and when I turned in a pile of dirty laundry, I got this plastic wrapped package of folded laundry came back the same day for a total cost of about $4.50USD:
Well, it turns out that Phuket Island can be loved and despised depending on where you have visited and your personal expectations and experience. I've been incredibly lucky (ahem! "brilliant!") for the time of year (just off peak), the weather (not rainy yet), the beach I picked (just a little reading on tripadvisor.com), and the hotel I picked (it takes reading and work to pick through the booking.com reviews). But not far away -- is THE "Phuket" beach that some use to define the Island - Patong Beach: "The famously raucous nightlife scene features beer bars, go-go bars, nightclubs, massage parlors and transgender cabarets that overflow into the street..."
I decided to pay a taxi driver to take me on an Island tour -- stopping at each of the west coast beaches, including Patong -- and at each I got out and walked around. Patong (about an hour from where I'm staying) was truly awful -- at least at mid-day when I was there. An absolute mess of buildings and stalls with nonstop efforts to sell to everyone walking by -- everything from time-shares, to massages, to trinkets, to food of every sort. All the usual establishments were there from Starbucks to KFC, as well as thousands of other eating and drinking places. I understand from my reading that this is the happening place for the Thailand sex trade and a hopping night club scene after 10pm -- but during the day it appeared to be just a haven of sadness -- capitalism out of control. I still have difficulty understanding who wants to vacation to a place like this. You can look around for youself on Google Street view -- this link will get you started.
