The longest bus ride ever, Phuket now & then

My last two dives (Lighthouse and White rock) were pleasant and uneventful. Highlights included hearing a whale singing in the distance at the Lighthouse and seeing a sea snake slithering through the coral at White rock. Coming to Koh Tao was a good idea, and after 10 dives, I feel ready to take on the more challenging dives of the Similans.

Gizmo's friend out fishing - this dog was always in the water

Getting from Koh Tao to Surrathani was an easy 2 ½ hour catamaran ride with a change of boats in Koh Phangan. We arrived in Surrathani at 2:00, and were met by a coach that promised to have us in Phuket Town by 6:30. When I bought my ticket, I specifically asked if the bus was “express” and “VIP” as opposed to the “aircon” busses that stop every time someone on the side of the road waves their arm. I was assured that I was on an express VIP bus. That turned out not to be the case.

At 6:30 PM – our scheduled time of arrival – we were still 150km away from Phuket Town, and stopping at every dirt road to let locals on and off the bus. At 7:00, the driver pulled over to a group of roadside stalls for dinner. "It is what it is", I kept telling myself... At 9:30, we finally arrived. Exhausted, I paid an exorbitant fare to commandeer a songthow (pickup with seats in the back) to get me to my hotel down by the beach. After 7 ½ hours in the bus, I just needed to get cleaned up and go to bed.

Patong Beach

I had entertained all sorts of ideas for the two days between leaving Koh Tao and getting on the dive boat to the Similan Islands. The two calendar days really distilled down to a single day by the time you take out the travel and other needed chores. In the end, I opted for the easy & familiar and a chance to make some needed purchases at the local dive shops in Patong. I spent the day wandering the beach, brushing away the touts, and picking up a new dive light and new straps for my fins. Some things never change – the beach is still beautiful and the touts still use the same tactics to get your attention and draw you in.

Soi Eric off of Bangala Road

Other things just keep changing. No traveler I’ve ever met is short on stories of how simple and cheap things used to be. People who started traveling in the 70’s would proclaim a place ruined by the 80’s – a decade or two before I “discovered” the same place. For me, my first trip to Thailand was in 1999 – I stayed in a small crappy hotel right on the beach for ~$30/night and Patong felt exotic, a bit sleazy, and most of the shops and stalls were simple and run by locals. 13 years later, my budget ($50/night) puts me in a small crappy hotel up the hill far away from the beach. When I came back in 2004, prices were going up, but the place was largely the same. The game changer was the tsunami that happened just a few days after I left in 2004 that wiped all of the beachfront stalls and shops off the map. When I came back in 2008, it was clear that they were gone for good, and “progress” was happening with many more chain stores moving in where local shops used to be.

new Muay Thai stadium

4 Years later, the sleaze factor has been replaced by something that feels more like Disneyland (if Disneyland had a section called LadyBoy Land). Most of the individual shops and stalls have been replaced by modern buildings and international chain stores – not just on the beach, but throughout the town. There’s a huge new mega mall at the end of Bangla Road, alongside the new giant Muay Thai boxing stadium and the Fresh Market where people and restaurants buy their produce, meat, and seafood.

farmer's market

meat

curry

Still, it’s not bad. If I hadn’t experienced what it used to be, it would still be a beautiful beach with things to do and see. You can still find good Thai food, though now there are probably more pizzerias than local restaurants. By international standards, it’s still dirt cheap. And, it’s a good jumping off point to other more unspoiled locations like my dive trip, or a trip down to Phi Phi or around to Krabi/Railay. So – happy to be here for a couple of days, but looking forward to jumping into the true leg two of my trip when I get on the boat at 7 tonight for an overnight motor up to the first of what should be about 15 different dive spots over the next four days.

"Please do not sell firework lanterns and hot air. It may cause of the burning and trouble somebody" Good advice!