So the day we left Phi Phi to head to Phuket, the heavens decided to open up & pour down on us (just as we're walking to the pier great) We have mentioned the rain in this blog before but this was RAIN. We had to put on our waterproof macs but they didn't really keep us dry as we were already soaked! But we trudged to the pier (following a guy from the hotel who was pushing our bags in a trolley - so could have been worse, we could have been carrying our large bags in the rain too) We slowly boarded the boat - we have to be extra cautious as our 'bargain' flip flops (£1 from Primark what did we really expect?) are very flimsy and slippery, and we've skidded several times when it's been wet. We finally made it to our seats, ready to start our journey to Phuket. Both of us do suffer from sea sickness but the boat from Ko Lanta to Phi Phi had been fine - Candy had even had her spiritual hippy moment on there - but unfortunately, the same could not be said for this journey.

First of all the boat was stationary for ages on the water waiting for two people to be brought out via another boat, so we were sitting (in the downstairs section) basically bobbing about on the water. Not good. Not good at all. How we weren't sick we really don't know. Candy had her stash of sickness tablets at the ready so that helped massively but it was still not a great experience for either of us!

But we made it to Phuket. This time we were met by a driver from the hotel at the pier - he even had the right name written on his board! And it took about 25 minutes for us to reach the hotel. And it was really nice. The biggest hotel room & bathroom we've stayed in since we started our travels. It had a rooftop pool & free internet acces - very good times! They also had free tea & coffee, this also pleased us. There were several dogs hanging around the hotel (something you unfortunately have to get used to in Thailand) so we decided that they needed feeding - so one night we took it upon ourselves to drop loads of crackers around the hotel grounds & area outside. We had to do this inconspicuously (just incase the hotel didn't appreciate us doing this) so this resulted in us sneaking around in the dark stopping every now & then to discreetly drop piles of crackers. They were gone the next morning so hopefully the dogs or some form of animal had some nice food! We also left a small cup of water out for them too.

During our time in Phuket, we found Bhangla Road - the main area for bars & nightclubs (or discotheques as they call them) There was one section under cover that resembled a market square, however instead of stalls there were just lots of seperate bars. We also found that after a certain time the girls who worked there liked to get up on the bars for a little dance. We should also mention that whilst dancing they all wore very bored expressions. After a few drinks amongst these bars we headed to another pub/bar with lots of pool tables (this is after Emma had to pay 10 baht to use a toilet!) After 5 minutes in there we looked around and noticed there were alot of men with their 'thai wives'. We stuck out like sore thumbs and were going to leave but then a pool table became free so we forgot about it and grabbed a cue.

Whilst we were in Phuket we also did some shopping (not a spree though, we are on a budget!) And this gave Candy a golden opportunity to try out her bartering skills again. She done very well - we were in this guys shop for about an hour but she managed to get alot knocked off what he originally asked for so it was worth it! There was one guy nearby who found it particularly entertaining when she kept referring to the market stall man as 'my friend'. After much conversation, we walked away with some bargain t-shirts! Candy got one with a brilliant slogan - see our photo's for full details. A few nights later, there was another chance to barter, however this time Candy actually had to plead to get 10 baht knocked off two flip flops and even then we think he only did it to shut her up!

It was after this flip flop barter incident that we decided to get a tuk tuk back to our hotel (we had yet to experience one) There were some guys on side of the road shouting to passersby about tuks tuks so we walked over. We agreed a price with the guy and he called over one of his drivers to take us. We're pretty sure this driver was drunk. We even asked the man who'd called him over if he was, infact, drunk. He laughed saying yes! Then when he realised what we'd asked he put up his hands and assured us 'no no no'. We boarded the tuk tuk and we have to say, to this day we aren't enirely sure he wasn't drunk but we made it back to the hotel ok!

Phuket accomodation was lovely, if not a little far from the beach and main areas. But it was only a short walk and we valued the free internet! However, the thing we both noticed was that Phuket could have been anywhere. It is like any typical holiday resort in Spain. Even the beach had been over taken by rows and rows of sunloungers that you had to pay for, very different to the more relaxed vibe we found with other beaches. It is definately the most 'tourist' place we've seen in Thailand. That being said, we do plan on coming back here for few days before we head to Bangkok, it was overall a nice place to stay and hopefully we'll get a rooftop pool again! Next we're off to Koh Phangnan for the Full Moon Party and we're meeting up with the two gingers. We are very excited!