Where are you? 😉
In a few hours, Google says I will be here. Hopefully they are right! :p
First Night Report (Solo Adventure in Phuket)
1. WoW. I have been here for only a couple of hours, but it has already exceeded my most optimistic expectation! WoW!!! Thai people really know how to treat their guests! 🙂
2. I got a good deal for the accomodation. It is a 4 star resort, but from the price I don’t expect much. I am pleasantly surprised that it is beyond my wildest dream (pictures coming soon). I feel guilty, like I am ripping them off (note: It is currently low season here, hence the relatively low price).
This is better than Bali minus the starry sky. Better even than Cambodia (faster Internet).
3. Indian/Bangladeshi are everywhere. It is very easy to get halal food around here. But you can say its very expensive.
4. I am giddy for what awaits me next morning. It definitely can only get better! 🙂
Oops… Did I hear someone speaking (shouting) in Malay? Dammnn.. Spoil my mood. I always don’t like meeting other Malaysian when I am on solo adventure. Most of the time I find them very shallow. Ok, better I stop now.
Need to sleep and run away from this noisy Malaysians (who apparently don’t know how to behave. Its 1 AM for God sake!)
Will report again tomorrow! 🙂
2nd Day Report, Solo Adventure to Phuket
1. Saya terlupa untuk mention satu kejadian unik malam semalam. Dalam perjalanan ke hotel dari airport, teksi yang saya naiki melalui sebuah kuil. Terkejut saya ketika itu melihatkan pemandunya menunduk dan merapatkan tangan ke dada (stereng dilepaskan) (kira-kir 30 saat).
It’s okay sebenarnya. I like & respect that. Ia menenangkan saya memberitahu saya tidak akan ditipu. Yalah, biasanya orang yang beragama danspiritual ni jarang membuat kerja yang bukan-bukan kan.
Having said that, immediately after landing, I need to find taxi to go to the hotel (taking about 45 minutes). Memang banyaklah “uat-ulat teksi” yang menawaran perkhidmatan teksi berbekalkan hanya sekeping kertas, senarai destinasi dan harga.
Namun dari pengalaman saya biasanya benda-benda macam tu memang medan penyembelihan pelancong. Jadi saya cuma katakan tidak dan pergi ke kaunter informasi. Namun nampaknya kaunter informasi tersebut memanggil ulatnya sendiri. Bukan menunjukkan tempat teksi bermeter.
Prinsip saya, kalau disembelih pun, biar disembelih sekali. Jangan disembelih 2 kali (sudah tentu ulat tersebut terpaksa memberi komisen kepada pegawai di kaunter informasi itu, jadi harga yang saya kena mungkin lebih lagi).
Saya ada terbaca mengenai kaunter teksi di luar airport melalui internet (namun saya lupa ia adalah untuk Phuket, Vietnam atau Guangzhou), jadi saya cekalkan hati. Nasib baik, intuition saya betul. Memang ada kaunter teksi di luar. Selamat 200 baht saya (perbezaan harga yang di publish-tidak termasuk “cukai2” lain).
2. Ada banyak benda hendak di buat di Phuket ni. I will definitely come again. Tak sempat hendak buat semua. Para gliding, white water rafting, elephant trekking, tour island dengan motorbike etc.
Memandangkan percutian saya ini untuk de-stress sahaja, jadi saya buat aktiviti-aktiviti “lembut” sahaja seperti berjalan-jalan. Pagi-pagi saya pergi membeli cenderamata. Dari pengalaman saya dapati pagi adalah time paling sesuai untuk shopping di negara Asia. “First customer” dianggap pembuka rezeki. Jadi waktu inilah kita boleh pulun harga minta diskaun.
3. Di sini ada banyak kedai tukang jahit. Thailand secara amnya memang dikenali sebagai tempat yang murah untuk buat suit. Saya masuk ke beberapa kedai untuk survey harga. Harganya tidak jauh beza dengan di Malaysia sebenarnya, namun dari pengamatan saya yang amatur ini, kualiti jahitannya lebih baik (dari kekemasannya).
Mula-mula saya tidak bercadang untuk menempah apa-apa. Tetapi saya teringatkan yang memang bulan ini saya ada sediakan peruntukan untuk membeli baju kemeja beberapa helai. Sebab rupanya 5 helai tak cukup. Jadi saya kata kepada diri saya sendiri, why not try gunakan peruntukan tersebut di sini. Di Malaysia nanti kena pergi shopping complex, sama juga.
Jadi saya pun tempahlah 2 helai kemeja dan satu seluar slack. Akan siap malam ini (less than 24 hours).
Nanti saya akan komen kualitinya. Seluar tu saya ada minta dia buat adjustment sikit. Kalau ok, memang selepas ini semua pakaian saya, saya akan buat di sinilah.
Harga yang saya dapat pula adalah berpatutan. I know I can get cheaper price. Sebabnya, kedai-kedai jahit di sini tiada mesin jahit. Yup! 🙂
Dan mereka kebanyakannya dimiliki oleh orang India, Bangladesh, Pakistan dan sedikit Thais.
Saya percaya yang mereka semua ni “out source” kepada satu tempat lain milik orang Thai sendiri.
Tapi dalam 20 kedai (ya,banyak betul!) yang saya lihat, semuanya tiada mesin jahit. Jadi saya tak lah push sangat mencari. Walaupun outsource, tetapi kalau harganya sesuai dengan bajet saya oklah. Saya datang bercuti bukan untuk membeli baju untuk particular sangat.
4. Petang ini saya telah mengenrollkan diri saya dalam kelas masakan Thai. Tak sabar nak belajar masak Tom Kha Gai (Tom Yam Santan). hehe.. Gembira betul saya bila terlihat iklan kelas masakan tadi. Terus saya cari dan daftarkan diri. Seronok acquire new skill ni. Satu cara untuk destress juga. 🙂
Oklah, saya rasa that’s all for now. Talk again soon!
2nd Day, 2nd Report
1. I believe I am a pretty competent bargainer. And being an entrepreneur myself, most of the time I can guess the cost of a product and negotiate a lower price successfully. And in some shops like the tailor in the previous report, I manage to get a very good price. (I went to a few tailors to establish the lowest price that theycan give me on average and buy from the tailor who can offer near that price)
2. But because of the item in Phuket sometimes is so illogically expensive, I made quite a costly mistake just now. I saw a bookmark sold for 120 baht. As I am used to see a free bookmark and the most expensive one just around RM 5 in Malaysia, immediately my brain said “Humm.. 120 baht=RM 1.20 , quite cheap.”
And my eyes moved upward. A small painting shows 380 baht and my eyes popped out. What? RM 3.80? This can’t be real! This is super cheap.
To be honest, I am not an artistic person. I can’t appreciate art. I don’t know how to differentiate Picasso and Pakcik So-so. But at RM 3.80 for a small painting? Well, that’s a cheap price to “mislead” people that I am into arts. People who are into arts are “elegant” people right? :p
So, using some of my last bahts, I bought the painting. I plan to put it in a very visible place in my cubicle so people will know I have an artistic taste. 🙂
On the way back, very pleased with myself for that purchase, I make a mental calculation of how much money I have left. And then the truth struck me.
DAMN! I just spend RM 38 on something I don’t even care.
Duh. I feel very stupid. I blame this on the RM 12 bookmark. I can’t believe a human sell a bookmark that expensive. People don’t even read books nowadays. We have Kindle and iPad dudes. Have you ever heard of supply and demand? You should sell bookmarks cheap because nobody are using it anymore! Grrr…
What a costly mistake that is.
Yeah, RM 38 might not be a lot you said, but it can still buy a lot of things I want here.
Looks like that’s a lesson learnt for me.
3. I attended the cooking class just now. I chose to learn how to cook Tom Kha Gai (Tom Yam with Coconut Milk) and Andaman Fried Rice. Tom Yam with coconut milk is something that I really want to learn how to do, but fried rice? I know some of you might question that choice. But I also want to learn to cook something easy which I can cook every day (if I wish to), hence the fried rice. Seeing my mom cook fried rice, I thought it is complex. I don’t know what to “tumis”.
However, I was pleasantly suprised. Thai fried rice is very easy to prepare actually. I think it is almost similar to Nasi Goreng Cina, but with more flavour. Both take less than 20 minutes to cook! 🙂
C ya again guys! 🙂
Final Report