Phuket

We got to Phuket on monday and we surprised to find a whole new w0rld of Thailand! Phuket is different than anywhere else so far that is for sure. The city itself is a mini version of Bangok with a nicer view. In other words its super busy, FULL of farang (tourists), loud, stinky and has a lot of neon lights! Feels like we are in a strange thai version of Las Vegas sometimes.

One thing that dominates Phuket (and many other locations in Thailand) is the sex trade. It is very in your face here. There are men from all over the world here with one thing in mind. There are millions of Thai prostitutes that cater to that. I can look out from this internet cafe now and see three farang/thai prostitute couples. You see it everywhere and there are streets and street of "go go" bars where women dance, strip and do "tricks" with their ...parts. Single men are literally attacked by groups of 5-10 thai women fighting to "sevice" them. I sure am using a lot of " "! haha. Its really disgusting and I feel like walking around and slapping all these gross fat farang men and telling them to get some decency. I dont blame the Thai women as often prostitution is the only option for them. The average education for women here is grade 6 (although boys often get grade 9-12) and you arent able to get any sort of decent job unless you have grade 9. These women have two options: work as a waitress, massage therapist etc for 12 hours a day everyday for a small wage OR find a fat farang and through prostitution make the same amount of money in one night as they would in a month elsewhere. Often these women send everything they earn to their families and majority of them are from the northeast which is the poorest region of thailand. I just finished reading a book written by a prostitute from here in Phuket and it really was eye opening. Still hard to watch everyday. Another thing that is new for me is the amount of lady boys here. They call it the third sex of thailand and they are everywhere. Lady boys are men but you really cant tell until they talk and you hear their deep voices! Its amazing and sure tricks a lot of men who dont realize what kind of a prostitute they are with!

We have been chilling on the beaches here in Patong Bay and went on a boat tour of the PhiPhi island and other islands. We were able to see Maja bay (where the beach was filmed). It was absolutely breath taking (minus all the boats and tourists). As hard as I looked I couldnt find Leonardo anywhere!! We also stopped at Monkey beach which was full of cute monkeys. Snorkelling is unreal here, its like you are in an aquarium with millions of beautiful fish and bright coral. I can only imagine what you see SCUBA diving! Fun trip. We are debating going bungee jumping tomorrow but Im sure we will chicken out!