Phuket Day 5 - Stranded in the rain

Date: 13 June 2013

The weather forecast had predicted a rain-free day so we decided to head for a walk down the road for breakfast. We walked up to the road and turned right from the resort (we had explored down the left side of the road but not up this way before). Earlier, upon leaving our room, I had suggested that we should consider going to get our umbrella but my brave knight answered: No need, it is sunny out now!

After a few minutes, a light drizzle began to fall and before we knew it, it was pouring rain! Luckily, we had been caught in the rain just in front of a cute looking shop, 'Kankanjana' - with pretty pink flowers and steep stairs leading up to the small, glass cafe/restaurant. As we considered whether to go in, it did not look like the rain was going to stop so we went inside the cafe.

There was an old man sitting at the tables inside, eating and he welcomed us to sit down on the sofas in the corner (above which there was a flat screen tv with something that looked like Thai news on). The man finished his food, cleaned and wiped the table after him and left to go outside and behind the cafe, where there was a carwash. The lady who appeared to run the cafe was friendly and we ordered some tea for Max, caramel machiato for me, and 2 dishes (chicken with basil and chicken with chilly paste).

We had to wait for some time for the coffee - I think the woman had some problems with the coffee machine and we also saw her go outside with an empty bottle of milk and give a guy outside some money. The guy then hopped onto his scooter and came back a few minutes later with a new bottle of milk, then went off again for another bottle! The locals here seem to like shopping for only small items at a time, not big grocery shopping like back at home. They also hate walking - instead of walking 200metres, they go on the scooter or a car!

The food was cooked by an old lady, who came in especially from the back house/carwash to cook it (at 8.30am in the morning!!). It was delicious. It's so amazing, here, we can walk into any random place, and no matter how small, the food is most likely to be good. The same cannot be said of Auckland. We also got little bowls of soup to go with our meals. The whole meal, including the drinks cost only 210 baht (around $9 NZD). The woman also took pictures of us, to put on her website for the cafe lol.

I enjoyed our little morning adventure very much, complete with the getting lost part. As the rain drops fell outside, and the wind howled, we sat inside, looking out from the glass windows, with warm drinks and food. Amazing.

Here are photos from our morning:

Inside the cafe, with dark clouds and rain outside

 

The Thai drink very strong coffee with lots of condensed milk in it

 

Max got a sugar shock from it hehehe

 

 

My caramel machiato, which took 20minutes to make! But no problem, we are on holiday and no where to go with the rain pounding outside

 

The foooood!

 

Chicken with chilly paste, and Chicken & basil - made by an old grandma at 8.30am

 

 

Our little corner of the cafe

 

All gone!

 

Maggi!

 

 

The sky has cleared!

 

The sign out front of the cafe - our saviour from the rain.

Later in the day, we spotted the BIGGEST centipede (or millipede?) on our balcony, crawling out from the garden. It was seriously huge! Since then, we have also spotted other like him around the gardens, grass areas and the walkways.

 

 

 

In the afternoon, we went to the lobby to have a drink (I had iced tea with lemon and syrup and Max had a yummy looking latte...or two). Max tried to capture the fat rain drops outside:

Reading in the lobby with an iced tea

 

 

Maxi's yummy looking latte

 

 

 

The big, fat rain drops outside

 

We came back to a nice, cleaned room with a nice heart shape towel, with flowers on the bed, with a lovely note from the staff:

 

 

Even on holiday, we have been good with exercise (at least for 7minutes in the day hehehe):

 

 

A warm shower in the late afternoon and then we were off to the Swasdee for lunch - I had read raving reviews of it on Tripadvisor and wanted to try it out. But as soon as we stepped in, I knew it to be a bad choice. The setting was nice enough (tourist-y!), with hangings in the shape of fish and cute little things displayed about, but the staff was unfriendly and the food simply not up to standard - the meat was not nice and the soups and sauces lacking flavour. So much for relying on Tripadvisor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not the right kind of tea - just another cup of Lipton Yellow label, with hot water

 

Not impressed

 

Nope, still not impressed.

But after that, we ventured on yet another adventure - the purpose was to reach a beach Max had seen on google maps - although we could not get to the beach as the street leading to it was blocked off, the walk up the steep road leading to the street with the beach was well worth the walk. The road was lined with massage parlours and locals, lounging around in their shops. Literally, there were massage places all lined up next to each other and every time we passed on the people came outside and asked "massage?".

It was still raining at bit at the time but we were now equipped with an umbrella after our encounter with the rain earlier in the morning.

 

The first Sabi Sabi restaurant - up the steep road.

 

 

 

Max's photograph of our resort - somewhere there?

 

And again

Roosters in front of the biggest massage parlour on the road - to attract customers

 

The second Sabi Sabi restaurant, closer to the resort - but which one is real??

 

View from the road

We ended the day with a nice meal at Curry Night, where we met a couple from Victoria, Australia. The man was very chatting and talked with Max about technology things for some time. I also found out that the family that owns the restaurant comes from Nepal and can indeed speak Hindi but also Nepalese (I asked out of curiousity as they always had Hindi songs on but I could not understand when they spoke!).

 

 

 

 

Mango Lassi, I will miss you :(