Today despite setting the alarm for nine we woke early before eight. We sat in bed chatting before Steven went to get some breakfast and I uploaded some pics from yesterday. The bus was picking us up at eleven am from a hostel down the road. We could have been picked up at our hostel but didn't want the owner to know we had booked it else where lol... The other hostel took fifty baht off each and our hostel owners kept asking when we were going to book the bus. Instead of being honest Steven elaborated a whole story about how we were now staying in the area and not quite going to Phuket yet. He came back with breakfast and briefed me of the cover story in case they asked.

Steven had more noodles and I had a juice and a crisp sandwich... I wasn't very hungry but the malaria tablets were playing havoc with my tummy and making it really sore... Thankfully some food helped (which is why I always tell patients to take tablets with food lol... Do as I say, not as I do!!). We finished breakfast packed up and headed down the road. After a bout half an hour the bus arrived and we piled in ...there were only six of us in the mini van so I was quite happy ...normally they try and cram as many people as possible, clearly his journey was going to be nice.

I spoke too soon... We arrived at a small place out of town and disembarked. He was about a hundred people waiting for various mini vans so we sat down amongst the very hot crowd and waited... Eventually our destination was called and we headed to the mini van. It turned out the guy was doing three different destinations and then proceeded to try and squeeze about fifteen of us plus luggage into a small van. He did eventually using all free space for luggage (hopefully no one needed to get off in a hurry). Then his boss came out and said the Patong customer can go on a different bus... So the poor women was disembarked, luggage eventually followed for the guy to change his mind and pile her back on.

All squeezed in we left and headed for Phuket... Half way in our worst fears were confirmed as a girl on the back seat needed the toilet. This meant everyone off along with the luggage so the girl could pee... After so much effort we all proceeded to use the toilet just because, before we squeezed back on the bus. We then dropped half the bus off at Phuket airport before carrying on to Phuket town. The guy dropped us near our hostel but as it was a one way street he said he couldn't drive it so pointed us in the direction... Off we traipsed with our back packs on in mid thirties heat before not getting anywhere... We popped in a cafe who sent us back to where we started and said turn right... We did that then again came to nothing. We asked in a pharmacy and the girl said we had passed it so we wandered back down the road and sure enough there it was... I literally glanced it, thankfully otherwise we would have been up and down all night. Turned out that the driver had dropped us about ten yards from it but sent us the wrong way.

The hostel looked like it was being built and had a very rustic charm and the girl who is running it is so friendly and chilled out. She is currently renovating the place... single handedly by the look of it! shes really helpful and I get a really good vibe from her. She showed us up to our private room and it was very bright and airy... Although looks like we are staying in someone's spare room. The kind of spare room you get when you turn up unannounced. We have a filing cabinet with a very dusty unused computer system piled on top, a dusty old chair, a random set of golf clubs, a bed with no duvet, washing hanging outside the window and randomly a Liverpool flag hanging (almost left for that reason alone). I don't know if I have relaxed since travelling but it actually didn't bother me and I feel like I'm staying in someone's house... Haven't seen the shared bathroom yet though so my optimism could well waiver by tonight lol... Right now we are off to get a cold beer!

We are now back from exploring Phuket town a little and its actually got a really nice vibe to it. The town itself is very colonial and reminds me a bit of what I imagine Cuba to be like. We went for a wander towards the market and found a very cool food market where Steven had some Tom yum soup. I just wanted some fruit and after looking forever we found a Topps supermarket. We bought some fruit then went and continued our good look around and decided we were glad we came. Everyone had tried to put us off Phuket saying that its really touristy and that but this is real thailand. Yeh there are a few tourists here but we have hardly seen any and the people seem really friendly.

We headed back to our hotel about eight pm and sat on the front porch listening to the traffic and the girl who owns it put on some cool music! Because she's renovating she has currently dismantled the bar so we couldn't get a beer but we didn't mind to be honest. However next thing she comes back from next door with a beer and a couple of glasses saying welcome to Ghetto Childs Hostel... Didn't even charge us, we were so touched. She really is lovely and the more time I spend here the more I like it! It's rustic, chilled and how I imagine hostels were back in the day before it became a bit more flash packer.