Sun + Sand = Heaven on Earth (Part 1)

Hello everyone..this is a really long delayed post from me talking about my holiday abroad in Phuket, Thailand.

There are some important things I learnt while I was in Thailand and that was anything to do with 'kah' is for girls and 'kap' is for guys (and 'ha' is for..the inbetweens) ..so I had to be really careful not to insert the wrong suffix if not I'll be viewed differently..and also the most IMPORTANT phrase I learnt there is 'MAI BEIT' which loosely translates to 'no spicy' ..and believe me their 'no spicy' is spicy like nobody's business!!!

So here's the typical response from me to any person in Thailand...

Convo start :

Me : " Savadikah" (while holding my hands in the wai postion..wai is the act of positioning both palms facing each other flat in front of your chest as a sign of respect to people elder than you and according to our tour guide for one day, Wee, Savadikap/kah can be used for a greeting at anytime of the day..or to put it in his words "use for good morning good afternoon goodnight good evening and hello goodbye thank you..." can you say "lolz?")

Person : " Kap/kah"

End of convo

What a marvelous conversationalist I am..and here's the typical way I order things to eat there..

Me : * Points to whatever they have there * Mai Biet..how much?

Person: " *Points to price * *speaks something thai*

Me : *nods head*  Ka Boon Kah (thank you..for guys it's Ka Boon Kap)

Needless to say....I wasn't really popular there..so in the end we ( me and sis ) resorted to using the F language to speak or just speaking in Chinese..but since there were a lot of Asians touring Phuket at that time and we didn't want to be overheard gossiping..so we just used F language a lot...irritated the crap out of my bro..X)

So Phuket...is actually Thailand's largest island and the size of it is approximately like Singapore..woo..the 1st day there we toured some of the famous landmarks in Phuket island itself and we went island hopping throughout the duration of the next few days..Also the main income of Phuket now is tourism though it used to be in the form of tin and rubber..and yeah Phuket was badly affected by the Tsunami in 2004 but it's really rebuilt now..really beautiful...

So onwards with the pictures and the long winded stories that accompanies each picture..=)

This is actually me after I finished packing for the trip..I actually told my friend that I could finish my packing in 20 mins or so..but it took me a freaking hour and a half to get it done..cause I was fretting about the amount of clothing to take ( I actually lay them all out on my bed before I headed down to use the com and it took up half of my bed so as you can see I was trying to NOT exceed the 15 kg limit)..and trying to fit all the odds and ends into my hand carry..the time when I took this pic was 4 am and my taxi to the airport was due at 5 am so that leaves me and hour to rest..I have amazing time management..

The 1st stop was to the Pearl Factory  in Phuket..there we were taken on a guided tour around the small showroom..the guide was a middle aged lady well versed in the pearl industry so she could tell us a lot of information about cultured pearls and the different types of cultured pearls which I will try my best to re-tell here..( I kinda forgot some details)

The first bit of information that I remembered was how to differentiate the real pearls from the fake ones..apparently if you have many pearls side by side all you need to do is rub the pearls together..if there is a sandy chalky feel to it then it's a real pearl ( the sandy feel is due the the calcium carbonate CaCO3 which is found on the surface of the pearl) whereas if it's a fake pearl when you rub them together it will produce a smooth feeling..if you have one singular pearl..rubbing it against your teeth will produce the same effects.

So there are 3 main pearls that can be cultured and they are Mabe Pearls, Akoya Pearls and South Sea Pearls the difference between all 3 of them is the different type of oyster that produces each pearl I think..not too sure about that..anyway cultured pearls are so called that because they require man's assistance in forming the pearls by injecting an already made nucleus into the inner shell or into the oyster itself to irritate it so that it secrets the cyst to get rid of the irritation or to aide in its healing process..and tadah! A pearl is formed!

She also did mention the value of the pearl lies in the luster of it..You'll have to see to know and judge..Go google image pearls people~

So this I think are the Mabe pearls they are only half pearls and when they remove this sort of pearls the oyster has to die along with the removal of the pearl as it is embedded into the inner shell.

The man made nucleus which is inserted into the oysters.

These pics are all of the different type of oysters..but I can't name them anymore..and different type of pearls have different success rates...so some are quite hard to produce..

This I think has the highest success rate out of all three..

And this one I think takes the longest..

*next time I'll jot in down* =(

Some jewelery made out of pearls 

This was taken in the showroom before I was banned from taking pictures..the weird flat like shape of the pearl was produced when they injected irritant in this form.

Wooo...but I don't like pearl jewelery..><

Half pearls

Since we reached Phuket at 8 something am Thai time and for us it's about 9 something am we were naturally feeling a bit peckish in spite of our God knows what time breakfast of McD at the airport..so we asked our tour guide to take us to eat something yummy and he recommended a really good fish ball place nearby

I SEE CHINESE WRITING!

This were really good but since I overloaded on the dry chili( It slipped out of my chopsticks while I was hovering over the dry chili) which you can see at the side of the plate I couldn't really taste anything much after the 1st fishball..and I was crying and snot was running down ( not a pretty sight at all!) My tour guide warned me to watch what I eat and if it's too spicy I'd better not chance it as it can affect my vision if it's really toooooo spicy..zomg..he said..'you'll get cloudy vision'

This is actually beef soup ( beef meat with beef balls and beef intestine) and it's HEAVENLY!

It's located opposite the fish ball noodles store and you can order it and bring it over to eat..it's really nice..the soup is just really bursting with flavours due to the meat and spices they use..if you like eating beef noodles (ngau lam mein in Petaling Street) this dish is really the dish for you!

The really nice fish ball noodle soup! The soup is cheng tong ( or as we call it 'clear soup') and it has a distinctive flavour..the fishballs were springy and does not have a strong fishy taste at all..I ordered the bihun (vermicelli) and the texture was just nice..not to hard and not to mushy it really complimented the soup and the fishballs...perfection..

Then we headed of to the gem stone factory and it apparently is the biggest one in Phuket (Wang Talang International Lapidary) ..but I do think that I have visited a similar one in Bangkok waaay back in 2004 so I was really not interested anymore..but the sight of the craftsmen working still wows me..the precision and dedication...nice job but you have to be prepared to sacrifice your nails..

Anyway due to my confusion on whether I could take pictures or not..there's an embarrassingly lack of pictures here..so you'll have to go there for yourself to know what I'm talking about..

Apparently here is where you can get a really famous coloured gem known as the Yellow Sapphire which is just below the Diamond and Ruby (another gemstone Thailand is famous for..the Ruby)..it is supposed to symbolise wealth and power so apparently many Chinese businessman like this particular gemstone...

For me diamonds are still the way to my heart XD especially rose coloured diamonds set in white gold ( even if white gold has no resale value due to it being an alloy =(  ) 

Then is was off to the Cashew nut factory which is my ABSOLUTE favourite stop of the whole tour! (cause you get to sample all the yummy cashew nut ready made goods..om nom nom nom nommmieee!)

And this is the pic of unroasted Cashew nuts in its natural form..They actually employ people to manually crack open the nuts..it cannot be cracked open by machine due to the fact that each nut has a unique shape and thus making it hard for a machine to crack it every time..imagine producing a machine with hundreds of mold to fit into every different cashew nut fruit...@@..so they will employ housewives or any other person really to open up the fruit by hand..thus providing them with extra income..great huh? Thus eat more Cashew nuts people...and also Thailand is one of places with the best cashew nuts due to its climate..I bet you didn't know that.. :K

This is what it looks like after the outer shell has been removed

This drink is made from the fruit of the cashew nut..in the 1st place the fruit could not be consumed as it brings about many allergic reactions within the human body but they have devised a way to removed the allergy causing substance hereby harnessing the fruit and thus able to create a juice out of it so they don't waste any part of the cashew nut fruit!..and it has a crazy lot of health properties to aide us humans and also a good source of antioxidants..

The drink I'm clutching is made out of cashew nut cordial mixed with soda..it tastes..WONDERFUL..perfect drink for a hot day..and plus it's healthy..what more can you ask for?

It's 20 THB

The mind boggling amount of Cashew nuts..

The huge roaster

And this is what a cashew nut fruit looks like cept this is a fake fruit attached to a real tree..go figure..in the words of the guide " those Americans they don't know the difference so we just attach the fake fruit" 

GO FIGURE!

The bottom part is where the Cashew Nut really is..

Then we visited a ( get this ) T SHIRT WHOLESALE FACTORY! woot! Being a tshirt lover I really looked forward to it..but it's more of a place where you purchased t shirts at a cheaper price..so not exciting..but I did get one shirt...:K...and all the designs are original..no photos cause..I didn't know if I could take them or not..better not risk it..

So after that we zoomed off to Wat Chalong...it's Phuket's most beautiful and certainly the most famous monastery..the interior was too dark..so all the pictures didn't come out nice and I am too lazy to edit them all..but take my word for it..'WOW'

This is the entrance to The Grand Pagoda..it already is very impressive just looking at it..

and apparently according to the Internet it is where the splinter of Lord Buddha's bone is..and the real name of the Pagoda is  Phramahathatchedi-Jomthaibarameepragat...

er...let's just call it the Grand Pagoda shall we?

There were many paintings on the wall and it's only now that I know that it's depicting the Buddha's life story. Oops.

Use my tour guide as a measure to just how big it is..he's the one in the shirt there 

This is the fragment of the bone I think..the guide did mention something about a phosphorus Buddha statue but I can't seem to remember..if I find any additional info I'll update this post again..

This is the view you can get at the highest point of the pagoda and here is the numerous halls around Wat Chalong ( wat=temple)

It's a miracle I did not tumble backwards..the stairs are si beh steep

Why I love sunlight sometimes~

After taking the beautiful view and seeing all the breathtaking statues inside the temple we decided to pray to the gods to show our respect...so each of us donated 20 THB and we were given joysticks..a candle..3 gold leaf ( to be glided unto the statues of the monks/abbots) and a flower..so being erm prayer noobs ..we had to be guided by our tour guide on various procedures..so after praying we attached the gold leaf unto the statues..it was quite a funny process as the tour guide only had time to teach me about the accurate procedures..mom left with the gold leaf all stuck unto her palm..

So it was then my siblings and I decided to menilik nasib (sort of like getting your fortunes told) and this prediction is for the next 3 months of my life..so I had to kneel in front of a statue of a god and shake a holder filled with sticks with numbers written on them until ONE stick falls out ..then I had to get approval by throwing 2 pieces of coconut shell simultaneously in the air..and if they fall on different sides approval is granted..if they fall on same sides..approval is NOT granted...so then I had to take my fortune according to my number..

My fortune was 中签..which is an average fortune..the details are a little..depressing ( be careful in business...discuss more with elders...no additional wealth...marriage is tumultuous..court case will lose...but my luck will change at the next step and wealth and happiness will once again enter my life) My tour guide told me I can put the fortune back and pray to the gods to change my luck but I told him 'come what may' =) I believe that's true..no matter how bad my luck or life is I will just have to accept that..it's going to make me stronger and more resilient in life and this probably will teach me to appreciate life's beauties more I suppose.. (but my bro and sis....*shakes head*)

The guide then took us to Phuket shooting range..here you can do a number of activities such as ATV and paintball and elephant rides..go kart and get this..REAL SHOOTING..I'm talking about real guns with real bullets here..they have instructors and all and it's kinda costly..but the experience..is..great!! 

After these are on whatever the instructor says you just nod but you don't really hear anything except muffled gunshots..

Caliber .22

Don't mess with me

Aiming at the target 25 yards away

Accuracy  90%  LMAO! (secretly I am super proud of myself)

Even the guide was impressed he even said 'don't play a fool with this girl..1st time shooting got 90% accuracy.."

Then we proceeded to View Point..which offers the most panoramic view of the island..you can see 3 beaches from here Kata Noi, Kata, and Karon beaches..it's located at the midpoint between Nai Han and Kata beaches..let the pictures do some talking here..I can't find any words to describe it..

Isn't it BREATHTAKING???!!

And then FINALLY we can check into our hotel (Aspery Hotel) I was sooo tired by then due to the lack of sleep..I actually fell asleep while being ferried to destination after destination so I kinda didn't hear some history of the place..sho sad... wasted part of my trip ...*looks angry at herself*..and so the moment I checked in I slept till dinner time...so did my siblings I may add..:K

And here is the 1st dinner of the night at a restaurant named SAVOEY Restaurant ...Don't play play it costs us 4000THB..

Here's what we ate throughout the night (the pics are dark but the taste of the food..heavenly)

On the way I spotted this coolio building..the grew plants out of the side of the building..X)

When you get there you're greeted by this seafood display..the system is..you choose the seafood you want and they style you want it to be cooked it at the entrance..then it will be delivered to your seat..and the prices are charged by weight..so the bigger you get the more expensive your bill

Savoey~

This is Ice Lemon Tea..for the kid who can't consume alcohol..X) 

But it's just packet Ice Lemon Tea..even I can make it..and it costs...zzz...30 THB

Heineken..I have tried Singha though even though is everywhere in Thailand

This is prawn with glass noodles..(sort of like dong fun)

I know the pics are dark *ducks head to avoid flying missiles..* I just have no energy to edit it anymore..anyway..it's just food..read my descriptions can already lah~

So this is Prawn with Glass Noodles..the prawns are really fresh and BIG..if you scrutinize the pic real closely you can see where I place my cutlery..there's the prawn..the taste is a mixture of spices..and the glass noodles texture is not too mushy and springy..really nice texture..and the fresh prawns....absolutely heavenly!

Then this is Oven Baked Crab..

coming from a crab lover you could say I'm a little biased when it comes to crab...I think every style is a good way to cook crabs!

So this is oven baked..the shells are lightly coated with salt and the roe was baked with what I deduce is a mixture of CHEESE..and butter....om nom nom..

The meat of the crab was sweet and springy..and it's not too hard either..(sometimes when you overcook crabs the meat is tough)..it was really a nice dish..the roe gave off a nice flavour rich with the taste of butter and slightly salty due to the seasoning..*drooool*

Hmm Squid..in what form I dunno..BBQ?

You know how sometimes when you eat squid and it's really sickening cause it's like a physical test on your mouth..to see how hard you can chew cause the flesh is like vulcanised rubber or something..but this dish is so phenomenal (actually it's just good cooking)..the meat is tender and soft and gives way just as you bite into it..and the natural flavour just burst on your tongue..yummy....!!

By the time I remembered the fish it was nearly gone..><

This is done..assam style..and er..to tell the truth I didn't really like it..sure the fish was fresh and all but it could do better if it were slightly more sour not to mention slightly more spicy..then it'll be perfecto!

Some sights as we were walking around the hotel area buying some groceries..esp water..you can't boil the tap water and drink there since the water is directly pumped from all the tin ore areas..rain water flows there and creates this mini lake so they pump water from there to the entire area..really bad for health so we are encouraged to drink only bottled water..

Jungceylon..one of the best shopping areas there..(expensive too)

Street art

Exhibition in the mall

Cute no?

=)

Anyway ending this post here..it's too long to squeeze into one blog post..so the rest will be continued in part 2 where you can see me island hopping and getting burnt~

From 

[Jean]