Thursday 2/7/15 - Patong

It was our sixth night in Phuket and there were only two more nights after tonight until we had to go home. I had recovered from a 6/10 hangover from the night before (it was probably only really a 5 but my energy reserves were running dangerously low, so the symptoms were exacerbated). We were back in Seduction for the fifth time on our trip. I was having a good night but I was wary of Jas' water intake as he had beaten me twice in the nightly water challenge; I wouldn't let this happen again.

I was feeling good and very alert. I was in control and having a good time. Jas and the other boys were chasin' sherp so to speak; this was my chance to capitalise. Seduction, the club we had discovered nearly 5 years earlier, at a time of youthful exuberance and reckless abandon, a club I knew well. I hit my fourth drink and I knew that it was time to make a move. Jas was eyeing off the crowd, relaxing, enjoying the music etc and most importantly, not paying attention to me at all. I veered out of sight and down the stairs back onto Bangla Rd. I purchased a 1.5L bottle of water from a supermarket and decided to keep heading down Bangla Rd towards the beach as it seemed like a nice walk. It was quieter down this end.

I crossed the road onto the sand and continued walking. It was warm but there was a slight breeze. It was relatively late and there were only a few people left on the beach. I started to walk a bit further and closer to the water as it looked so nice. I don't know if it was the fresh air, or the sound of the waves but I suddenly felt emotional. It wasn't just nostalgia, thinking about the first night I had ever been to this beach, but I felt so invigorated as well and overcome with so much vitality. I was remembering the times we had spent on this beach back between 2010 & 2012, lighting fireworks with strangers; walking back to the hotel every night in the early hours of the morning when the streets were empty and so quiet; sitting at the bar at the entrance to our hotel talking and having pre-drinks etc. I stood there for a while in silence, just thinking. I felt so content and didn't know if I wanted to go back to Seduction and draw out my night. I decided to catch a moped home; I was so happy (hydrated too)!

I caught a motorbike back to the hotel and walked through the empty lobby and stairs, back to our hotel room on the fourth floor. I made it to our room and ended up crying a little. I posted something vague on Instagram and fell asleep with the tv on. Jas made it home not too long after. It was a good night.

Saturday 27/6/15 - Perth airport, Phuket & Bangla Rd

It had been almost 3 years since I had been on a holiday. I had been working pretty hard and needed some time away from the computer. The last holiday I had gone on was to Phuket (big surprise) in November 2012. I went with Will, Toby, Sull and Chesty and soon after arriving back from this holiday I had to face some big changes. The changes were: leaving our beloved house in Wattle Grove; and biting the bullet and finding a full-time job as my days as a Toll drifter were coming to an end.

Jas and I had been discussing holidays for six months or so and this would usually only happen when we were out on a Saturday night. Life was busy and you don't always have time to talk during the week. Jas had suggested destinations such as Morocco and Russia - these were not practical and not what I was looking for. We had discussed places close as well like South-East Asia so Phuket was definitely on the cards.

One night we were out and we were with two guys we new from footy and from the many nights that we spent at Yaya's Bar in Northbridge. They had gone to Phuket a few weeks earlier for a 30th birthday and liked it a lot and were considering going again sometime soon. We considered the idea and decided to meet up at The Royal two Fridays later to discuss details. We followed this up and the morning after our Rendezvous we booked our flights.

Saturday 27/6/15

Our flight was early so Dad dropped me off at the airport by 0730. Jas and I both had suitcases but CK and LV both only had backpacks. Kelmar was also hungover and sleep deprived from the night before; Jas, LV and myself were all feeling pretty good. 

My excitement didn't kick in until after we checked in and started browsing through the various duty free stores. I am normally a zen master but I felt inclined to purchase something as the merchandise and the store fronts are always so inviting. I didn't need anything but when there are that many bottles of alcohol and cologne together, the urge is just too overwhelming. I purchased a one litre bottle of vodka in case I needed some courage before heading out onto Bangla Rd at night. A younger SD would have had no problem consuming this but I had a feeling that I would never actually drink any. My gut was right.    

6 hours later
We were getting close now and we were all feeling more alert and lively. There was a middle aged man sitting next to me so I couldn't quite see out of the window. I caught glimpses of the many small islands and they were looking green, the water, viridescent. There were the small fishing boats too so I knew we were getting close. 

Touchdown, 220pm Phuket time - warm and humid. The sun was intense too so I had to take my jumper off. We were the first through immigration so all we had left was to grab our luggage (well at least Jas and I did). This is where I started to get excited.

We grabbed our bags and headed out of the airport. We went out the front and it was fairly humid and somewhat busy. Kelmar had organised a taxi with a local he knew from earlier. We jumped into the taxi and left. The journey to our hotel was fairly quiet; perhaps because it is not always that comfortable (I get motion sickness) and took about 45 minutes. We drove past the golf course and all the smaller villages which brought back many forgotten memories of the times when we had come here in the past to have a few drinks and take it easy. I realised that a lot had changed since then. Back then we were primarily interested in drinking and going to nightclubs every night until the early hours of the morning. They were good days but I knew that that time had since past.

We arrived at the hotel about 4pm Phuket time. The weather was nice, a little humid and about 31 degrees. I didn't realise our hotel was actually in Patong - when I had done my research before we left, I was viewing the website of the wrong hotel. The hotel was very large and the lobby was at the top of a large set of stairs which go down to the road which runs perpendicular to Bangla Rd. We sat down and had our complementary beverages and paid for our accommodation. We were then ushered up to our rooms on the fourth floor. It was a Saturday afternoon and it was a nice feeling to be in a new place without the distraction of work or the other usual burdens.

Our room was nice and overlooked the pool. Jas' focus shifted to the free wifi and he was eager to connect his phone to check out Facebook and Instagram to check the boys in. I couldn't get on the internet but I didn't really care anyway, I did however need my phone to take photos to prove that I was actually there.. quite the dilemma. I turned on the tv; I was very excited. I was not disappointed. 80 channels would do the job. I left the tv on one of the music channels (it was probably Fashion TV) and started to unpack and freshen up. It must have been about 430pm Phuket time by now which means Saturday night footy was about to start. The plan was to head down to the Aussie Bar on Bangla to grab something to eat and watch some sport.

We left the hotel and walked down our road for about 800 metres or so. It wasn't busy but it was certainly busier than I had anticipated. There were the usuals i.e. older western blokes, quite tanned and wearing singlets with slogans like "Sherpin' n sheilas - Welcome to Bangla" (these guys are always funny to watch as it as if they are in heaven. There were some younger people too similar to our age or slightly younger. Many with the attitude "I'm in Phuket and I can do whatever I want", they are usually quite tanned and often wearing bright colours. The locals and merchants were friendly like always and they liked the look of me as they thought I was an easy target.. they might have been right.

We turned right on Bangla towards the Aussie Bar which is about 60% of the way down. I was harassed by several sunglass salesmen whilst I was looking for a pair of cheap sunnies to wear. I purchased a paid of Prada glasses and paid a fair amount for them because they need the money more than I do. They followed us all the way to the Aussie Bar as they were under the impression that I was going to let them borrow my real sunnies so they could replicate them. We walked up the stairs of the Aussie Bar and grabbed a table. The place had not changed since the first time we came year back in 2010. The place was fairly busy, 90% occupied by other Australians as you would expect. Aussie wearing singlets and drinking beer and also watching sport. I watch a lot of sport so I was quite content, I couldn't get over though, how many people were playing on their phones. Literally two thirds of the patrons there. Each to their own I guess.. right? Soon it was time to leave so we could get ready for the night ahead. The atmosphere had picked up and Bangla was starting to fill up. I noticed that our old friend Seduction had moved across to the other side of the road and it had become quite conspicuous. Gee, this was an old throw back.

We arrived back at the hotel and went for a quick swim. The pool was enormous and unoccupied as it was about 830pm. Everyone else was having or already would have had dinner; I guess you could say this was the time when hotels can become quiet. The pool was amazing and relaxing but we were running out of time so we got out and had a proper meal at the nightly dinner buffet. It was Asian themed night and there was a lot of food and no one left there to compete for it except for us. This was a good meal. We got ready (rushed albeit) and finally headed out to Bangla Rd to see where our night would take us. It was about 10pm at this time.

It was dark and warm and Bangla road was quite lively.

The tuk-tuks were pumping dance music as they drove around and everyone was upbeat as it was a Saturday night. There were some new places on Bangla which I wasn't aware of and then of course there were the places which were still running strong. When I was younger, we went to Seduction a lot. I wasn't sure if I would want to go back or if there would be other places to try. Kelmar and Vesper strongly suggested we go into Seduction, Jas liked the appeal (it was the most popular club), I said "okay".

We headed in. The nightclub had only one level but you have to go up stairs to get to it. It is fairly big with an outside balcony as well. The music was loud and there was lots of second hand smoke. Anyway, we were given the ticket / promo card for the unlimited drink re-fill special. I chose to drink from a bucket instead of a small cup, bad move. I got the bucket filled with vodka & soda. The place was pretty busy so I got carried away and drank my first bucket fairly quickly. More and more people started to come in and I kept on drinking. I was wary that I had past my normal quota of 4-5 drinks and I was starting to feel it. I decided to go back to the hotel and change my shirt. I left Seduction and jumped on the back of a moped and asked the driver to drop me off at the hotel. I put on my long-sleeve cricket shirt which I've had since I was about 14. This shirt had a high comfort level and was very versatile. I had been wearing it around the house for the last 12 months and I felt that I could wear this in Phuket without judgement and nightclub bouncers etc wouldn't care. I left the hotel and walked back to Bangla Rd. I went back inside Seduction and had some more to drink.

I was wary that the sherp would hit me soon so I decided to stop drinking. I was enjoying the night, I hadn't really been in many nightclubs for a while except Tigerlil's which is not as big and not as loud or busy. 

LV paid for me to funnel a Bacardi Breezer. Part of me wanted me to walk away as I don't really drink RTDs anymore and I had already drank enough, the other part encouraged me to challenge myself and skull the drink. I knelt down and funnelled the Breezer.

I was way past my quota and had pushed my liquid intake to the limits. I purchased a bottle of water and drank that quick to offset the other alcohol. I then purchased another bottle. Vesper challenged me to skull the bottle of water and he would skull the rest of his drink; it was difficult to say no. Both of us shouldn't have done this. After all liquid I had just consumed, I knew I had gone too far. I had no other real option but to use the technique my brother had taught me in a nightclub in Florence over 7 years earlier when I was only 19. I went to the toilets and made myself vomit up as much as I could. It worked well.

I had just vomited (tactical albeit) so I decided to call it quits and leave. It was late and I was tired so I decided to go home (it was about 1am). I woke up with a hangover the next morning but it was only really a headache. The following morning was one of the two mornings I woke up with a respectable hangover (I only had a headache) but I still made breakfast. Jas wasn't too bad; the other two, Vesper especially were not too good.

Sunday 28/6/15 - Patong & Bangla Rd

Sunday 28/7/15

It was a Sunday and 9am at that. I awoke with a headache from the night before, even after I had taken 2 panadols before I fell asleep. Jas was awake too so we headed downstairs to have some breakfast and build up our energy. I thought we would see the two others there but this would not be so. The breakfast room was next to the far end of the pool and not far from the gym as well. It was a big room with a lot of food to choose from. I kept to my vows and had my standard breakfast of rice-related products, a few eggs and fruit etc. It was quite busy but not many of the crowd were of similar age (maybe one or two groups). Most of the people there were Chinese, Arabic or young Aussie families. Jas and I would have been there for a good 40 minutes and then headed back to the room.

Jas wanted to go to the markets so we left the hotel and went for a walk. It was 10am, overcast and a bit humid. This was one of the few times I'd actually been on the streets at this time in the morning. In earlier years when I had come to Phuket I was still in bed at this time as I used to drink more at that stage of my life. We walked all the way to Jung Ceylon which was not yet open but there were quite a few people standing out the front waiting to go in.

We walked further down the road, past many places which we had visited before. There was the place where I had gone before to get facials - I liked this experience because it was so relaxing and revitalising. We went into the markets - we used to come here to buy clothes, handbags (mine was for my mum and not me) and check out sunglasses too. Between each row of stalls were small bars - these could get quite busy at night (and even during the day) with men who just wanted to drink beer and relax. These bars were not seedy but they were always interesting to watch.

We crossed the road to The Hard Rock Cafe which was a revered place which we had patronised on the last night of each visit. It was starting to get fairly hot now so I had to load up on more sunscreen. We were finally on Phuket Beach road now and it seemed to get a little busier. We could see the ocean now and we started to pass other places of importance i.e. Hungry Jacks (Whoppers), The Holiday Inn (we had lunch there once with two other Perth locals), more and more markets and then we reached Banthai. This was the hotel we used to stay at and we all very fond of this hotel, not just because of the memories but also because it was just such a great location.

There was Banthai which was at the end of a driveway off the main road so it was quiet and also inconspicuous. Then at the front there were Starbucks, McDonald's, a Mexican restaurant, a steak house, a pharmacy, a franchise pizza shop, an Irish pub and an outdoor cocktail bar. I liked the vodka bar the best: it was small and simple but it was my favourite place to have a cocktail each night before heading onto Bangla Road.

We kept walking and passed Banana Bar which was a lone nightclub across from the beach. It was from enough away from Bangla Rd that it didn't attract the attention of some of the roudier types. This was the first nightclub I had ever been in Phuket. 

Soon we turned onto Bangla and then soon we were back at Jung Ceylon.

Jung Ceylon hadn't changed much since I had been here last but I still liked it and it was still the focal point of Patong (during the day anyway). It is always so lively and there are many places to eat. Jas and I didn't buy anything, only looked around and soon headed back to the hotel to see if the others were awake. 

Time lapse - 6 hours pass (sleep, tv, Aussie Bar, food, pool and gym)

The second night soon arrived. We had spent a bit of time in the pool during the evening mucking around until it became dark. This was a big pool and I guess it is really the focal point of the hotel (Yes I know I've used this term twice in the last two paragraphs). People always come and go and all have their own routines, dictated by time or habit. You get to see a lot of people though and you can get an idea of the type of people who are staying at the hotel.

We had been in the pool for at least an hour; it was getting dark and most people were having dinner or were getting ready to head out. There was one, strange Iranian boy who had been causing trouble in the pool by approaching others and mumbling incoherent noises. We referred to him as "Golem" and he had stolen a lot of the balls we were using to play basketball with. LV launched a ball at him as the whole pool watched... he was startled and soon left the pool. This would not be our last encounter with Golem. 

It became dark and the pool was being closed for the night so we headed back to our rooms to get ready for the night ahead.

Jas turned all the lights off in our room except for the flourescent ones which made our room look like a nightclub. Fashion TV or one of the music channels was on the tv in the backround. We had a shower, I put on some fluorescent Phuket shorts and a generic Phuket tee-shirt. Vesper and Kelmar were both ready so we met outside our rooms and headed to the lift. We got out of the lift and walked through the lobby and down the stairs and onto the road. The atmosphere was lively again and it was warm but not too hot. We walked past all the usual Thai people on the road (i.e. the ladies who worked in the massage parlours, the men offering Tuk Tuks everywhere and the merchants trying to sell you clothes and souvenirs).



We went to The Pizza Co. for dinner at the top of Bangla Rd and across from Jung Ceylon. I don't really eat pizza anymore so I only had an appetiser. After dinner it was about 930pm and it was time to walk the gaunlet that is Bangla Rd. We walked halfway down it and turned left down one of the small side roads. I was hungry so I made everyone wait whilst I had a Thai curry for dinner. So we had all finally had dinner and were ready to "hit the sherp", so to speak. Kelmar and Vesper had convinced Jas and I to play beer pong for pre-drinks. I had never played this game before. We continued further down the alleyway which seemed vaguely familar but I wasn't sure why. At the end of the road on the left was a Swedish bar called "Stockholm Syndrome". We went inside and it was empty except for a few young Scandanavians and a bartender and English club promoter... I had to think for a second but then I realised that this was the place that use to be called "The Viking Bar"... no way! The same place that we had spent a lot of time at three years earlier! This was so strange.

It was getting close to 1030pm now so it was time to leave. We walked back to Bangla where I was harrassed by a Burmese tailor who tricked me into coming back the following night to buy a suit as I am a man of my word. We kept walking and ended up at Seduction again and did the drink special as we had done the night before (and would do for every other night for the rest of the trip). This time I opted for the cup option instead of the bucket; I think Jas chose the bucket. This was one of the times when I stand there drinkin' my sherp quietly, I wait there until I see an opportunity to leave and go somewhere else.

My night was short-lived. I had told Jas that I was going to go exploring for a while and come back to Seduction later. When I left the other 3 had followed me. I didn't really have a plan and was just walking around seeing what was out there. We ended up going into a Russian stripclub for a bit. The dancers were hassling us for money and people started to get angry. I did the polite thing and had a lap dance from one of the women. It was good. We left. The crew headed back to Seduction for the late run, I was fair dinkum sherp'd off so I just went back to the hotel. I watched some tv and my night soon ended; I fell asleep. When I was awoken late in the night, Jas was in a bad way. The next morning would be a challenge for him.