Try Something A Bit Different!

[Girty]

Ok...here goes....I have been browsing the net for hours now, looking for things to do in Phuket besides elephant trekking, canoeing, cruises, fantasea etc...I have done it already.

Now, I see that there is a shooting range, which I am thrilled about but people might get suspicious if i do that for two weeks!!

Keeping in mind that I am not a middle aged man seeking to buy girlie entertainment, does Phuket have anything else to offer? ( I'm looking for something a bit different here!!)

I have already posed this question to a group of friends ( who happen to be middle aged engineers...enough said!) and well...no joy. They did suggest golfing..but despite being Scottish I'm not terribly interested in it. Drinking..and ahem..." going shopping for girls" was all they could come up with.

I would hate to spend two weeks dying of boredom.....mental stimulation is a must!!!

I pretty sure my engineer friends were right...but I am grasping at straws......anybody?????

Girty.....

[tutsiwarrior]

Forget Phuket...for real entertainment go to Los Angeles, CA and go crazy with all the wonderful ethnic food available. For a real boost, go to the beach and light up a cigarette and wait to see how long it takes for the LAPD to emerge and beat the sh1t out of you with batons for violating the no smoking in public local ordinance. Also lots of cute girls in bathing attire roller skating on the 'Boardwalk' at Venice Beach.

Cute girls, good food and no smoking on the beaches..enough to befuddle the most incisive inquiring observer...never a dull moment...

[Khun Larry]

Keeping in mind that I am not a middle aged man seeking to buy girlie entertainment, does Phuket have anything else to offer? ( I'm looking for something a bit different here!!)

A boat trip to pi pi islands is a nice way to spend the day.

Despite proclamations to the contrary, on this site and elswhere, girlie entertainment is the #1 reason to come to Thailand, for return visitors might even say the only reason. #2 might be cost and easiness, and #3 observing a different culture (first visit) or possibly the weather. For sure there are nicer climates.

For a woman tourist, or family for that matter, if one considers other destinations you may find everything Thailand has to offer in a more refined setting.

For the man Thailand appears to have everything. Whether this is an illusion or not I can't say at this time as I seem to be hapily in the thick of it.

Chookdee

[OldAsiaHand]

I would hate to spend two weeks dying of boredom.....mental stimulation is a must!!!

Then you really are going to the wrong place for a holiday. If golf, swimming, sailing, drinking beer, and chasing girls don't work for you, that's about it for Phuket. Even the restaurants, on the whole, are pretty awful.

My best suggestion is that you take a large stack of books, find a nice palm tree to sit under, and pass your vaction that way. But don't wait until you get there to buy your books either. You'll find there're just a couple of really crappy bookstores on the whole island (which are actually more large newstands than real bookstores anyway).

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Forget Phuket...for real entertainment go to Los Angeles, CA and go crazy with all the wonderful ethnic food available. For a real boost, go to the beach and light up a cigarette and wait to see how long it takes for the LAPD to emerge and beat the sh1t out of you with batons for violating the no smoking in public local ordinance. Also lots of cute girls in bathing attire roller skating on the 'Boardwalk' at Venice Beach.

Cute girls, good food and no smoking on the beaches..enough to befuddle the most incisive inquiring observer...never a dull moment...

You are still in the Land of Smiles Tutsi. With those attractions in LA I wonder why you didn't flee for Arnieland.

[tutsiwarrior]

dr PP get outta here...despite my obvious tenure I am still in the land of 'falang, fukc you!'

I have to admit that LA is not for everyone...one must read James Ellroy, Raymond Chandler and study the Polanski film 'Chinatown' in order to get a grip on the sleazy underbelly. But, what the h3ll...better than anything that Phuket has to offer...

Now, there was a favorite bar on Windward Avenue half block from the Boardwalk in Venice...a wonderful introduction...

besides...my friends have said that after 18 years of living abroad California isn't big enough for tutsi anymore...

[Boon Mee]

besides...my friends have said that after 18 years of living abroad California isn't big enough for tutsi anymore...

Naw, you'd fit in just fine up in Humbolt County. Some things change but not there...

[tutsiwarrior]

Boon...I had friends in Fortuna, Eureka and Arcata about 30 years ago and I haven't been back since. Nice area up there...magnificent scenery and very interesting drive on 299 between Arcata and Redding. My SoCal friends were referring to Marin County southwards.

[Mr. V]

The thing is, Phuket has absolutely anything you could expect from a holiday paradise (or tourist ######). It is the undisputed number one place of it's kind in Thailand but maybe it is not for you at all. If you cannot relax and let go then you'll always have an issue in a place like Phuket.

Phuket is all about beach life. I used to hate that but not so much anymore. There are stacks of good beaches to visit. Take another beach each day. Nai harn, Kata noi, Kata, Karon, Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao to name a few good ones. Rent a motorbike. That is the key to get the most out of Phuket.

Beach covers the base of entertainment in Phuket assosiated with things like paragliding, waterskiing, sailing, jet-skiing, longtail boating etc. Then to cut the routine you might dedicate some days for activities like fishing trip, snorkeling at Coral Island, Phi Phi, Go-Karting, Bungy jumping, Shooting, visiting a Sauna/swimming pool, motorcycling around the island, shopping in Phuket Town/Big C/Lotus or combination of these.

In the evenings of course you can hit the bars in many ways and play pool, go bowling, visit game arcade, listen to live music on the beach road and so on.

All these activities can be boring on their own but can be really fun with good group of people. Sometimes it is difficult to get together a group of roadworthy mates since the drinking sessions tend to overlap in different phases. But generally speaking two weeks is not enough to get bored if you actively look for things to do.

[highlander]

Laugh Phuket off and come to Pattaya.

The beaches are either none existant or soiled,so no worries there.

To fill your days you could play dodge the mugger ,bribe the copper ,spot the dealer ,hop the balcony ,avoid the lout or even refuse the ladyboy.

Never a dull day here

[theviking]

Keeping in mind that I am not a middle aged man seeking to buy girlie entertainment, does Phuket have anything else to offer? ( I'm looking for something a bit different here!!)

What the h*** are you looking for?

Are you going to phuket to get you're adventure holiday, i guess you picked the wrong place......ever thought of the himalayans?

Phuket is relaxing, ''buying girlie entertainment'', drinking and beach life.

Why dont you go up north, rent an offroad motorbike, and get in the jungle?

Or....rent a canoe, and see if you can get to australia for under 2 weeks, haha?

Enjoy you're holiday

[johng]

My favourites in Pattaya are ... in order of most practice.

bribe the copper (not much fun though)

spot the dealer ( or are they the coppers ?)

refuse the ladyboy ( They seem to like me for some reason )

[BobAnderson]

The viking is on the right track.

My favorites? A nice drive up the coast line from just north of the Laguna resorts - past Layan up to the new Trisara, past the Andaman White Beach resort - up through Naithon, then left at the Pearl Village Road and through the national park to the airport. Great motorbike ride! Some of the best views on the island. Go the other side of the airport and cruise the unknown beaches around Mai Khao.

Another wonderful drive is to drive east from the Heroines Monument and do the whole loop that later comes out near the airport junction. Check out all the side roads. My wife and I saw at least 10 Brahminy Kites (similar to fish eagles in other parts of the world) one day swooping over a lagoon out there - then one dived into the water and pulled out a snake and flew off with it. We stopped, pulled out the binoculars, and spent at least 15 minutes just in total awe of the beauty of the site and the birds.

Off the island to the north - take the beautiful drive up to Khao Lak and enjoy the beaches there and that fact that it is much less developed than Phuket. At a very easy pace it is only 90 minutes from Phuket. And I drive on about 80km/hr most the time.

Drive the nice coastal road that goes around part of Koh Sirey (sp?).

The drive to Krabi is also wonderful.

Anyway, get out and see the whole area - if you don't ride a motorcycle, get a nice car and just enjoy yourself. Something along the way will certainly strike your fancy. I promise!

GET OUT OF PATONG and head up to the beach restaurants on BangTao beach or on Kamala or NaiYang or Surin beaches - do a different one every night and watch the sun go down over the sea. You'll meet great people working in the restaurants, get million dollar views of the sea and get some great chow all at the same time.

Try all the great restaurants that AREN'T in Patong or Phuket Town. The Yacht Haven has one of the best chesseburgers on the island. Go in the afternoon and gaze towards the mainland and walk around the piers to the yachts after your meal. Check out Don's for Ribs, the Black Cat in Cherng Talay, Boomers in Kamala, Lotus on BangTao Beach, and on and on and on.

HEY! I love bars, girls and everything else - but there is so much more to do and enjoy on Phuket than just sitting in a smoky bar with a hooker.

[Wolfie]

Your holiday will be whatever you make it, if you sit around and wait for things to come to you all your going to get is a numb bum and working girls crawling all over you.

If you go exploreing you will find lots of interesting things to see and do.

Phuket isnt your home town of <insert town name here> its a tropical paradise, if you go explore it then you wont be disappointed, also there are soo many small islands off Phuket itself that are worth looking at, just relax, enjoy your time and go see a few things.

If your looking for an action packed adventure holiday then maybe this area isnt the best place, but there will still be plenty of thigns to do if you like that kind of holiday, as a previous poster mentioned, sea canoes, bungy jumps, diving, go karts, paragliding should help keep the adrenaline pumping...

Hope you enjoy your holiday, i'm sure you will find something you like in phuket.

[astral]

If you are fedup with the girls, then try the boys?

Edited June 4, 2004 by astral

[Girty]

Wolfie is very wise!!!

I agree..the holiday will be what I make of it. Some great suggestions though...however will definatly not be playing with the girlies...being a girl myself...I'd much rather play with me..lol!

This is holiday of convenience. Have been in Taiwan two years now, and phuket is the easiest option for me this summer. I'm so desperate for some relaxation and bit of excitement I'm not taking any chances on a new destination right now.

For what it's worth..'Im a big drinker and I dont have a problem with socialising ( got a good scots tongue in my head...as my mother informed me!!)!! Not sure I'm using it for the purpose she was thinking of...lol.

I'm in Phuket on my own for the first week and then my mates are coming for the second.

The boat parties sound good.....might pop along for some debauchery then!! Dates are june 20th- july 4th..then back to smelly Taiwan! ( maybe the shooting range will come in handy then!!)

Thanks folks!!

x

[Wolfie]

Additional wisdom is available upon request, for taiwanese based females, PM/Email me for further information about rates, availablity and expectations

[Khun Larry]

The thing is, Phuket has absolutely anything you could expect from a holiday paradise (or tourist ######). It is the undisputed number one place of it's kind in Thailand but maybe it is not for you at all. If you cannot relax and let go then you'll always have an issue in a place like Phuket.

Phuket is all about tourists, touts, lousey food, poor service and high prices. Not a place to relax or even bother to go to. Like Pattaya with worse food.

Most of the tourists are on package tours, so others are paying inflated prices.

[Boon Mee]

Boon...I had friends in Fortuna, Eureka and Arcata about 30 years ago and I haven't been back since. Nice area up there...magnificent scenery and very interesting drive on 299 between Arcata and Redding. My SoCal friends were referring to Marin County southwards.

Right... but don't get cought walking in the "woods" w/out an escort around there. As I say, some things don't change...

[Tornado]

Ok...here goes....I have been browsing the net for hours now, looking for things to do in Phuket besides elephant trekking, canoeing, cruises, fantasea etc...I have done it already.

Now, I see that there is a shooting range, which I am thrilled about but people might get suspicious if i do that for two weeks!!

Keeping in mind that I am not a middle aged man seeking to buy girlie entertainment, does Phuket have anything else to offer? ( I'm looking for something a bit different here!!)

I have already posed this question to a group of friends ( who happen to be middle aged engineers...enough said!) and well...no joy. They did suggest golfing..but despite being Scottish I'm not terribly interested in it. Drinking..and ahem..." going shopping for girls" was all they could come up with.

I would hate to spend two weeks dying of boredom.....mental stimulation is a must!!!

I pretty sure my engineer friends were right...but I am grasping at straws......anybody?????

Girty.....

The shooting range is a blast, but it is expensive (depending on the firearm) to go to every day.

A few posters before me, have given you some great ideas.

I am also not into the bar scene that much and I sometimes go out and stay on some of the Islands, like Koh Yao Noi and Yai. They are beautiful Islands, with hardly a soul on the beach.

Another idea is fishing trips, golf, bowling and relax!

[sonthaya]

Khun Larry, you don't know what you are talking about