Day 8 - January 14, 2010

Today we decided to take it easy and shop the street markets of Phuket. We slept in (until 6:30am ☺) and then had a nice breakfast at the hotel. When we came back we got to talk to our families through Skype and packed our bags.

We headed on a shopping adventure through the crowded and somewhat smelly streets of downtown Patong. The vendors reminded Ali of other third world countries like Tijuana, Mexico and on Nassau, Bahamas. They do not understand the concept of supply and demand. Each little shop is similar and sells anything from little plastic elephants, t-shirts, bootleg DVDs, and suits. One of the t-shirts put it best “I don’t want a f*@cking Tuk Tuk, Suit or Sarong!” We almost bought one so they would leave us alone. The Tuk Tuk (mini cabs) drivers wanted to take us everywhere, the tailors wanted to make us suits and dresses and they had a ton of beachwear and knock off designer clothes and bags. We got a few souvenirs for family with our excellent bartering skills, but were worn out by the end of the day.

We pretty much walked every inch of Patong, Phuket today. We really enjoyed Thailand, but are ready for some more adventures in Singapore and Malaysia!

Here are a few pics from the day!