Phuket Trip 2012 (Day 3)

Having exerted so much energy island-hopping on Day 2, we decided to take Day 3 slow. So before Day 2 ended, we went around to look for car rentals. Fortunately, we found a rental shop that allowed us to use their Honda Jazz for THB1500.

And so on Day 3, one of the drivers from the rental shop sent the car to our hotel at 8:00am.

Fortunately, dear brought along his GPS, so we were able to navigate the streets of Phuket easily.

But before heading to our first destination, we passed by this scenic view of Kata / Karon beach, and spontaneously (and quite unanimously), we decided to get out of the car to take a snap shot!

Our first stop was actually supposed to be Phuket Thai Cultural Village. But since we passed by Phuket Premium Outlet first, we decided to pamper ourselves with some morning shopping. As you can see, it's a dead town. Shocking!

Anyway, there is nothing premium about their outlets. Most of the brands are sports brands i.e. Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Quiksilver etc.

With the help of dear's GPS, we managed to find the location of the Thai Cultural Village despite the wrong information given on one of the Phuket maps. Phew!
 

However, apart from their Orchid Garden, there wasn't much to see. Well we could pay about THB600 to watch their cultural show. But we didn't. Because honestly, we just weren't interested.

Moving on to our third destination, the group decided to check out the Butterfly Garden & Insect World - my worst nightmare!

Thankfully, the insects were "showcased" in little glass domes, which really helped to relieve most of my fears.

Fake or not, no way am I getting close to that thing. 

Disgusting fat cockroaches that almost made me gag.

After looking at all the insect specimens (via the little glass domes), it was time to meet the butterflies. Now, one butterfly is alright. One - I can ignore it and appreciate it's pretty colors and patterns from afar.

But having to be in an enclosed space with so many butterflies it just SCARY.

At first, I wanted to stay indoors while the BF went into the butterfly world to feed the insects. But soon, dear started to gesture me to join him.

After much persuasion, I finally went into the Butterfly Garden - with an umbrella to act as my shield.

Cute little pavilion and pond in the middle of the Garden

Checking out the breeding room

Nearing the exit of the Butterfly Garden was a Mating Room. Looking at all the butterflies fluttering about in that room, I told dear to go in without me.

Good thing I didn't go into the Mating room because there were just so many butterflies around. I'm also quite sure I'll go hysterical if a butterfly were to land on my hand.

Having been to 3 different destinations in the morning, it was time for lunch. Instead of having lunch at a more upmarket location, we decided to stop by a local eatery in Phuket Town.

 

Since the locals speak minimal english, we had to communicate by pointing at their menu boards. It almost looked as if we were playing a game of charades I must say!

Dear's simple Fried Rice with Chicken and a glass of Iced Tea that cost less than THB100

For our fourth destination, we decided to pop by their local supermarket - Tesco - to do some grocery shopping. 

After which, dear brought us to check out one of the dams in Phuket. On our way there, we passed through the countryside which made me feel as though I was in New Zealand or Australia.. or something.

The breathtaking view of the dam

Dear monkey-ing around.

Soon, it was pre-evening and we wanted to swing by Promthep Cape to catch the sunset before heading back to our hotel.

Arriving at Phromthep Cape, I was just blown away by the view. The blue skies filled with white fluffy clouds, the calm and tranquil sea.. oh it's just as beautiful!

And so we did what all typical tourists will do.. take pictures.

Lovely shot taken by Weston

While waiting for the sun to set, we hung around and chatted over a jug of draft Chang beer.

Us while the sun sets..

Finally, the red ball of light descended into the horizons, turning the skies into a shade of dull purple.

As we had to return the car at 8pm, we headed to a nearby restaurant to have dinner before returning back to the hotel.

Having an outdoor dining area under the tree while watching the sunset is truly idyllic. In fact, I'd say it's quite romantic, don't you think?

Our yummilicious dinner which we devoured quickly because of the lack of time

Well the good news is that we were able to reach the hotel at 8pm. At about 8:20pm, the minivan for the Simon Cabaret show came by our hotel and picked us up.

Here comes the bad news: While the driver got out of his van to search for other hotel guests who were supposed to come with us to the Simon Cabaret show, the traffic police came, blew a few whistles, and seeing that our driver was NOWHERE IN SIGHT, HE OPENED THE VAN, SWITCHED OFF THE ENGINE, AND TOOK THE KEYS!

What a Jerk!

Thankfully, dear was able to get out of the van, look for the driver, and tell him what happened. The driver then went to the police (who was sitted at a show opposite our van), paid a fine or something, and had his keys returned to him. I can't imagine what would happen if the police sped off, or if the police didn't return the keys to our driver - we would have missed our show!

Despite the unpleasant hiccup earlier, we managed to arrive at the Simon Cabaret Show-house early.

For those of who don't know what the Simon Caberet show is, it is actually a theatrical extravaganza performed only by Ladyboys, which includes highly entertaining acts with many breathtaking stunts, a good dose of comedy and flamboyant fun.

Lasting for about 1.5 hours, the show ended, leaving the bf and I stumped by how beautiful some of these lady boys are. In fact we were so impressed that we had to take a picture!

Here, you can see how these ladyboys are asking for the audiences to take pictures with them. Obliged and seeing no harm, one (likes yours truly) might go, and end up having to pay THB200 for each photo. True story.

Regardless, it was worth paying the money. I mean how often do you get to see beautiful ladyboys sing and dance for you?


Possibly Related Posts:
Phuket Trip 2012 (Day 2)
Phuket Trip 2012 (Day 1)
Phuket Trip (Day 1 - Trang)
Phuket Trip (Day 2 - Phuket)
Phuket Trip (Day 3 - Phuket)


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