Reliving Phuket (Patong Beach) 2015

It was Christmas!

December 25, 2015

I went to Phuket, Thailand to relive my adventures.

As always, I was billeted in Sino Inn for 350 Baht/day  (total in Peso is P1,400) for a total of 4 days.

I arrived in Phuket 11:30 pm. Checked in at the hotel 2 am. The following morning, I booked my tours and late afternoon, I went to Patong Beach.

Normally, the payment for motorcyle ride is 300 Baht. But I was able to get it for 250 Baht. Taxi would have costed me 400 Baht.

After 25 minutes, I reached Bangla Walking Street.

Then, I went to Patong Beach and strolled around the beach for nearly 2 hours.

I waited for the sunset and took some pictures.

Then, walked Bangla Walking Street and observed the night life.

Later that evening, I went back to the hotel and took good sleep for my tours slated on the upcoming days. I'm back Thailand!!!

Phuket City Tour

car rental for my city tour

It was my second time to visit Phuket, Thailand. 

The last trip was November 2013 or about a year ago. 

But this time I have only two (2) days to spare for my tour and I had to maximize the trip.

I arrived in Phuket from Singapore past 10 am and the first thing I did was to go to Phuket Town and checked-in at Sino Inn Hostel. I was supposed to arrive a day before my actual check-in but thanks to the change in the schedule of the flight, I had only 1.5 days to roam around Phuket. I paid only P1,200 for my two (2) day accommodation.

At the front desk, I booked my two (2) tours which consist of the James Bond Tour and the Phuket City Tour. I booked my city tour 3 pm so that I could still take a nap before the actual tour. I paid 750 baht for the tour which was arranged by Sino Inn. And the tour was good only for four (4) hours.

I was fetched from the hotel by the car service and our first stop was Wat Chalong Temple or Chai Tararam Temple. Wat Chalong is about 8 km south of Phuket City. It is the most important of the 29 Buddhist temples in Phuket. It is the largest Buddhist temple with stunning architecture and the most visited among all the temples in Phuket.

After staying in the temple for less than 20 minutes, we sped off towards our next destination.

Good thing my driver/tour guide speaks good English. He was able to explain to me some important things/details about the places and the tour itself.

After 10 minutes, we reached our second stop for the day.

 Promthep Cape

Rawai Beach

The cape is located at the southernmost tip of Phuket and is one of the most visited places in Phuket.  Also known as Phrom Thep Cape or Laem Promthep, it is considered one of the most beautiful spots in Phuket. Notably, it is the best spot in Phuket to watch the sunset.

Kata Noi Beach

After taking some pictures at the Cape, we went to our third destination - Karon View Point. From this spot, you can see the Kata, Kata Noi and Karon Beaches. 

It was already 5 pm when we were nearing the beaches and I decided to satisfy my hunger. 

I asked the driver the best spot for our meal and he took me to Baan Chom View Restaurant. 

It is located at Kata Beach. It is ranked 35 out of 109 restaurants in Phuket. It serves a variety of dishes.

The view for the restaurant was enough to satisfy my crave for my late lunch but I still wanted to eat and taste the food per recommendation of TripAdvisor.

I ordered for both of us (driver/tour guide and I) and we ENJOYED our late lunch!

It was really sumptuous!

Hooray for Baan Chom View Restaurant!

Afterwards, we went straight to our fourth destination - Kata Beach!

Along the way, we stopped at another beach - Karon Beach!

But my personal favorite is the world-renowned Patong Beach!

I walked the entire stretch of the beach and watched the activities and the sunset at this spot. 

The trip to Patong Beach will not be complete without going to the famous nightlife district of Bangla Road.

Last stop for the day was the Sino-Portuguese Houses at Thalang Road at the heart of Phuket Town.

Your Phuket City tour will not be complete without dropping at this side of Phuket Town. And the best time to visit it is at nighttime when the beautiful colors light the road. And the 4-hour tour was coming into a conclusion.

Finally, ending the day with a Thai massage at Rain Tree Spa of Sino Inn Phuket Hotel. And what a relaxing massage to end a very tiring and exciting day in Phuket. 

I love Phuket!

Revisiting My 2013 International Travels

I make it a point twice every year to travel abroad. 

I usually travel March and October during the semestral breaks of my students. Blogging is not my full time job and I have to do my other passion and my full-time job in life which is teaching.

Last year, I visited Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. But there are places which left memories that linger in a traveler's mind. And here are some of those places that make me smile.

Patong Beach

Phuket, Thailand comes very close to my heart with all the majestic scenery, world-class beaches and unparalleled adventures only Phuket could offer. This November 2014 I decided to go back anew just to rekindle the memories I experienced in Phuket.

Malaysia offers a variety of tourist spots but Genting Highlands tops my places to visit. I love the cable car ride going to the spot and once you are there you will surely enjoy the different attractions offered by the Highlands.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam is a must-to-see spot if you are traveling in South East Asia. Known for offering the cheapest shopping goods only Vietnam can offer.  It has its own unique ride called "Tuktuk" which tourists must try and a variety of river adventures that await foreigners.

Angkot Wat

Siem Reap, Cambodia opens your eyes to ancient majestic temples such as Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Bahket Mountain. Considered as one of the best tourist spots in South East Asia, the early morning sunrise view of Angkor Wat will surely captivate your passion to travel in this ancient city.

And finally, the South East Asian tour will not be complete without going to Singapore! The Marina Bay, Clarke Quay, Merlion, and Universal Studio Singapore (USS) are some of the best spots to visit while you are in Singapore. Enjoy the river cruise in Marina Bay and the world-class adventures in Sentosa!

   

Sunrise and Sunset 2014

Sunrise and sunset are two of my most photographed scenery. And I started two years ago to make an annual compilation in my blog of these events. 

Here are some of my sunrise and sunset pictures for the year 2014.

Sunset in Coron, Palawan

Sunset in Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Sunrise in Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Sunset in Darasa, Tanauan City, Batangas

Sunset in Coron, Palawan

Sunset in Sun Cruises, Manila Bay

Sunset in Danum Lake, Sagada, Mountain Province

Sunrise in Laiya, Batangas

Sunrise in Kiltepan View, Sagada, Mountain Province (Summer)

Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

Patong Beach (panoramic view)

From Changi International Airport, I boarded a Tiger Air plane to Phuket, Thailand. It took us only 55 minutes to reach Phuket Airport. 

From the airport, I chartered a taxi ride to Phuket town proper for 650 Baht. It took us 45 minutes from the airport to my hotel. 

Day 1 - Phuket

Arriving at the lobby of Sino Inn Phuket Hotel, I immediately inquired on the status of my booking and unfortunately, it was not reserved. Good thing there were so many vacant rooms and I was given the choice to choose between the private room (700 Baht) or the backpacker's room/shared room (350 Baht). And I chose the latter and luckily for me, I did not share the room with anyone for 3 days until I left Phuket. The hotel is near Khao Rang Hill. Thanks to Alen Mae Almazan.

Sino Inn Phuket Hotel

25/54 Mae Luan Rod., Talat Nuea, Muang, Phuket 83000

GPS N7.888043 E.98.380645

Tel. 076 234423 4 Fax 076 234425

Email: info@sinoinnphuket.com / www.sinoinnphuket.com

The only place I wanted to visit that day was the number one beach in Phuket - Patong Beach. It is known for its white sand and nightlife adventures.

So from my hotel, there are three options to for me to reach the beach. 

Option # 1 - Taxi - 500 Baht

Option # 2 - Motorcycle ride - 200 Baht

Option # 3 - Bus - 50 Baht

I chose the motorcycle ride! I love riding the motorcycle and it took us almost 30 minutes before reaching the spot.

Tip - You might not want to use the motorcycle. The road going to Patong is an uphill climb combined with long, curving and winding roads.

It was so hot that day!

Along the cruise to the beach, I passed by Phuket Central Festival Mall, the biggest mall in Phuket. 

And in case you are wondering what the public bus looks like, here is a picture of the bus.

And after the twist and turns of the travel, we reached Patong Beach!

There were so may tourists that day. Activities vary from jetskiing, paragliding, banana boat ride, beach football, topless women sunbathing, and so many other beach activities.

It was 4 pm and I decided to wait for the sunset. 

I strolled along the beach and I saw a variety of street foods ranging from the grilled seafoods, grilled meats, assorted shakes and beverages and Thai foods.

I did a bit of street food tasting and fortunately, I survived! lol

The sunset waiting was so long and I decided to mingle with the locals. They were very enthusiastic and friendly.

In  just a matter of minutes, we ended up taking pictures and exchanging stories about our respective countries.

They were busy taking their own group pictures and I decided to ask for a favor from them. And they happily obliged. The picture?! A jumpshot photo! =)

And this is it!

I bid everybody goodbyes to everybody before concentrating on my sunset photo. It was past 7 pm when this shot was taken. After 3 hours of waiting and watching beach football, I decided to go back to the hotel. I walked back from where I started and enjoyed the nightlife in Patong Beach. And afterwards, I hired my motorcycle ride back to the hotel for 200 Baht.

Patong Beach is really one of the best beaches that I have seen.

Amazing Thailand!

Basic Thai words

Good Morning - Sawad Dee Tou Chao

How much? Taw Rai

Expensive - Peng

Discount - Lot Noy

Yes - Day

No - May day

Beautiful - Suway

Thank you - Khop Khun Kap

Welcome - Sawaadee

Ride back to the hotel - Klab Kong Rem

Pecca - excuse me

Totot ka - sorry

Related Articles

Island Hopping in Phuket - http://junvillegas.blogspot.com/2013/10/island-hopping-adventure-in-phuket.html

Adventures in Phang Nga - http://junvillegas.blogspot.com/2013/10/phang-nga-thailand-adventure-travel.html