Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Suspense and Idyll in Phuket's Patong Beach (Thailand)



I was trying to avoid a Vietnamese monk who was following me around from the airport in Yangon (Myanmar) to Bangkok, then took the bus with me to Phuket. Everything was peachy. After all, what's wrong with traveling with a new friend, right? People do that all the time. But along the way, things turned hairy and I felt like I was being stalked. So I avoided him - and I'd find him hanging around places I'd go. Ever been stalked by a monk? That's one of my contentious "claims to fame", apparently.

One morning in Phuket Town, after hiding inside my room, I rushed out and hopped on a 20-baht (PhP27.50) bus that would take me to the popular Patong Beach, Phuket's "most happening" stretch of beach. Bought my lunch at McDonald's and guess who I found walking by the Phuket coast? My hair stood on end! Literally!

Later that day, I wound up sitting by the beach. The spot was unusually deserted, and I felt tranquil. For a few seconds, I forgot I was avoiding someone. Looking back, it was one of the most surreal situations I have been in. Something to tell your friends about. Or not.

This is the Eye in the Sky

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