I think I left my brain in Thailand... so I guess I'll just write more about the trip.

Upon first arriving in Phuket, I was struck by how many foreign tourists there were in the airport alone and by how under-developed the airport seemed to be considering what a great hub the Phuket Airport apparently was.

Leaving the airport, there were huge billboards advertising beach resorts, shopping complexes and concerts being held with people in swimsuits and holding surfboards and other beach-related paraphernalia. There was even a big billboard advertising 'Visit Malaysia Year 2007' that I found extremely amusing, considering we were in Thailand.

The first stop was to a local temple. As we were cruising down the road, I could not help but notice the many pictures of the King on display. 'Long Live the King' is a slogan commonly seen everywhere. The people's intense loyalty towards their monarch is incredible and you can really see the support and love they have for their king.

By the time we reached the temple, it was late afternoon and certain parts were closed but we did get to go into one of the buildings. I was somewhat timid to take pictures at the temple. It is a holy place for a religion I don't really know much about so I did not want to risk offending anyone by snapping a picture of something I wasn't supposed to snap.

Since most parts of the temple was closed at that point, we did not stay long. On the way back to the vans though, we stopped by a few local food vendors and hung around there a bit. One was selling some fresh coconuts while another sold Thai pork balls in an odd tangy, sour sauce. Definitely not Malaysian.

After the temple, we drove on down to the Kata View Point. Supposedly the sunset from there is simply breathtaking; however, by the time we reached there, the sun had well set and night was completely upon us. I took a photo of the night view anyway though my picture did not come out well enough to do enough justice to the view. There were so many lights that even at night, one could clearly see where the coast ended and the sea began. On the sea itself, there were dozens of points of light from the boats that had been anchored for the night. Along the coast, the nightlights were incredibly bright. As a tourist island, I suppose that is to be expected.

And then it was dinner time!

Driving to our restaurant was an event to remember. The restaurant was located in the middle of the main road near Patong Beach and it was a massive converging point for tourists and shoppers and tourists... lots and lots of tourists. I suppose with the onset of winter and Christmas break for many, a trip to a tropical island with great beaches is pretty ideal.

The road was jam-packed with tuk tuks and other vehicles as well as various tourists crossing roads here and there. The street was very brightly lit to the point where it seemed restaurants and shops were competing with each other as though the brightest store would attract the most costumers (like a moth to a flame). There were street signs everywhere too -- the ones that kept catching my attention were the Tsunami Evacuation Route signs.

Dinner in itself was a ridiculous affair. It was this overly-fancy beach restaurant with exorbitant prices. Even a glass of warm water cost me 20 Baht! And no refills either. We did have lots and lots of fish; though the food, with the exception of the Tom Yam, seemed rather normal (Malaysian normal) to me.

After dinner, it was walk away to the hotel along the main street (where, inevitably, everyone split up so we could check out the wares of the local vendors).

Finding the hotel was rather challenging. I don't know if I just happened to ask all the wrong people whenever I ask for directions in Phuket or if there is just a massive communication gap between me and the Thai population, but it took a while to find the hotel.

The hotel was actually pretty hard to find as it was hidden behind it's restaurant that was masquerading as a normal restaurant. Seriously, it went like this:

Me: Excuse me, which way is Thara Patong Beach Resort?
Person 1: Oh, it's just up ahead.

*walks up ahead more for a couple minutes not seeing any sign or anything*
*reaches the end of the pavement, looks around confused because I was told that it would be before the end of the sidewalk*
*sees nothing and asks a shop-owner*

Me: Excuse me, do you know where Thara Patong Beach Resort is?
Person 2: Yes, you just keep walking that way (points back to the way I came from) and you'll see it.

*backtracks slower than before, keeping a sharp eye out for a sign or something*
*sees nothing and asks an open-air restaurant maitre d'*

Me: Excuse me, do you know where I can find Thara Patong Beach Resort?
Person 3: Yeah, this is Thara Patong Beach Resort.

*looks behind the person and sees a restaurant*

Me: This is Thara Patong Beach Resort?
Person 3: Yes, it's behind, just walk through there. (pointing to a dark alley looking place).

*face scrunches up as I wonder if I should believe some stranger and walk into this dark alley looking place*

Apparently he was telling the truth though. Turns out the dark alley looking place wasn't a dark alley at all once you turned the corner. In fact, there was a swimming pool right around the corner which I happily made full use of an hour later.

And that was Day 1.