First day toward Maldives

Phuket (Poo Kett)


We woke a little after six and when the curtains were opened you could see a wonderful apricot and pastel sky with a few wispy clouds. We watched as the sun, like a navel orange, rose through the clouds into a very hot and humid day. The smattering of dock workers anticipating the docking of our ship was dwarfed by the rows of vendors who were setting up their stalls for our arrival. Dresses and shirts were flapping in the wind.
I always enjoy seeing the local immigration officials waiting on the pier to board the ship and check our passports. They are usually in dark blue or black, or muddy green uniforms; American immigration is often white shirts with black pants and each will carry a bag. At this port, checking our passports and forms will be done quickly as the passports are presented in bulk with the landing cards we all completed and turned into the purser’s desk before noon yesterday.
On the pier there are 3 black and white dogs bullying a fourth. Eventually, some pier workers hollered at them and they moved a little farther back. Eventually, they moved into position as curious sentinels as the ship sidled up to the pier. Passengers on their decks whistled and clapped their hands to get their attention. In the background, tuk tuks and scooters whizzed by transporting goods and people to destinations over the hill. The row of busses for today’s tours peeked out from behind the warehouse on the wharf. All of the described vehicles are of fairly recent vintage. We’ve been a little sad not to see so many of the stereotypical old transports in our ports this time; the world is modernizing almost imperceptibly.
Today’s tour
The busses are nicer than you might expect for this part of the world. Our tour guide did speak English but she was usually hard to understand both because of pronunciation and also sentence construction. But as Ed observed, we’ve been pretty lucky so far. And the reality is, we had excellent tour guides the last time we were in Thailand.
We were given maps of Phuket Island, Thailand’s largest, so we could follow along and we headed for the Cape. Along the way, we passed many gorgeous beaches with older water craft and some new speed boats. Everywhere you see folks selling food and drinks; I can’t imagine how they all survive financially. Many of the buildings here and elsewhere in Asia are “shophouses”: the first floor is used as a business and the family lives above on the other levels. It is always interesting to see how people live and the countryside and that basically is what we were about doing.
Our first real stop was to see an area near several bays and great views. At the top are some religious statues including a large area totally devoted to the elephant god. You’ve never seen so many elephants of various sizes anywhere. There was a shop here as well and you had to go all the way to the back to use the restrooms.
Chagdong Wat
This is the largest one on Phuket and I recall how amazing it was from the first visit. It felt familiar to be there. I was concerned about some people who were in shorts and tank tops marching into the temples when everyone had been warned to be modest and take your shoes and hats off. It turns out that they were Russian visitors. I was frankly relieved because we see our share of “ugly Americans” on these tours. There were some little shops to the side and we wandered through them looking at the various products.
The Weather
Our guide pronounced the word “weather” like the word “waiter” and it took me a while to put it all together. It was hot—somewhere in the mid to high 90s—and muggy. It is absolutely draining. They frequently offer us bottles of water and even though Ed and I do drink a lot, I still got a headache. I subscribe to the “never pass up a restroom” philosophy but frankly, there wasn’t much to deposit. This weather is so draining and this is especially disturbing because the locals never seem to break a sweat. Must be all that lemon grass they tell us helps with internal body temperature.
Thai Heritage
We watched a one hour program here of native Siamese/Thai dances. As we walked into the pavilion we were each presented with an orchid. The ladies are absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous and the young men are very slight and pretty looking. The costumes take your breath away. The music is appropriate for the dances and such and the music doesn’t get in the way of your enjoyment of the various dances. There was a badly choreographed Thai boxing match which was almost hilarious. (Later, on the bus, the driver had a Thai boxing match on the TV.) There was also at least one transvestite in the show; Ed had figured out one of them early on. I had forgotten that Thailand is a hub for such surgeries.
We had lunch here and recalled our last visit here and the food was equally as good this time. The heat made the whole experience somber but there was water dripping around some of the open air sides so that some coolness was enjoyed. And the ladies were delighted because all the toilets were Western style. I don’t really care anymore; they both work for me.
There is an orchid farm here which Ed and I passed on viewing since we had seen it last time. Eventually the bus with the merciful air conditioning was available for us and we all left for our next stop which was for shopping. This is a fancy jewelry factory showroom on the first floor and you have to meander through it before you can locate and get to the second floor which is where all the souvenirs are found. While you search for this escalator, a smartly dressed young lady is shadowing you on the hope that you’ll show an interest in one of the pieces of jewelry.
We checked out all the souvenirs and picked up a few things. I’m not sure what we’ll do with them but the Discovery shop can always make good use of them. (Don’t tell Ed I said that as he didn’t ask for my opinion about some of the little things he bought. He had said I’d find some use for them so clearly he doesn’t have someone in mind.)
We were so grateful to be back at the ship. We didn’t even look at the tents of the vendors near the ship! A hot bath was very welcomed and I did some of my hand laundry to get it out of the way. And of course, we donated yet one more packed bag of dirty clothes to the Pacific Princess laundry. Since it was way too warm in the cabin (the sun heats up the cabin and the system can’t keep up in tropical areas) we went downstairs to look around where they were having a sale on bling rings. Yes, I bought two for my red hat events. They are good deals both ways of the transaction though I’m sure the ship is coming out the best.
Dinner
There was much discussion of a Frank Gehry museum being built in Edmunton, Alberta, Canada (the couple are from there). The husband is an architect so this was interesting. Then there was a long discussion about old and new Hawaii and how things have changed over time. The other couple had a condo on Maui for many years.
Tonite’s entertainment
This is a Scottish singer and as tired as everyone is, I had hoped she’d be good. Apparently we saw her 2 years ago on the cruise at which time she was single. She’s a young, very perky young woman who is now married with a husband whose brogue is so thick you could cut it. She has a lovely voice but some of the notes didn’t sound true to me. Perhaps it’s my hearing as Ed loved her.
Chuckles for today
Susan, who occasionally joins our trivia team, was telling about a family member who was always speaking in malapropisms. Here are a few examples: “they used a Heinken on him.” (Heimlich) “If she doesn’t have that baby soon, they’ll have to seduce her!” (“induce”) “do you know what those nurses did to me in that hospital? They castrated me.” (catheterized)
Note to self: look up references in appendix to: McCullough, Deniis. My Mother, Your Morher: Embracing “slow medicine.” The compassionate approach to caring for your aging loved ones. Harper.