phuket v1.0

big day of travel. we took the night boat again, to surat thani. all these night boats make me feel like a cuban pitcher fleeing for miami and a waiting yankee scout. fredo got out on a boat too. hyman roth didn't. a bunch of us gathered on the boat by our sleeping mats to trade backpacking stories and tips. with the six of us we had been on every continent, including antarctica; from a civil war dodger in the ivory coast to tsunami volunteers coming back to help again. it was another sleepless night in the stuffy hull. the fan above our heads didn't work, and we were right by the lone exposed light bulb hanging from the ceiling. with my tshirt blanketing my eyes i did manage to almost sleep, until something crawled into my pant leg and started making its way north. put this together with the slowest bus ride in history, and a bunch of shady taxis trying to rip you off while your vulnerable from sleep deprivation. it did, however, allow me to finish my book on the company (cia), and start the account of a reporter with the underground empire of drug trafficking and the role of governments in this economy.

i guess that is how it is sometimes, and more often than not, is here. to get to the "pearl of the south" you have to break a lot of oysters. note on phuket: its is where the colours and money are - being thailand's largest, wealthiest, most populous and most visited province. the island is described by guidebooks as being southeast asia's st. tropeza, miami beach and rio. as i have never been to any of those i will have to take their word on it. i know it only as phuket - rich on developments and lights. it is a place of survival. in the last 7 years they have had a bomb threat, bird flu, sars, an earthquake and a tsunami. too many idle tourist hands i suppose. it had come from being the trading centre for arab, indian, malay, chinese and portugese traders. tin and rubber have become knockoff accessories and replica soccer jerseys.

once we arrived we set up shop in a posh resort on patong beach right on the ocean. how you might ask? through the generosity of lydia's parents. everything is top drawer. massive suite and bathroom. no cockroaches. a shower so hot you have to turn it down. at night the sun sets right across from our resort. lyds and i try to make it to the roof each day to see the sky turn a brilliant orange and then a dark, pinky-red. as the sun goes down you can turn away from the ocean to look backwards at the surrounding hills. these too appear orange, almost as if they are glowing from a forest fire. patong beach is the centre of the island with countless expensive resorts and seafood restaurants, souvenir shops, dive shops and bars.

by day we do as little as possible, though lyds has been going for morning runs before it gets too hot. we lounge under big umbrellas on the beach, or recline poolside at our resort. we shop. laze around watching satellite tv when the heat drives us inside. shoo taxi drivers and tailors away to go and read somewhere. at night we get our kicks walking through the neon girlie bar area of patong with its wall to wall clubs and bars. in the florescent glow street urchins promote shows involving ping pong balls and bananas. women dressed like brit in baby one more time dance on bars. lyds keeps a tight hold on my hand as we head to the night markets.

while calling home the other night and talking to my dad and tranny groped my junk while asking if i wanted a "maaaa-sage." jc must be universal as he/she backed off. kind of a conversation killer as i lost my train of thought with the call. the next time i called from a phone booth. adaptation. darwinism at its finest.

and i dance
and i sing
and i'm just a monkey in a long line of kings.
i'm just a boat on the ocean
i'm just a ship lost at sea.
- matthew good

almost time to stop hunting rabbits and come home.