30 April

We're up at 08h15 and finish up before heading out to On On Café, next to out hotel to catch some continental breakfast, the two smallest pieces of toast I have ever seen! We head down the road and hire a 110 cc scooter, reluctantly I hand over my passport and head around the block for a test drive in busy Phuket town before returning to pick up Leanne. Today has been dubbed a sightseeing day to catch a glimpse of Phuket and the beaches. We start off by visiting the first mall we can find taking into consideration we have to stock up on supplies, it soon becomes evident that the one we chose is earmarked for a richer class of tourist and continue our journey. Along the way we pass what can only be described as an elephant warehouse with about 5 elephants tied with a chain to poles inside waiting for tourists who want to go on a elephant ride. The small one, shorter than my shoulders, bounces from one foot to the other - according to the local standing there he is dancing to the music - but in out opinion he is probably iritated with the heavy chain around his ankle!! It soon becomes evident that the only reason the elephants are there are to make money and that they are not treated well. We head off to Patong beach driving down what could almost be described as a mini Sir Lauries Pass. We park the scooter and head down the strip, if its not a Tuk Tuk ride they want to sell to you, it's a tailor made suit for $50, clothes, trip somewhere or massage. Leanne haggles with one of the assistance and together we bring the price down from 850 Baht to 250 Baht for a dress, we head on constantly harassed by vendors. Some so in tune with their clients that they have memorized phrases, the first thing they ask you is where are you from, then you are greeted by: "Goeie more hoe gaan dit" and "Baie dankie." Very funny J

Deciding to do our tourist purchases in Bangkok rather than in tourist mecca Phuket, we head off with the scooter to Kata Beach. Along the way we pass a 5 star resort on the beach offering a buffet, the first we had seen for quite some time. We decide to have a look at what they are offering - hopeful that there will be meat! The food looks nice but the thing attracting us the most is the fact that there is variety and big (big in asian terms) pieces of meat. We sit down for a feast of pasta, chicken, beef, vegetables, salad, fruit and desert. After this we head down to the beach to enjoy the warm water, often not very refreshing when taking into consideration the temperature and humidity. The water is surprisingly cool and instead of just popping in and out we end up staying in the water for quite some time surfing the waves before returning for a shower at the resorts open air one - choosing to ignore the sign that says ' hotel guests only', we'll just claim we didn't see it and be extremely sorry….luckily no one said anything J

We continue with our scenic drive around the island on our way back to Phuket Town, stopping at a Chinese Temple along the way. Inside there are shrines with incense burning and a lady who wanted to sell us something as an offering which we declined. Outside we walk to the moat where children are feeding catfish. Its amazing how many there are in such a small river, we even see a turtle trying to avoid the feeding frenzy. Overcome by the moment I drop my newly purchased sunglasses into the river only to react quickly and stick my hand in between the fish to reacquire it.

From here we drive on to the Phuket park, where people in their hundreds slow walk, jog or run! Others do Yoga, Tai Chi Classes or just play badminton or soccer. We walk around the park amazed at how clean and well maintained it is, almost reminding us of Singapore. We sit by the lake to rest before returning to our trusty 110cc Honda, which had only used 3L for all our driving.

We arrive back at our accommodation to find out where the nearest mall is considering we require some odds and ends. Once there, its up and down escalators, in and out of stores to obtain what we need. At last feeling the exhaustion we head home stopping at the local supermarket to buy a cup, bowl, cornflakes and a Singha (Thailands premier beer, most beers come in 750ml's). Our friends from the previous evening had informed us that they eat breakfast on their own (we hadn't even considered to look in a supermarket for cereal) rather than at restaurants which saves them a lot. It was a great idea considering every breakfast here consisted of eggs and toast (or rice) and you can only eat so many eggs.