PHUKET Part 2 - Elephants, Muay Thai & more - LOVE this place!
PHUKET – PART 2
DAY 34 – NOV 18 – PHUKET
NOVEMBER 18 MARKS THE HALFWAY MARK ON MY TRIP!
I have been homesick for my kids and family and home.
I started my day with a coffee and a sandwich from 7-11. When Jorg was in Phuket, her first day there she texted and asked me, ‘mom do you think I should go for a massage? They are everywhere here’. I said, yes for sure do it! An hour and a half later, I received her next text. ‘Mom all my cash is gone from my wallet’. She had all of the Thai Baht cash that she had brought to Thailand all in her wallet. When she went for the massage, the woman told her to leave her bag in a certain spot. They took all her cash. As a result, she found ways to survive on hardly any money in Thailand, such as 7-11 sandwiches, which cost 25 baht or $1 Cdn. I tried one today and it was not great. They do toast it for you at the counter but … I have been eating better than that for sure here. I also keep my wallet under me at every massage, lesson learned!
Went for an hour and half massage to my regular girl. She is prob late 50’s and tiny but she is unbelievable. I got a body scrub, then oil massage. This means a full body scrub, then I shower, then a full oil massage. They twist and contort every part of your body for full stretches. It is massage I didn’t know existed. Not super painful, just super helpful.
I went to a market to try their pork ribs. And I got noodles with vegetables. I went home early.
DAY 35 – NOV 19 – PHUKET
Today was a special day. I visited an ethical Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. What an unbelievable experience, literally cuddling with elephants. Mud bathing them, then swimming and then scrubbing them under a shower. Feeding them so much yummy food.
As stated on my social media, this sanctuary has done so much for elephants. I will copy and paste my post here.
They have rescued 100 elephants so far in the past 10 years. They rescue only domesticated elephants that were being used for labour, or in zoos, etc.. They have tried to return them to the wild, but only a tiny percent survives since they were born with humans. At this sanctuary, they have a vet on staff on the grounds 24/7. They measure and do a health check on each elephant every single day. They live on 40 acres here and have 4 locations. There are 27 elephants living at this Phuket location. They eat 16-18 hours per day and can eat 500kg per day, so this is why the health check is important. We took them through the mud bath, then for a swim, then for a shower. We fed them buckets and buckets of watermelon as well as a healthy mixture we handmade to feed to them.
Looking into the eye of an elephant is something else. I felt we made eye contact for a long time – really felt a connection. Quite an experience.
The employees there grabbed all of our phones and took photos and videos of us.
After all of that, one of the guides Eddie came and gave me an apron. I put it on unknowingly lol. Didn’t realize he would call me up as one of the cooks as they would teach us how to make Pad Thai. It was fun and it was yummy!
Since I lost my amazing water bottle in Cambodia, I went on the hunt for a new metal bottle in Patong after I was back from the Elephant Sanctuary. I searched every store (been looking all week). I walked to a massive mall across from Bangla Road. I found one super crappy store called Moshi Moshi that had one for $10. I bought it. An hour after I bought it, the handle basically broke off. I decided I will leave this bottle behind, not worth the $10!
I walked back and got some Fried ice cream. I chose coffee and blueberry flavours. It was ok.
Then I decided to visit the Bangla Boxing Stadium. It was mind-blowing. Starting the night were 95-pound 14 year olds violently kicking and punching each other. The coach of one of the kids, I have never seen anything like it. The harsh insane animated yelling into the kid’s face was impossible to watch. I posted one video of a much milder yelling than he did after the kid lost, which I did not get on video.
The rest of the matches were just as crazy. I believe I witnessed 3 knock-outs. The victor standing, cheering, celebrating a win as their opponent was laying on the floor in the ring beside them unconscious. It all seemed outrageous. We watched I believe 8 matches that night. I was there with a group from Spain. What a night, just WOW.
DAY 36 – NOV 20 – PHUKET
Walked around today for a few errands, took a grab motorcycle to a hair salon I had seen and got my hair washed, and styled.
It poured rain all day, so I cabbed it back home, got some pad thai from across the street and spent the rest of the day packing my bags for the morning, doing some work on my laptop and watching Christmas movies on Netflix.
I even watched one movie, looked back at the creds and to my surprise, a friend of mine from back home was the director on the movie I had just watched. Pretty cool.
DAY 37 – NOV 21 – KRABI
I went out to walk for a few errands this morning. Got a text from Kaylin, Jado’s best friend who is living in our house taking care of our cat – saying that Murphy was missing since the night before about 6pm. Oh great!!
It was cold in Kelowna, I started praying please for our cat to come home.
I took a Bolt to the bus station to catch a bus to Krabi. Just as I was getting there, Kaylin texted that Murphy came back home after about 30 hours in the cold. So, he is going to stay indoor now until Spring!! Too much stress to risk that again.
I got on the bus, the driver was super crazy mean screaming at everyone where to sit. Horking insanely loud and spitting out the door the entire 3 ½ hour bus ride from Phuket to Krabi. Disgusting! This is very common in Thailand, and most of the Asian countries I have visited.. many people do this anywhere, everywhere, loudly.
A young couple was placed on the seats beside me. We immediately started chatting and basically chatted almost the entire drive from Phuket to Krabi. Emma and Liam from Ireland. Been together 8 years, she is an accountant, he is an electrical engineer with masters degree.. both quit their jobs to travel and end up in Australia for a year to work. Radical!! Super kind people. We ended up on the same truck taxi to our hotels by Aonang Beach.
My AirBNB was a letdown. Not what I expected. Initial opinion, this could change.
PICS BELOW:
The Bangla Boxing match I went to - poster
My fave massage parlour, the far left oldest lady was my girl, incredible!
This lady made fresh BBQ all day every day, I bought a rib to try, super yummy
My room at Lub D Phuket - loved this place!
My noodle take out dish one night
Fruit platter I kept in my room for 100 baht ($4 Cdn)
I don’t remember the name of this fruit, was great!
A movie I watched on Netflix, then went back and realized my friend Paula was the director
When we got to the Elephant Sanctuary
They only give them fresh sweet watermelon, no spoiled watermelon. every day
Hannah was so lovely!
Feeding them watermelon was amazing
and hugs!
Just w the sign
Eddie teaching us that they measure the elephants every single day and check many things on each elephant each day as health checks
Rosie teaching us how to make a meal for the elephants
we got to mash it up and make them into balls for easy eating
Then we got to feed them
and hug them again
The vet clinic on site, 24/7
Hannah showing us how they recycle the elephant poop, wash it with shampoo and make it into paper. All proceeds go back to the elephants
Showers with elephants so amazing
Eddie was the best!
24-26 I was summoned to cook pad Thai for the group with another lady. so simple and yummy!
27 amazon delivery
28 Patong mall
29 searching all of Patong for a metal water bottle, this is the best I could find. no thank you!
30 a typical Patong street
31 a typical Patong scene. this man was prob 70+ yrs old. with a very young child and a Thai young Thai girlfriend with all the flirting, very sad to watch I wanted to take the thai girl and little one with me and hug them
32. this guy working - putting ice out for fresh seafood gave me a smile while working in humid heat so I took a pic, fresh cold food everywhere in huge heat
33 Marijuana available literally about every 20 steps in Thailand it seems
34-35 This sweet young man made me fried ice cream coffee and blueberry flavours
36-42 Bangla Boxing Stadium fights from 14 yr old Thai boys to International fighters, male and female - this sport was more aggressive than I realized but I am glad I went to witness this amazing sport. Note- celebrations beside opponent knockouts!
43 Patong Beach from one block out - great energy!
44 One quick shot of it seems 1000’s of shops like this in Patong. Some have 15 girls sitting, some have a few, some are dressed more risqué, some are all ages but a one hour massage costs about $10 Canadian
45 The massage place I frequented all week
46-47 Lying on a pool bed at Lub D Phuket, my home.. arrow showing my room for a week
48 A typical Patong street
49 A clinic I stopped in to ask a few questions a couple of times and chatted forever with these girls
50 My not so fancy lie down hair wash in Patong
51 She left the purple in forever so here’s my new color for the week lol
52 My amazing Grab driver named Wynn, who has 2 sons aged 21 and 23 who are both boxers in stadiums. She shared that she used to box in stadiums when she was younger. She was a tiny gorgeous girl! Wow, this culture is tough!
53 The view from my room at Lub D Phuket in Patong
