Phuket, Phuket, Thailand
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Phuket was our first stop in Thailand. I have never seen as many tourists in Asia since the beginning of our trip. The majority of tourists seemed to be older (50's) white Europeans. It literally felt like everyone was a tourist when you walked on the beach or in the streets. Thailand is definitely not as cheap as I thought especially in those touristy spots and the locals quickly realized what their target customers' real buying power was. So the price of most activities, whether it's renting jet skis or a boat to go snorkel on an island, was comparable to what you would pay in the US or in Europe. Food and accommodation were definitely cheaper but not as cheap as I thought. It was actually cheaper in China and on par with Malaysia. Other than that we had to deal with too many locals trying to scam us for transport and food. We understand that it's the way they do it here and that it's not "a lot of money" for us "wealthier tourists" but it's not a pleasant feeling when you know you're being cheated. It was not as bas as in China but it still happened too often. We did not have to deal with that at all in Malaysia. Overall though Thai people are very friendly and warm. Transportation was not good on the island and we found that the best/cheapest way to move around was with a scooter (less than $7 for a day). Phuket has gorgeous beaches, amazing sunsets and a lot of cool attractions depending on your budget.
Jes
