THAILAND PHASE TWO : PATONG ACTION (DAY 3)!

Anne and Doug had mentioned 

THE GIBBON REHABILITATION PROJECT

at our dinner together.

So John and I jumped in a tuc tuc,

kept our fingers crossed that we would make it

up all the steep hills,

("I think I can, I think I can" became our mantra!)

and managed to arrive safe and sound at our destination! 

We had a darling Australian tour guide

who explained how the project rehabs endangered gibbons.

It was delightful watching the obviously content gibbons

calling out to each and swinging 

through the trees!

We maneuvered some steep climbing to

finally reach

THE BANGPAE WATERFALL!

(What an accomplishment that was!)

Then back to

PATONG BEACH 

for another delicious seaside lunch, 

some hugs by an adorable child vendor,

who convinced us to buy this beautiful 

handmade flower necklace,

and where John purchased yet another 

pair of unneeded sunglasses!

After lunch, we drove around 

PATONG

taking in all of the sights

and, of course, a lady boy or two!

(Can you even believe it?)

We enjoyed a delicious dinner

with great entertainment,

awesome seafood,

wonderful wine,

fabulous fruit dessert,

and another great Thai massage!

HaHa.....

ya gotta love

PATONG BEACH...

(read the sign carefully)

...it's definitely where the 

ACTION is!

THAILAND PHASE TWO : PATONG ACTION (DAY 2)!

It was 

SUPER BOWL MONDAY

in Phuket,

and John and I got up early to be sure to get a seat

for the big game!

We were rooting for our man, Peyton!

They served a great Bloody Mary,

encouraged us to place bets,

(Take that, Dubai!)

and it wasn't long before the place filled

with USA football fans!

Unfortunately, neither Peyton

or Denver showed up for the football game.

Afterwards, went walked over to the infamous

PATONG BEACH,

past many a Buddhist shrine!

By the time we arrived,

the beach was packed full of tourists!

Luckily, there were more than enough loungers

and umbrellas to go around!

You never have to worry at
PATONG BEACH
about not having something to look at!

It was a gorgeous sunny day and,

would you believe, John and I both burned to a crisp?

I guess the Phuket sun versus the Dubai winter sun

is quite different!

OUCH!

It was difficult to capture the crowd 

in camera shots, 

so here is a video of PATONG BEACH on a beautiful

February afternoon!

By the end of the day, 

John and I were about as red as the Tuc Tuc

we rode in to dinner!

We chose an Italian restaurant that came 

highly recommended.

It (and the view) did not disappoint!

The sunset over the water

was magnificent, to say the least!

After the sun had set and we

were stuffed full of good 'ol Italian food,

we walked through tons of people and found ourselves on

BANGLA STREET.

That is where the REAL PATONG ACTION takes place!

People were walking through the crowds
holding gigantic lizards,

(that's what this girl is holding)

and I learned quickly that I couldn't tell

the ladies from the

lady boys!

(OH.DEAR.LORD.)

Yup, ya gotta walk along BANGLA STREET to believe it!

There's nothing quite like the

ACTION

found on the infamous

BANGLA STREET!

THAILAND PHASE TWO : PATONG ACTION (DAY 1)!

It didn't take long for 

PHASE TWO : ACTION

of our Thailand Trip

to take place!

Everyone vehemently warned us, 

"DON'T STAY IN PATONG!"

Well, guess what?

Yes, this is where we chose to stay!

Thanks for the advice everyone, but John and I do enjoy

ACTION!

After we checked in,

we started walking the streets of Patong.

We passed by a Dubai Restaurant in the event 

we get tired (I can't even imagine)

of Thai food!

And we passed by
massage after massage shop 
with beautiful Thai girls 
waiting patiently outside for customers.

OMG, I had forgotten how

 inexpensive a massage was in Thailand!

Would you believe an hour massage costs 

approximately 200 Bayht?

(Now divide that by 32 -- about $7.00!)

Yes, there were fish tanks full of hungry fish 

ready to give the ultimate pedicure!

(Jon and Jas, we missed you!)

We grabbed lunch and a brewskie 

at one of the restaurants across from the 

Andaman Sea.

It seemed like everyone was parasailing!

  

First time ever to see this --

tandem parasailing!

Yes, if you are looking for

ACTION,

this is the place to be!

The streets were packed to the brim with

people and vendors and food and

souvenirs and more people!

But every once in a while,

you spot something to remind you that Thailand 
is the ultimate spot for

RELAXATION!
(Just not Patong Beach!)

And one of our very favorites...

a Thai foot massage!

YES!

After a day filled with

PATONG BEACH,

John and I slowed it down a bit

to meet up with some

friends from Dubai who retired in Bang Tao!

We enjoyed a quiet dinner,

great conversation,

and a delightful cup of java back at their villa.

We got in some good Zoro time as well!

There's nothing quite like the

ACTION

found at Patong Beach, Phuket!