full moon lady and phuket beaches

I stayed in Phuket town for few days, although everyone stays in Patong beach. The guest house was run by Mrs Tee and Mrs Bee, whose photos were on the wall, though i never saw them. Probably they were also on an extended holiday in some far away place, leaving their all female staff to run the guest house.

Almost opposite the guest house was a restaurant by the name of route 68 where i was eating every night. Kind of a cool place with black and white fotos of the old Phuket town on white washed wooden walls. All furniture was wrought iron with glass tops. An English young man was coming there everyday and looked like he was the owner as i found him behind the bar a lot of times. Music was always blues from USA. Place looked nostalgic.

food was always served by a woman with boy cut and piercing black eyes, always wearing a short which was really short and high heels, who looked quite like the brunette actress in mission impossible who was poisoned, Cant remember her name though. She sat next to me one night to talk to me as she was always taking the orders. She told me that she was married to a Swiss guy, who was German, at the age of 20. Swiss guy was 50 at the time. After 18 years of marriage she left him and came back with her daughter of 17 years and opened this restaurant. She also had partnership in a near by bar.

This is the usual story of all Thai girls who marry foreigners. They always come back. You cant domesticate a wild bird. Europe is too cold and the people too unfriendly. Why would a girl from a hot country live in freezing cold weather with people who treat her like crap?. Once the excitement of seeing Europe is over, they all come to where they were born.

Everything goes back to its origin. Always.

Just like her, so did i. To turkey, from where my roots come. In summer there is nothing like watching the lush green mountains covered in pine trees and endless prairies covered in carpets of flowers, with bees buzzing for honey, around Erzrum. My city. The coldest and one of the oldest cities in turkey with temp going down to -40 in winter. You can sit and watch the clouds over the mountains playing hide and seek for hours and not get bored. It is a strange sensation of belonging. In winter everything is blanketed in white snow and all you can hear the occasional sound of the pine trees shedding their load of snow. Where people are genuinely nice and sincere, drinking always tea in cafes and talking in hushed voices.

Coming back to route 68, the English man was Matt who was not the owner but here on holidays and spent most of his time in route 68. She not only told me her whole life story but also that her daughter is very pretty and is a model in Bangkok and will be here in few days. Matt was an architect from Richmond in London. He had paid 1000 Pounds to work as a volunteer in Vietnam. He had time to kill so was chilling out here.
If i stick around i might even get a chance to meet her daughter, she told me. This info of course came out after i told her that i been traveling for some time and i don't work (meaning i have money).

Her name was Duenpen which meant full moon in Thai language. I promptly named her full moon lady. I Could never tell if she was hitting on me or was thinking of the future of her daughter. She walked very sexily moving her bum and always looked at me, smiling in a drunken way. I can always tell when a look is innocent lust or professional. This was no doubt a professional look disguised as a innocent flirtation. It isn't easy to fool me. I have drunk waters from a lot of ports, as I always say.

Next day I rented a motor Bic and decided to visit all the beaches around Phuket. I been resting for a while now and my wounds were healing. Also it was raining past few days like hell. There was flooding every where, I think it was a tropical storm of some kind. Finally it was sunny one day and i decided to go out of Phuket.

Phuket is an island itself connected to the mainland by a bridge. There are several beaches all around the island accessible only by your own transport. As soon as i left the Phuket town i could see dark black clouds racing towards me. Rain was on its way. I turned around and drove back to the guest house but the rain caught me before i could get back. I had no choice but to stop and take refuge in the veranda of a old deserted bank. It looked like that rain was not going to stop in a short time so i went to an internet cafe to kill my time. I asked the young Thai man in the cafe to give me a coffee. As soon as he gave me coffee the electricity went too. Nothing we could do except to wait but within 5 mins the rain was over and it was sunny again. I finished my coffee and went back to where i had parked my Bic. Using my hand I wiped the water off the seat and was on my way to Patong. All routes go from Patong to different directions.

I was going to the beaches in the south of the island. Passing through Patong all i could see was bars and restaurants and hotels every where, shops selling all imaginable kind of tourist crap.

As i was coming out of Patong area rain caught me again. I stopped again and went to withdraw some money from an ATM but it started to rain so heavily that there was no way that i could even cross the road to sit in a cafe. I had to wait 10 mins until the rain was a little less. I ran across the road and went straight into a cafe, behind which was a big hall. The cafe was actually an open bar and it was nearly 3pm and i just wanted a coffee. The thai bar girl agreed to give me a coffee instead of an alcoholic drink. There were few Thai girls sitting around on high stools and an old Aussie couple having a beer. There was a pool table in the corner with a lone Thai girl playing pool alone. I decided to play pool with her. She agreed but could not speak much English. She was not good looking at all.

well i wasn't looking for a liaison anyway. I just wanted a pool game to kill my time. I didn't realize this was a hostess bar as most bars in Thailand are. Within minutes i was asked to buy a drink for my pool partner which i refused politely saying I just wanted a game and be on my way when the rain stopped.

After playing few rounds she handed the cue to a Thai man in his late 30s who finished the game in seconds, he was good in pool. i haven't played pool for years. Rain had stopped and I was about to leave when it started to rain again. I had to stop and sit on the bar with the girls, who all were looking at me as I was the only customer there. They all were professional girls who wanted me to buy a drink for them. None of them was pretty except one who looked 24-25. The Thai man asked me if i wanted a girl for a pum pum while i wait. I pretended as if i visit these bars everyday and I am always shagging prostitutes. With an air of confidence i asked him how much for the girls and he said 1500 bahts for a pum pum in a room at the back and 2000 for a night. i confidently said it was more expensive than Bangkok, having no idea how much it was in Bangkok.

He agreed saying Phuket is more expensive than Bangkok. He asked me where I was from and I told him Turkey. People have generally no idea where Turkey is. He asked me if i wanted a room here in Patong. I said yes and he gave me a brochure of a guest house where he would take me himself. Price was 600 bahts for a night and less if I was gonna stay longer. I promised to come back and see him in a day or two.

Rain finally stopped and I left to do what i originally planned to do. I managed to drive very carefully as the roads were wet and came out of Patong. The first beach was Karon noi beach, it was nice and clean but empty. I stopped in the section guarded by a security guard of Hilton hotel which was just behind.

Took a few fotos and moved on. Next was Karon beach, it was even nicer but was a surfing beach. Waves were slightly higher and few people were surfing too. I drove to the next, Kata Yai beach through a winding road. It was a small beach which was packed by European holiday makers who all lived in hotels behind the beach.

There was no point stopping there as there was hardly a space empty on the beach. I drove for another 20 mins and got to a small secluded beach called Kata noi. It was in between two hills. It was now really hot and i was sweating a lot under my helmet. I stopped at that beach for a drink. There were two lonely beach side huts selling drinks with Thai girls wearing scarfs reminding us that this was a Muslim area of Thailand. I sat down on an empty plastic chair with a European man sitting on the next, reading a book. His body was covered in tattoos. We started to chat and found out he was English from Norwich. A builder who was in property development. He had made a few bobs and was here for the last 7-8 months. He had no plans of going back to UK, he liked it here.

I drank two fantas while chatting with him. He seemed like a nice fellow except for the tattoos, which made him look like a gangster. He was telling me how people in Asia get upset looking at those tattoos taking him as a mafia type guy which he wasn't. He asked me if wanted to join him on Sunday to watch the local football team play against someone. I told him i cant as my visa is running out and i have to make a visa run.

He seemed lonely. Like all X pats who never learn the language and always live a little England life in the middle of no where. I found them in Spain, I found them in Latin America, I found them in Middle east and I still keep on finding them.

There was a brown ferocious looking bull terrier trying again and again to come and play with me. i hate dogs while traveling no matter how innocent looking they are. they all have rabies and one innocent bite or a scratch from them and you could die. This was not a playful looking dog in the first place. The stall owner took him away again and again as i was scared every time it came near me. While trekking in Colqa canyon, deepest canyon in the world, a trekker was bitten by a village dog. I remember the fear in his eyes of catching rabies and we were 3 days walk from the nearest road.

The beach was lovely, a little cove hidden by two hills on both sides. there were only few people there with a restaurant on one end. He also told me that the next hill has a view point from where you can see the most amazing sunsets. Well the best in all Phuket as he put it.
I shook hands with him and went off to look at the view point. No doubt it was amazing to see the outlying islands and Andaman sea stretching all the way.

Everyone who had transport was here. People on cars and motorbikes plus the Thai young couples. It was the local love spot. Behind the view point was a massive windmill generating electricity. You could see the blue sea crashing against the rocks below, creating white foam. All beaches on both sides were visible too. It was amazing and damn hot.

I took fotos and moved on. Now i was going to cross the island and go east side. On the eastern side as soon as i came out of the jungle was a long beach called Rawai beach. This was the local fishing village with long tail boats parked every where. Fishing industry was long gone and all those fishermen were now taking tourists to any where they wanted to go. Development as we call it. whole society changed just because of tourist money. Opposite the beach were never ending restaurants and cafes and hotels.

Beach itself was just pebbles and black volcanic rocks sticking out of the sea like chicken pox. water was shallow for at least 300 meters.

I stopped again in a beach side bar with wooden tables, all shaped like trees in lord of the ring movie. I ordered a banana milk shake which came decorated with an orchid. This was the first time for me. I realized that all the customers were Thai. There was no foreigner to be seen any where. Think of the devil and a European man appeared with an ugly looking Thai girl who obviously was a bar hostess doing over time. All the Thai people were giving her really bad looks though no one said anything. I could see the hatred in their eyes as they all knew she was a prostitute.

After I finished my shake i left again and the road now changed into a highway going straight to Phuket town. It was 530 now and sunset was at 615pm. I turned back to go to the view point. Took me another 20 minutes through a side road going through thick tropical jungle.

Once i got there the place was full of people but not to many to bother you. I chose a spot near the road next to a tree as i needed to position my tripod. Sunset was amazingly beautiful, all colours of golden changing from one shade to another.

The beauty of this world never ceases to amaze me. Breath takingly beautiful and it makes you loose track of time. That is the time I always think of my loved ones wishing they were here. Wishing i could show them what i see. Our home, this blue planet, its beauty, raw, the moment when time stops and when it all disappears.

Nothing lasts forever, no one and nothing, everything withers and dies, every rise has a fall, every happiness has a sad ending. The circle goes on and on. Every thing goes in a circle. Death starts with birth, moon circles the earth, and earth the sun, all going towards the center. all to their origin.

I drove back in darkness with mosquitoes trying to sting me but i was going too fast for them to catch me.

Next day was Friday and while i was having my breakfast of two toasts with jam and butter and a cup of tea, i saw a Chinese looking girl having breakfast too. I had seen her before in the guest house. she asked me about directions and I told her what I knew. she was from China and was a Chinese language professor. She was teaching here in some Thai university and was on an exchange program. I asked her if she wanted to come with me today as she could not go any where with out a motor Bic. She happily agreed.

After breakfast she checked out and asked me if she could check in a guest house in Patong called Ban Nitra. I agreed as Patong was on our way. I managed to find the Ban Nitra guest house. it was a nice guest house run by a Frenchman. Price was same as we were paying in Phuket town. I took a card and decided to move there too after i come back from Malaysia. The rooms were 4 star hotel level and the views from the balcony was stupendous.

The Chinese girl was called Chung. She was an assistant professor in university and had a doctorate degree in Chinese literature. My plan today was to explore the northern beaches. She just wanted to see what I was going to see. Our first stop was Kamala beach just outside Patong. we drank shakes and sat there for a while.

The next beach was Surin Beach, even nicer with very few guest houses. All were facing the beach and almost on the beach. Chung went to ask the price of the guest houses. They were cheap, 400 bahts with bathroom and air con. It would be nice to stay here for a day or two. but there was nothing nearby. For people wanting to relax and do nothing it was ideal.

We were hungry and Chung ordered food. I was watching her eat and it made me hungry too. I ordered food too. After eating we just sat there watching the sea waves crashing gently towards us. Chatting about stuff as you usually do.

Chung was a typical Chinese girl who was very worried about her white complexion. She didn't want to go out in the sun. She was missing home and was the type of timid girl who stays home and cooks and cleans. Watching the world on TV and gossip, that was her knowledge of the outside world. This was the first time she came out of China. She was desperate to go home and see her parents.

She had no religion and believed in just about everything there is to be believed. This traveling was not for her. Thailand had "disappointed" her. She hated everything here. Unfortunately nothing was "like" China in Thailand.

I just sat there listening to her. Thinking to myself why do people hate others? Just because they are different i suppose. whereas that is the precise reason i travel. I thought about the Vatican Church who had once sent a commission of priests to decide if the Amazon tribal people were humans or not. Since they lived a very "Uncivilized" life. Vatican, an institution, i hate from the bottom of my heart after seeing the poverty in Latin America. Their golden churches built from the money gathered from the poorest of the poor. Iqbal, poet of the east, once said, burn every grain stick from all those fields of grains which cant provide food to the peasants. I agree.

We stayed there watching the few people there were and chatting. Chung had no idea where Turkey was. She kept on asking me about Turkey. After few hours we left to see the next beach which was even nicer. I chose a restaurant with big wooden white chairs and red table cloth. It was actually called the Red table cloth. We sat there and i ordered tea and milk shake and chocolate croissant. The restaurant had no croissants but they cooked them for me. It was heaven, fresh chocolate croissants with milk shake.

Beach was clean and covered in coconut trees on all sides. We decided to walk on the beach after the sun was near sunset. it was cloudy now. i doubted if the sunset would be visible. We walked from one end of the beach till the other. Local Thai kids were playing football on one end of the beach. As we sat down on the beach waiting for the sunset, the clouds covered just about every ray of the sun. There was nothing to be see.

we left after watching the last bit of the sun going down. i dropped chung to Ban Nitra guest house and left for Phuket town. My bus was leaving early in the morning for Penang in Malaysia. I had booked my ticket already. It was 1500 Bahts. If i had gone to the bus station i would have paid half that amount.

I ate my last meal at Route 68 and full moon lady was not there. there was a young pretty looking Thai girl sitting in the restaurant. i ordered food and wen to change the music. I had recorded a Spanish music CD and i played that. The young pretty Thai girl; left after a while. She was almost as tall as me and skinny like a model. i had almost finished my food when full moon lady appeared. As usual she asked me with a flirting smile if i saw the girl sitting there. I said yes. It was her daughter.

i listened to my music which was a mix of Spanish love songs and summer dancing music, with a cup of tea. It was nice. I planned to record more music and ask every bar where i will sit to play them in future. There is nothing like listening to Spanish music, it can move your soul and your bum depending upon the music.

next day was Saturday and i reached in 8 hours to Penang in Malaysia. In the mini bus i sat with a group of annoyingly chatty Malaysian Chinese man and a Malay Tamil Hindu. Tamil was shouting almost and right in my ear. i had to ask him to keep it quiet. i was sleepy. I dozed in and out until we got to the border. I changed van and now in the next van i was sitting right at the end. this time i was sitting with a very nice and decent Malay Chinese. He was a breath of fresh air comparing to the Chinese from the Malaysian Borneo who could not stop talking for 8 hours.

An American Thai man was also traveling in the van who was a Hare Krishna. i saw him many times in Penang later. Other people were an American girl teaching English in Thailand for a year now. she was doing a visa run. ugly looking but she said to me, while we were smoking at the border, that she was not scared of traveling to Penang because the lady boys of Penang were putting Rohypnol (date rape drug) in drinks of men and not girls. I was thinking why would anyone want to rape her in the first place. one has to have a really bad eye sight or drunk out of his mind.

3 English girls from London. Probably from Essex, as the accent was from there and they all looked like Essex girls too. the type of girls you would recognize from miles away, were also in the van.

We finally made it to Penang without any major incident. My plan was to stay here one night and leave for Langkawi as Zia, an old friend of mine was an instructor pilot there. I didn't see him on my last visit as i thought he lived some where else in Malaysia. I never thought there could be a flying school in Langkawi. weather was terrible in Langkawi for flying. But i was mistaken and he lived there with his wife.

On Sunday morning i left for Langkawi in a ferry. Slept most of my way there. checked into Gecko guest house where i didn't stay the last time as there were no rooms available. The owner was an Aussie woman who recognized me. this time they had rooms. I called Zia and we agreed to meet at 245 in the afternoon. He came and we went to an Indian restaurant to have lunch. He looked old. He used to be pretty good looking but time had taken its toll on him.

we talked for a long time and then went to a restaurant on the beach for a drink. his wife was expecting me. she was his second wife who grew up in Kuwait where her parents worked. We went home when his wife had prepared a delicious evening tea for us. I wasn't hungry but i had to eat. She was supplying constant tea and we talked all after noon until 9 pm when they ordered a pizza for me. I had no choice but to eat more.

Zia was one of my oldest friends who just got lost along the way and then appeared again. We joined the Air force together and even went to take the entrance exams together. We met on a train journey to the examination center, that is where we became friends. we were 16 at the time. I knew his whole family and they knew me. Time has flown and we have years behind us.

I thanked his wife for her hospitality and Zia went to drop me in his car. I don't know when i will see him again. It was sad to see him, he reminded me of my past. Life has taken us on strange routes to two very different endings. He will retire being a pilot and will do a 9-5 job always.

Mine is an endless search for something, in jungles and islands and deserts. To go where very few have gone before, to see which no one wants to see. That search will take me on a never ending journey and i see no end of it.

I came back the next day, Monday, on the ferry to Penang and now tomorrow on Wednesday is my flight to Phuket again. My visa will be for one month and i am ready to see all islands in Thailand.