I spent the next several days of my trip following a similar pattern.
I would wake late morning, do the usuals and then head out for the day. Most mornings i would start with a walk to find a decent coffee ( something which is not easy in Thailand ) and some breakfast.
My first morning I discovered Khao Tom, a very easy to eat rice soup with a mild flavoured broth. Add in some of the thai condiments and the flavours come alive in Khao tom and it quickly became my staple start to the day.
After breakfast i would jump on the scooter i had hired the first morning and head of to a different destination. Being based in Patong it was easy to get to just about anywhere and with google maps and a set of headphones, navigating on the scooter was simple.
Karon and Kata beaches, Nai Harn beach, Phuket town and the Big Buddha were just a few of the places i visited.
Each day i would travel to a destination and then spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach, maybe enjoying a nice cold beer and some great local food. It was easy to while away an hour or so later in the day exploring the surrounding areas on foot. Shops filled with souvenirs, restaurants and bars lined up along many roads and the massage shops galore were everywhere i went.
The result each day was the same. By the time i was heading back to Patong in the late afternoon i was feeling more relaxed than the day before, with a head full of new memories and a phone full of photos.
Evening were usually spent with either a relaxing swim or resting up in the room for an hour or two, followed by a good strong Thai massage. I had found a shop among the many not far from the hotel that didn't offer “extras” and that for around $10 Australian offered an incredible 1 hr massage. These massages were so good that they were a daily requirement.
I would eat dinner each night in a different location. Trying different local restaurants or street offerings. A big part of travelling for me is trying new things and places. Part of this means not always eating in the same places and especially eating the local food as much as possible. I see still many tourists in Thailand who eat every meal in a western style restaurant or McDonalds, maybe even a themed bar or pub that offers a Sunday Roast like they get back home. I just don't understand it. I can understand some people don't like certain foods or cant / don't eat certain things, but i will never understand going to another country and only eating the same food you can get back home.
I tried local versions of dishes i could get at Thai restaurants back home and dishes that i could not pronounce but that looked amazing on the menu’s. I ate meats from food carts thats to this day im still not 100% sure what it was and meats from carts that would never be offered back home but as they were on offer here, i had to try.
I was offered and tried Som Tum, the local Papaya Salad and wow it was good. But spicy, very spicy. Good thing i like hot food.
After dinner i would spend the rest of the night enjoy the nightlife. Again each night i tried to go in a different direction, or at least try different streets and bars. It normally wouldn't take me more than a couple of hours and bars before i found a place that felt really comfortable at. These nights i would end up staying at the one bar for several hours. Talking to the locals, playing one or more of the many bar games like Jenga or connect four and meeting many other travellers or expats as well.
This pattern continued for my week in Patong before i sadly had to return home.
This trip had opened up my eyes to a new world i was hungry to see again. I had met some fabulous people and made some valuable friends and seen some beautiful places.
I knew i would be back to Thailand as quick as i could, but even i didn't know how quickly that would be.
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