phuket

[BennyZen]

Planning to go there with wife on May/Jun. Any good recommendation for place where I can bring wife to watch 'Tiger' show safely at Patong beach area? And normally how much will they charge?

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 3 April 2007 :-

South Songkran fest lures tourists

The upcoming Songkran festival is expected to draw more foreign exchange income to the South with various activities planned to entertain tourists.

Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Southern Office Region 4, covering Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, Suvalai Pinpradub said yesterday that Phuket would host "Songkran: The Water Festival on the Beach" and "Phuket Bike Week 2007" to celebrate Songkran festival.

Highlights of the event include a Miss Songkran International 2007 that will allow foreigners to join the contest. Tourists will enjoy "Midnight Songkran" on the beach from 7pm until midnight and also other traditional Thai cultural events.

"We want both foreigners and Thai tourists to splash water on the beach to reduce traffic jams," she said.

The Big Bike event is forecast to draw more than 2,500 bikes from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the US and Europe. In addition, Big Bike riders from Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan, who have never been to Thailand, will join the activities.

A big concert will be arranged to celebrate the 120-year relationship between Thailand and Japan. Japanese popular singer Yamabuki Minato will join the show in Phuket. Members of her 100 fan clubs in Japan will follow her to watch the special concert.

Suvalai said the event is expected to generate Bt800 million in foreign exchange income.

So far, 90 per cent of hotel rooms in Phuket and Phang Nga have been booked.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[natto3]

hi, any bros going to be in phuket next week?

[Chinadream]

Dear All,

Have been reading this thread and would like to offer my few cents advice to all bros having fun in phuket. Firstly, I really wouldnt advise anyone to rent a car and drive alone. This is because firstly the road is quite hard to manoeuvre and confusing (I have been to phuket many times and even worked there for a while) and secondly you may be stopped by (corrupted) traffic police and asked for a bribe. Needless to say if you are drunk its quite impossible to drive as well. So always hire a tuk tuk or cab and negoitate for the best price.

Bangna, patong are touristy places therefore = many streetwalkers. If you dont mind its fine. But if you are adventurerous enough, go to phuket town. There are also several nice bar over there. My favourite is Jammin. Its something like hardrock cafe minus the tourist. Many thai youngsters, aged 16 - 20 plus would frequent this place. When i was working in phuket, i went there almost everynite. Made friends with the band and crew as well. The band plays there everynite, mixture of thai and english songs. If you like music its a good place to chill out. The SYT would come in groups and have fun.

One nite i was alone in the bar and one SYT came and sit next to me and offered me a drink. Out of courtesy, i declined but she kept pushing me the glass. So i bopian just drink a small sip (scared kena drug u know ). Who knows after that she grab my hand and pull me over to her group of friends and intro me to them! She said one of her friend likes me but too shy to go over so she help her!!!! ( wah lau in singapore its the other way round). Then i ordered some drinks and chatted with them. Then they say they wanted to go esle where to chiong and ask me to go along. I agreed but also cautious kena become "robert".

All together there are 5 girls and me. They drove me to a nearby bar and went upstairs to drink. Duno the name and the place looks like KTV!! I thought to myself, this time sure kena chop already. They then ordered jugs of beer and other drinks. By this time i was already quite marboh...the girl that like me knock out and one of her friends sit beside me and stroke my hair...kiss me, stroke my chest and put hand on my thigh....raba raba a bit.

When its time to bill, i offered to pay even though i know kena chop. When i query the amount why so expensive, my girl (by now) went to talk to the owner and they reduced the price. So i give my card and then.............


(To be continued)

[natto3]

waiting bro. which ktv?

[Chinadream]

Its not a KTV but like a high class lounge. But i find that its really not worth it to go KTV because picking up a girl is so easily in Phuket. Its even easier here than in China. Have a drink at a bar and you can have so many choices. My boss and I did go to some KTV but the action sucks. If I am not wrong its fantasy, another bro did mention in this forum. Pay the girls to strip but the stupid waiter/mamasan keep coming in to disturb and the girls are too shy to strip totally.

So back to my story. After i gave my card to sign it turn out the bill was SGD 70 for 2 jugs of beer and other miscellanous drinks. The girls decided to send me back. In the car, the girl sat beside me and we continue our intimate action at the back of the car. Two of their friends knockout already.
When the car reach my hotel, i ask the girl to escort me inside. She agreed and send me to my room. We kiss passionately outside and i told her to accompany me for the nite. She smiled shyly and said ok....called her friends to tell them to leave first and the rest is history.

Thats not the exciting part. The exciting part is that i never got charged for the SGD70 on my card. Serious! My boss later confirmed that coz it happen to him also.

I guess if you are adventurerous and careful, who knows what gives! If you are bringing GF or Wife, you can take them to Central shopping centre. Its like CK tang in Singapore. But its in town a bit far.

[Chinadream]

By the way there is another good and cheap eating place at phuket town - River corner. Its by the big drain. Ask the locals and they wld know. The waitress are sweet young things too and they are friendly. Can ask them out when they are not working.

Bro Natto3, can derive that you are a season farang in phuket. Ever tried Greenman restuarant near yacharlong?

[sassina2]

Originally Posted by Chinadream

Dear All,

Have been reading this thread and would like to offer my few cents advice to all bros having fun in phuket. Firstly, I really wouldnt advise anyone to rent a car and drive alone. This is because firstly the road is quite hard to manoeuvre and confusing (I have been to phuket many times and even worked there for a while) and secondly you may be stopped by (corrupted) traffic police and asked for a bribe. Needless to say if you are drunk its quite impossible to drive as well. So always hire a tuk tuk or cab and negoitate for the best price.

Bro.,

Sorry if I disagree here - just a difference of opinion.

While I have never worked on the island, I have been like going since 1987 till now and average a trip a month till lately.

Even on my first trip, I rented a car from Khun Prawej of Pure rent a car and nowadays use David more.

Provided your topo is decent and use one of the many maps given free, it should not be difficult.

Driving at least 20% slower and carefully helps to keep you out of trouble and observe the rule "BIG IS RIGHT".

And when drunk, don't drive of course although I have often broken the rule myself many times.

Over the years, I have had two minor accidents when drunk.

1) Came out of a Patong Karaoke once with a puying and turned the wrong way down what was a one-way street. A bike hit me and lucky the speed was slow, Big Crowd came round and so did the tourist police. He took my key, put me in a tuk tuk and headed for hotel to sleep over the incident. Reported to police station next day with Khun Prawej the car rental owner and the insurance man. Waste some hours but everything turned out OK with the biker slapping me (as instructed by the police officer), a commitment by the insurance man to pay the damages and a small tip to the biker of 3000 bahts.

In other words, the tourist police saved me and Khun Prawej really went out of the way to get me out of trouble for which I am forever grateful despite my drunkedness.

Moral of the story, be nice and stay cool whatever if you want to be adventurous!

2) A bike hit me in Phuket town one late night while overtaking me on the left. Got out to settle matter and he got loud and started to demand a hefty sum. Tourist police came round, listened to both of us, asked me to give the guy 1000 bahts and told him to get lost.

Again, the tourist police proved to be helpful and good to tourist.

Till today, the above were two incidents of all my drunked driving around Phuket for many occasions and years.

I am not encouraging others to take as much risk as me, but if you don't do drunked driving, use a map and be courteous and stay inside the law, you should be OK.

Why do I drive? Because I am independent, have a distaste for tuk tuks and taxis in most countries who mostly like to treat us like fools and earn commissions etc.

Its also the best way to know your way around and get the most out of any place.

Cavaets.

If you are the nervous type, lousy driver and topo king, better stick to taxis and tuk tuks and "pay the price". Its lousy but what can you do.

If you are typical "kiasu" stay at home in Singapore. The MIW will take care of you till graveyard at your cost! Why bother to take any risk at all.

Sorry it may sound a bit "arrogant" but, the beauty of going oveseas is that we can be "free and easy" and really live and let live.

So long as we are witty and keep cautiously attentive, we will survive the experience. Stay low key and respect the locals and things will be fine. It helps to get into the local social circles when you visit of course.

On Jammin, I understand that the Band broke up and the place is not that hot these days but that was news about two months ago! Today, I don't know. It was also my favourite place cos I liked the atmosphere. I have cut back on Phuket for a lack of time and then, there is China and other parts of Thailand to enjoy too!

My favourite was more Timber Rock which was better when it was run by the original owner who perished in the Tsunami. Today, the brother runs it and its less good!

[Chinadream]

Sassina,

Its ok to disagree. You are probably right to say that its better to drive than tuk2. But if some bro is first time there i will worry for them especially if they drive over the hill to phuket town. And at night its even worse. You should know what i mean.

[natto3]

bro sassina, you drunken driver lah! when were you sober after dark?
it is generally safe to drive aroud in phuket and you can't really get lost as it is a small island with few large roads. the highways are all marked clearly in thai and english.
there is one spot on the way from phuket town to patong at kathu just outside the police station where there is a permenant road block. be sure to carry some form of identification when you come to town or be ready to pay a drive fine. it happened to me and had to call some police friend to bail me out.
if you read my thread one of the main points is NEVER argue with the police.
they are always willing to listen but not by an aggressive or drunken driver who thinks he's not at fault. the other is never insult the royal family. someone might shoot you and no one saw it happen.

[natto3]

Originally Posted by Chinadream

By the way there is another good and cheap eating place at phuket town - River corner. Its by the big drain. Ask the locals and they wld know. The waitress are sweet young things too and they are friendly. Can ask them out when they are not working.

Bro Natto3, can derive that you are a season farang in phuket. Ever tried Greenman restuarant near yacharlong?

the green man? it's an irish pub. there is a german restaurant on the hill after the shooting range run by a german married to a thai. is that the one?
the river corner is a beer garden that starts after 1.00am and on till 6am. this joint is frequented by locals working in the night scene and they go there to let go steam. the other one nearby is james garden on soi 7 near pun pon. there are many of these in town also. uni and high school students like to patronise the one near the lemongrass restaurant.

[sassina2]

Originally Posted by Chinadream

Sassina,

Its ok to disagree. You are probably right to say that its better to drive than tuk2. But if some bro is first time there i will worry for them especially if they drive over the hill to phuket town. And at night its even worse. You should know what i mean.

In earlier days when the roads after midnight were mostly empty after midnight, I did Phuket town to Patong Beach where I used to stay very fast.
Timed the fastest at 23minutes in a Suzuki Jeep. I don't believe anyone can beat that time today even if in a car! And, I don't recommend anyone to even try even while the roads are better except that there is much more traffic!

After the two accidents, I stopped staying on the beach and now stay only in Phuket town so I go to the beach in the day time and by night, I am in town most times!

By the Canal (not River), other than St James, the most popular place was Fever Corner which was better when the old boss was there. Now, he's sold out to his partners and moved elsewhere cos he "let off a round" when drunk one night and was advised to leave town being an outsider from near Bangkok! You are right, the pretty waitresses can be "tackled" but you know what time they close? About 5-6 am in the morning!

On drunked driving, there was one night when I sent two birds from the University back (after failing to persuade them to spend the night) near Kathu. Two hours later, I "awoke" and found myself driving on the main road to the airport near Thalang town. In other words, I had been driving in my drunkedness for almost two hours after dropping off the girls and still moving. Sobered up, I turned the car around and headed back to my hotel in town finally!

Next morning, when returning the car, the owner pointed out to me a small dent which I did not remember incurring. Fortunately, I was totally covered by CDW and he just said, don't worry, you are covered! (of course, if you have really bad accident and crashed etc etc, ) drunked driving screws up whatever insurance you had bought!

Why do I do it?

Cos, most times, I can get away with it in Thailand! They say a cat has 9 lives, I am a big Cat!

It's not an invitation to others to follow. If you keep safe and don't drink and drive, you will be more than OK.

[natto3]

bro sassina, where you now. i was hoping to make a trip to hkt before i go to china on the 8th june. you around?

[Botarbolampar]

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[natto3]

was in phuket for a few days. rained all the time as the wet season has desended on phuket. town was deserted except for a few nite spots. chic resto rocks.