Who says women only care about shopping? Three to be 40 soon women did more than that in 3 days 3 nights trip to Phuket
Phuket, a coastal town of Thailand needs no introduction but my companions certainly do. Wait a little for it, first view Phuket from my perspective. I say its a big daddy of Goa (India) What sets it apart from its baby (Goa ) is its stellar downtown. The Bangla Road and its many by-lanes come alive in the night with road side cafes and night clubs; live music and good food are as easily available as trees in a jungle. The party animals prowl up and down the road, in and out of pubs transforming the entire street into a dazzling club. Every few steps that you take the music changes along with lights, hoardings and exterior facade of the one or two storey buildings. All along there are colourful stalls, selling a world of things and street food which will find you coming to it again and again. This is by far the biggest attraction of Phuket and is located near the Patong Beach.
They say, a place is only as good as people in it. Are you ready to meet 'the people'? They have been my friends for 32 years. Oh man! It seems like yesterday when we met...fought for the window seat, for the last word until the other person was speechless, always in a race to prove one's smartness over the other. Have we changed? A lot is said about men being boys at heart, what about the women? When they are around men( boys) they have no option but to act mature and nurture them; with their own kind they are no less than girls...Girls always looking for fun! Here is the difference between the two gender, women can switch roles in a flash and men...(no comments) Let me not tread into unknown territories and get back to my jolly-good trip; my lovely friends and soulmates for life are Samridhi Jain and Ritu Agarwal.
The 3 mantras of the trip- Eat, Party and Massaga
Phuket- A gastronomic heaven
Birds of a feather flock together, three of us are vegetarians. Our first meal, was not a result of Zomato and neither was our second, third and other meals. Our intuitive stomachs cherry picked Harry's an indoor- outdoor cafe, aka Harry's Restaurant and Steak House. The first meal was like ' Do as the Thai in Thailand' Yes it was Thai food. Everything in the menu was spiked with meat; a little chat with the owner and out poured the yummiest veg Thai food that I had ever eaten, till then. Red and Green Curry well balanced in spices and aroma, Phadthai- the perfect colour, dry not too oily with crunchy bean sprouts.
This set the right tone for our subsequent meals. The same evening we happened to bump into a Japanese restaurant at 'Night-Alive- Street' aka Bangla Walking Street; the capacious eating house faced two sides of the street and is called 'KAZU' We had Sushi, Edamame, Asparagus and if that was not enough a Pizza too. Yes! they have a voluminous menu and its a place where you can sit for hours enjoying the food as well as the streets.
Now comes the best meal; smile:) smile:) in a log cabin, positioned close to Big Buddha, it was indeed a gift of spirituality. The shack jutted out from a ridge, we noticed it while going to the Big Buddha but never thought of stopping there for lunch. A long stay at the holy place made us ravenous, we could not wait to reach back to town so we decided to stop at the first log cabin that came our way for food. Pleasantly surprised by warm greetings, we took a table near a window and fantastic view of the valley overlooking the bay greeted us and we felt at home. The food and drinks were like sunshine in spring. Its true, 'food can tell you so much about a place'; vegetarian food served at a small island hamlet in Koh Paynee has left me with genuine admiration for the people who served us that day. Their food showed that they are simple, honest, hardworking and artistic people.
Party!
Do you have to tell a cow to graze when you get it out in a field? Likewise do three ladies in an all girls trip need to be told to party? Well, NO! The party began from the minute we met at Bangkok airport. The first night, it was Bangla Road- night walking street, eating from the stalls, café-hopping, watching shows, street shopping and then dinner at Kazu. The next night was even better ( can you believe it!) It was Catch Beach Club at Surin Beach. Splendid location- right in-front of the beach, great music, fantastic people all around, saxophonist, sublime drinks and dance and then an after-party at the beach. The third day also being the last day called for a day-long celebration. Not going to one of the islands in Thailand for a day trip would mean going to Paris and not seeing Eiffel Tower. The three of us rode in a speed-boat along 15- 16 other people to The James Bond Island. As the boat cut across the sea, we enjoyed the breeze whisking through our faces as we held the bars of the boat. Kayaking through the caves, lunch at an island village, swimming in the beach and dancing in the boat even though standing was difficult...don't get me wrong not for any other reason but because it was a speed boat.
Massage!
3 days and 3 nights trip and 5 massages in all. All of them in one place, talk about loyalty and you have it here. All credit goes to the massage center- Carpe Diem- Yes! to live for the moment; such a beautiful meaning its name has and the place really lives up to it. Carpe Diem is located opposite to Harry's Restaurant and Steak House, if you are a good reader, you will remember that is where we had our first meal. Though we did not go to Harry's again for a meal( Phuket spoils you by its choices) Carpe Diem pulled us like a bit magnet. Thanks to its prices and service. Most of the masseurs are excellent even though you may think that the one working with your friend's foot is better than yours.