unsurprisingly- they were all packed packed packed with people! A little hard to enjoy myself, but just imagine those postcard pictures of white sand + turquoise water. That's exactly what these beaches look like- just give me a beach chair n I can sit here all day. Just beautiful. The only thing I'd like to say as a warning: if ur the kind that gets a little seasick when the boat stays floating, definitely make sure u eat just enough n sit outside (I found that I felt way worse undercover, but that's just me). A better idea: jump in while the boat's hovering because the heat will cook u alive n u'll probably be just as wet sweating than swimming anyways. But no swimming for me today...next time. Next time.
Being the last one to board, I was the first to get off. So, actually, I arrived back at my hostel around 5:30 with lots of time to take a shower n grab some dinner before heading to the Simon Cabaret Show. It's a well-known ladyboy performance where all the girls u see have either completed their transformations, or are still in the process of doing some tweaking. Honestly, I haven't seen such beautiful ladyboys. To be fair, I can say they're probably all more feminine than me! Regardless, it was definitely worth checking out. Really though, sometimes I forget that they're all ladyboys, it seems like such a "normal" show- except for the ones that are still touching up here n there...with their black undies, so easy to pick out. Those were also the ones that were slightly awkward in comparison to the leading roles- just totally omg-ed me with their girliness. Actually, I had the impression that at least a couple were 100% girls, but after further confirmation, I couldn't be more mistaken. No wonder some guys do actually end up taking home one because even I can't tell which one's which! But yes, if u ever get a chance to, definitely try fitting it into ur itinerary.
Having arranged to meet up with my friend at his muay thai training center in Rawai (souther phuket- approximately 15min drive from Kata/Karon area where I was staying), I got the owner of the hostel to fix me up with a safe ride there. The reason for that is quite obvious, so he agreed to take care of it. Lol, then I found out, he had scheduled his staff to drive me there instead. Man, I don't think I've ever met any hostel that would go out of its way. I guess it's because his end isn't just his hostel, but Phuket in general. All the online reviews said they were great, n I'm so glad I listened! So, right after I finished packing, we were on our way to Lion's Muay Thai. Problem: blackout on the main street of rawai n apparently, the owner got "Lion" mistaken for "Rawai", so when we did reach, it wasn't the training center my friend was at. Driving around in the dark on small roads for about 20mins, we were starting to lose hope to ever find the place. Yes, I should've listen to my friend when he suggested to print out a map because the place was hard to find. Though, I have to say, it's ridiculously secluded! On top of that, with no street lights, the already-challenging-to-see signs were near impossible to spot. Regardless of all this, we did eventually circle onto the main road leading to the gym n called it a night. Man, I felt so bad that we got so lost, n I really hope he got back alright!
My old contiki family gang member- long time no see. Almost 4 years? But he hasn't changed one bit, as sweet as usual. Anyways, we're probably gonna stay up all night doing some major catching up job. It's been a long day, indeed! Until tomorrow...good night from Rawai, Phuket!