Last Friday afternoon we took a ferry from Ko Phi Phi to Phuket, arriving in the evening. A TAT tourist info desk steered us toward a good hotel somewhat near the airport. The accommodations were such a relief after the more rustic hostels we had been staying in that we decided to not travel for a day and stay for a second night.
On Saturday, we explored the city a bit. We watched the new Karate Kid movie in a local mall. After the previews and right before the movie, the Thai national anthem was played along with a video honoring the King, and everyone stood respectfully. Later, I ate a tasty noodle dish in a somewhat fancy restaurant. There were more waiters than patrons, and our food was served in less than five minutes. So far, the service everywhere (restaurants, hotels, airlines) has been more helpful and polite than I would expect at similar accomodations in the US, aside from the expected and occasional language confusion. I'm still amazed I can get around with just English-- it seems this path has been thoroughly paved by multinational chains and British backpackers on yearlong walkabouts. I'm also still surprised at the contrasts in how much people have and earn.
On Sunday morning we flew from Phuket to Singapore. I had a moment of excitement before I found my departure card to clear immigration.
moment of excitement =D
ReplyDelete