Limping Marathon Runner

It was an early day for me to Phuket with my E-ticket stated a 7am flight. Don't ask me what time I woke up. But, I reached the Budget Airport just before 5am. After checking in and passed the immigration gates, I walked around the shops and bookstore before heading towards the boarding gate. A familiar face asked for confirmation. "Are you going to Phuket?", questioned Phishy. There was a last minute change to the boarding gate and she was confused. It is always a treat to see familiar faces.

Once in the air, I kept myself busy, staring out of the window. Rows and rows of cloud looked like candy floss which turned the whole sky into a wonderland. I spotted an island with green vegetation surrounded by pristine waters gently caressing the shores. Within 15 minutes, we touched down at Phuket's airport. After picking up my pack, I bought a ticket to Patong beach. Packed in a minivan, we got transferred to a tour agency where people heading off to Phuket town will hop onto another minivan (transfer). Upon reaching my hotel, I checked in and got a surprise once I stepped into my room. It was better than what I thought it would be. LCD TV, queen sized bed, bathtub were simply fantastic. I can even watch TV while soaking in the bathtub! No time to lose! No, not taking a bath now! I dropped my stuff and met up with Seal, Shamrock, Julia and David in the restaurant for breakfast. I took some cereal, a cup of coffee and was eager to move out! We walked to a nearby mall for some shopping (fav time busting activity back home). I was looking around in a sports departmental store and most of the items carried a same price tag compare to those back at home. "Thrilled" is the exact word to use when I saw a sea kayak in the store. While most of them wandered around the mall, we decided to meet again in an hour's time. I took this opportunity to head towards the beach which was a 10mins walk away. The ocean view was great and it was complimented with a clear sky. Taking off my shoes, I left my footprints on the beach. With sea water wetting my feet each time the wave hits the shore, I walked almost the entire stretch of the beach front. At one point, I stopped, stood in the open for a good 15mins with sea breeze blowing at me. I felt totally relaxed at that instant. Time check! It was time to head back and meet up with the group.

In search of a place to eat, Shamrock brought us to a place that they tried last year. The portion was a little small, given the price tag. What do you expect? It is a tourist spot we were in! Taking a walk back to the hotel, some of them wanted to rest. Seal and I took a walk along the streets and we saw people taking Open Water classes in the small pool just outside the dive shop. It was not too long before we stopped at a StarBucks coffee joint to chill out. Meeting the group back at the hotel once again, we took a Tuk-Tuk to Laguna Beach Resort to collect our race packs. Not much of a surprise, we saw Uncle Chan's name on the list of marathon runners. There little to see at the race pack collection venue. Some New Balance shoes, magazine, other marathon races and that was all. With strong recommendation from Shamrock again, we took a bus to the Lotus Restaurant which serves good, value for money seafood. The ambience of the restaurant was set for diners to enjoy their food while facing the ocean. I wanted to capture the sunset and was waiting for this moment the whole day. I was kind of disappointed when the sky turned cloudy. During our dinner, it poured as well. Now, back to the dinner we had. I really have to say that is it certainly value for money. The mango juice was of good standards too. Since we were waiting for the rain to stop, we had a second round of drinks. Once the sky cleared, we took a bus back to Laguna Beach Resort looking for a cab back to Patong. It took both parties a while to negotiate the prince before cabbie drove us back to Patong in his Volvo. We went back to our rooms and agreed to meet at 8am the next morning for breakfast. I took my shower and caught Star Wars on T.V. before I actually saw "stars" (falling asleep). It was one long day indeed.