Thailand: Islands - February 2009
Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text:
Français Here I am back in Brittany, after these three weeks Thai. Sunday night, I finally pushed the door from home, and I collapsed directly. Fourteen hours of dodo in a row, to recover from this long journey from Phuket ...
I did not manage to close my eyes on planes (Air Asia + Emirates) nor in the TGV.
It may surprise you: for my last night in Phuket, I chose to land in Patong Beach.
Patong is ugly, with plastic loungers and noisy jet skis, Mac Do's and Burger King's, souvenir shops, and girls' bars. And then the place is stuffed with a kind of tourists who does not inspire sympathy.
In short, not at all the style of beach or atmosphere that I love in Thailand ...
But here, I opted for the easy way out: minibus connections, airport taxis, shops for shopping, wifi connections everywhere, choice of accommodation and restaurants...
I've found an address that changes my rustic backpacker's plans: the hotel. Baipho-Baithong. Recommended by both the Lonely Planet and by Mark, an Australian who was with me on the Eden Divers boat for the Similan dive cruise.
Very good choice. Close to everything, refined decor, impeccable cleanliness, warm welcome and cheerful. The cheapest rooms are from 1800 baht (about 40 €), including breakfast. An excellent deal. For 2600 baht (less than 60 €), I got the luxury of a quasi-suite with mega king-size bed wider than long and jacuzzi ... Argh.
Needless to say, I have savored this supreme comfort as it should, after my long recovery from Koh Lipe.
Two and a half hours ferry crossing to Hat Yao Pier, Trang pier, then five hours by minibus ... I got slammed.
Finally, and above all, this stop in Phuket allowed me to meet, in truth, Valerie and Olivier, with whom I had previously exchanged only e-mails and phone calls. It's thanks to their site Asiaqua.com and their advice that I opted for the boat of Eden Divers, one of the few to offer cabins single for the Similans. That was the main criterion for me, but everything else was up to standard: comfort, crew, management, atmosphere, food. And the nitrox was free... Again, a very good choice.
I was right to trust Valérie and Olivier on this one. Both divers, they have been on site for a long time, know each of the cruise ships they offer on their site and effectively play the intermediaries when it comes to adjusting various practical details.
We stayed in touch after the cruise, and they came to see me Saturday at the hotel, before my departure, to chat and drink.
It is always a great pleasure, when travelling, to concretize virtual exchanges by a real meeting. Nice epilogue to my Thai stay!
😎
