Taipei, Taiwan – Patong, Phuket
I had finally arrived to Patong from Phuket international airport. I stepped off the bus on June 11th after making my detour from Taipei to Phuket, and it was a reality. I was smart enough to have purchased my e-sim before arriving to Thailand, so my service was already connected and I figured out what I needed to do before I got there.
My next destination- Patong. I found a Smart Bus that would take me directly to the city, a city of lawlessness and insane parties, bars, prostitution, and drugs (all of which I was unaware of until I arrived there).
I stepped onto the smart bus from the airport, and as I stepped aboard after paying my 100 Baht was a young girl by the name of Benz. She was Thai and sparked conversation with me. For the next hour riding down to Patong we spoke about aspirations and goals to achieve in life, and the insight to adventures that await for the next few days.
I asked Benz if she could show me her favorite noodle place, and when we arrived, after I checked into my hotel, I met up with her on the wild streets of Patong- with raging advertisements about sex shows, strippers, drugs, marijuana (which is legal), boxing matches, food, drink happy hour prices, and the most prominent of them all, the Ladyboys.
We walked through the crowds of Thai and tourists alike making our way into the thick of the party. Walking now felt delightful since I no longer carried my 13kg bag with me on my shoulders. We stopped at this small out of the way noodle shop further away from the party, closer to where the locals lived. In this particular circumstance the noodle shop was an outside market-like place with family vibes. She ordered for me like a blanched pork ribs in the soup and pork blood to go with it. To be fair, it was quite delicious. I had my first run-in with pork blood while with Kris in Taiwan, so by now I was a seasoned pork blood connoisseur.
While eating I watched a fat rat scurry from under the refrigerator outside, and I looked to my soup to see if maybe it wasn’t pork rib at all that I was eating.
After eating, it was pretty apparent that through all of the travels, I was exhausted and needed to find my solidarity within the hotel that I had booked, which was shitty by the way, but it was cheap. I thanks Benz for her company and hospitality, and we went out separate ways. I made my way back to the hotel for the night.
For the next 4 nights I would be in Patong, dreading the day and the night, as during the day, the shops are closed on the infamous Bangla Road, the party central where all bars and clubs are located, but during the night is too busy to effectively feel comfortable. It was a wild experience to be in the state of limbo where you have a fear of missing out by not going out, but you’re also in fear of going out because you might end up missing (what a conundrum that was).
I rented a scooter and made my way around Patong, it made it not only easier but quicker to reach my destination, plus the price was beaucoup competitive with having to by a taxi every time I went somewhere, which also helped because the tourist traps spike all the prices. At one point during a police checkpoint I was told to pull over the scooter.
As I saw Arabic and Indian men being questioned and berated by police, they ask me, “where are you from?”
“USA” I said quickly.
They looked pleased enough to tell me I was free to go in an encounter that lasted less than 5 seconds.
The driving is insane. The road rules are “Get the hell outta my way or Imma end you” and that’s the way you’ve got to think. Maybe renting a scooter isn’t the safest, but it sure it convenient. I have managed; though, to ask other travelers the driving conditions I’m different cities, and which ones to avoid completely.
The weather was incredibly hot- my skin tanned more than I thought I would, and the heat drenched you in a warm sweat that stuck to your whole body. It’s the kind of heat that would make Satan want to take a shower. I kept my articles as loose as possible but I never really found a solution- whether in a swim suit and light shirt, or pants or shorts, you were guaranteed to sweat your bodyweight. That’s not mentioning the 13kg bag I carried with me either.
Well, good thing about Patong is it is on the beach, with plenty of resorts to run into and take a dip into the pool when you’re not up for the sand. I met a few people, but the number one best thing that happened to me was seeing Honey, this Thai dime-piece. She told me she was coming to Patong and with her and some friends, I got to finally meet her after a year of talking. At first, It took a while for our communication styles to reach similar wavelengths because of misunderstandings due to the language barrier, but over time, the bond grew immaculately. Since we both have plans, I really only get to see her every so often as I travel around the country, but getting to finally meet her was worth it.
After partying out for nights on end, it was finally time to leave Patong and head to quieter scenes- I was headed to Bang Tao, the beach resort luxury locations with a saturation of Aussies and Russians alike, escaping whatever realities are back home to enjoy the hot Thai summer.
