CNY Escapade to Phuket

Mitsuha at Layan Beach, Dream Beach Club, Phuket

Over the first 4 days of Chinese New Year (28-31 Jan), Hubby, myself, FL and ML went to Phuket for a short getaway. I took Mitsuha on this trip. Figured she would love a bit of sun after being cooped up at home since she came back from her surgery in Shenzhen.

Day 1

Orchid Garden, Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2

We took the morning flight out from T2 at Changi. There was a little time before boarding, so we checked out one of my favourite spots - the Orchid Garden at the T2 departure transit lounge.

Orchid Garden, Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2

So, according to the Changi webpage, there are 700 orchids of 30 species at the Orchid Garden. They are grouped by colours and shapes, to represent the earth, fire, water and air. To be perfectly honest, I don't know whether to describe this concept as imaginative or just plain lame.

Anyway, for a little indoor garden, the collection at the Orchid Garden is quite impressive, and the landscaping is beautiful. My favourite spot is the cluster of orchids around the man-made pond, among the stones and ferns.

Orchid Garden, Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2

Orchids are one of my favourite flowers, and have been since my childhood. When I was a child, one of the most endearing stories I was told was how much my paternal grandmother also loved orchids and grew them in her garden in years past. She would cultivate various species and attempt to hybridise them. I don't grow orchids (no green thumbs!), but I cherish this story anyway. It's like a link to my paternal grandmother, whom I've never met because she passed away before I was born.

On board to Phuket

Travel companions

There was nothing to do on-board the plane, save for the books Hubby and I brought. When we landed, it was pretty annoying to know that Hubby had already finished reading John Perkin's The New Confessions of an Economic Hitman. And no, he does not wear gale-force reading glasses. And no, I don't want to imagine if he had been. In the meantime, I am still not finished with Private Empire; it's written quite densely and with other things going on daily, I confess I haven't picked it up as often as I like.

We initially anticipated that we would have quite a bit of reading time in Phuket. But in the end we didn't because ML had other plans, and we ended up going from one place to the next. Not that we actually saw much in the end either.

On landing and collecting the rented car, we drove to Maeluan Road in search of lunch. FL had been recommended a place at Maeluan Road, but FL couldn't remember the name of the place, save that it was along Maeluan Road and had a characteristic blue canvas. (￣ヘ￣)" Rounded Maeluan Road twice, and we didn't find it. (We learned later in the day - with some research - that he was referring to Siang Can, and we did eat there on Day 2.)

Then, we decided to try Blue Elephant instead - but also got lost. Yes, how on earth can we get lost looking for Blue Elephant, which is a landmark, large Sino-Portuguese style Governor's Mansion? Instead of rounding Maeluan Road a 4th time (in total), Hubby decided to stop wasting time getting lost and go to Raya House. (Both Blue Elephant and Raya House were highly recommended to us by an ex-colleague who comes to Thailand very often, like, annually.)

Raya House, a bygone era.

So we lunched at Raya House, a Thai establishment housed in a beautiful renovated Sino-Portuguese mansion that was built in the early 20th century. The interior called to mind a bygone time, to when Phuket was populated with a cosmopolitan mix of Siamese, Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians, and sea gypsies. Like Singapore, parts of Malaysia (Penang, Malacca) and Indonesia, Phuket had a distinctive Baba community (known in Southeast Asia as the Peranakan community), which still remains in the architecture of Old Phuket Town (e.g. along Yaowarat and Thalang roads).

Our feast at Raya House, Phuket Town

We ordered quite a number of dishes for the 4 of us: gaeng boo bai chaplu kab sen mee (แกงปูใบชะพลู กับเส้นหมี่); tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง); tam mamuang (ตำมะม่วง) piled with dried squid; goong pad sataw (กุ้งผัดสะตอ); khao phat sapparot (ข้าวผัดสับปะรด) and pla sam rot (ปลาสามรส).^{Note 1}

The highlights for me would definitely be the gaeng boo bai chaplu kab sen mee and pla sam rod. As for the goong pad sataw (stir-fried stink beans), FL and I love sataw - or the parkia speciosa, a stinky bean that we call petai. I've eaten much tastier goong pad sataw, but the one at Raya House is delicious too - not so spicy that it overwhelms the nutty flavour of the petai beans.

Definitely revisiting Raya House if I'm ever in Phuket again.

Car trouble!

After lunch, we had a spot of car trouble. The battery of our rented car was completely flat, as was the battery to the car keys. We called the 24-hour emergency number provided by the rental company, Sixt Thailand, but nobody picked up. We called the office and were told they'd send someone down at once. Let's just say that we were stranded for 2 to 2.5 hours, and called them 3 times. The Sixt staff who answered was pretty rude in the last call.

Raya House resident cat?

In a way, we were fortunate, as we were stranded in the carpark of Raya House, and the car was parked partially in the shade. The 2nd call we made to the Sixt office, the staff at Raya House patiently helped us with translation, giving directions, etc. Then as the time passed on (in the Phuket heat), they also brought out water and fruit for us, on the house. And when the Sixt staff (2 guys) finally arrived, the staff at Raya House gave them a good round of scoldings. Teehee.

Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa, Phuket

So we finally arrived at our Phuket accommodation, a 2-bedroom villa at Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa, near Layan beach. To be perfectly honest, it was not our first, second or even third choice.

We had originally booked another villa through agoda.com but there had been a mix-up over the booking. I don't want to delve into it except to say that I see it as a reminder of how there is a limit to how far people can put up with stupidity and rigid adherence to company policy. By the time the mix-up was resolved, it was no longer possible (nor did it make sense) for us to book the one we wanted. Also, before the whole booking fiasco, Hubby and I had wanted to return to Impiana at Kata Noi (Karon), where we had stayed in during our 2012 trip with friends. Unfortunately, the villa we had in mind was booked out. In any case, we had to book somewhere close to the airport and Patong Beach - because ML kept insisting she wanted to be near Patong Beach. ¯\(￣ヘ￣ )/¯

So, Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa... Very nice swimming pool area, with a in-pool cocktail bar. As for the villa itself, ultra modern decor, very comfortable bed. Although, overall very impractical in terms of utility. The bedroom and bathroom are separated by only a sheer curtain, and the sliding door can only cover the shower unit or toilet at any one time. So if one person is using the shower, and the other person the toilet, one of them would be exposed. And the toilet doesn't have great air ventilation system (I doubt it actually has one), so you can imagine the (faint) smells that waft into the bedroom.

Clearly an example of someone prioritising form over substance.

EXHAUSTED.

No complaints about the king-sized bed! Probably the one single comfort I had this trip. Other than the food, and the company of Hubby and Mitsuha.

We were pretty exhausted even though it was only early evening. In the end, FL and ML fell asleep, and Hubby and I had dinner at the hotel's restaurant. The thought of venturing out again - even with a car - was just too tiring to even think about. It's been a trying day and for 3 of us, it had also been a trying week.

Day 2

Day 2 got off with a slow start. FL and ML went for an early morning visit to the Dream Beach Club, to check out the beach, leaving Hubby and me to sleep in.

Sleeping in

Sleeping in

It is pretty hard to get out of a comfortable bed, with nice cool sheets. When we did get up, Hubby made another dent in our reading material while I took some pictures of Mitsuha out by our private pool.

Mitsuha getting some sun at our pool

Mitsuha getting some sun at our pool

Mitsuha getting some sun at our pool

The sun was glorious and hot. After a while, it started to really beat down on us, and I got a little lightheaded after about 20 minutes out there taking pictures. So, I slunk back into the villa to cool our heads. Plus Mitsuha got very warm, so I was afraid it would compromise her MSC sealant. (Heat can cause the MSC coating to crack.)

So after FL and ML got back from the beach, we headed out to lunch at Siang Can, the eatery we tried looking for the day before. So FL contacted his longtime Thai friend for the name, and Hubby looked it up on the Internet. We did manage to get an online location, but it was a little off by 2 streets. So we walked up a few streets before asking for directions from a cart-vendor, and then walked back 4 streets down. And yes, the shop was indeed fronted by blue canvas, and it's opposite the road from a huge white building which I think is the Mitsubishi car dealership.

Lunch at Siang Can, Maeluan Road, Phuket

As posted elsewhere, the food at Siang Can is Isan cuisine (northeastern Thai cuisine), said to be Thailand's most popular regional cuisine. As for Siang Can, it's just a large no-frills space, with cheap but good food.

Isan food at Siang Can, Maeluan Road, Phuket

We had a mix of Isan dishes and mainstream central Thai dishes. Had some khao niao (ข้าวเหนียว), pla duk dam (ปลาดุกย่าง?) and som tam boo pla ra (ส้มตำปูปลาร้า), which are classic Isan dishes.^{Note 2} The som tam boo pla ra, though, was consumed solely by ML, as the rest of us didn't want to risk a bellyache with the brined paddy crabs and uncooked pla ra (fermented fish sauce). The other dishes we ordered were mu daeng (หมูแดง), khao phat sapparot (ข้าวผัดสับปะรด), tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง), phak bung fai daeng (ผักบุ้งไฟแดง): stir-fried morning glory, kai thot (ไก่ทอด), and sai mu thot (ไส้หมูทอด).^{Note 3}

There was no real highlight dish for me, though everything was decent and good. I would say the pla duk dam (grilled catfish) was a pleasant surprise to me, however - I didn't realise that catfish could be so sweet and creamy.

Cooling down at iBerry, Central Festival

Rest of the afternoon was spent at Central Festival because ML wanted to go shopping. Hubby and I just strolled the place and sat down to some cold items at iBerry - I had an iced mocha, and Hubby had a blueberry soda and chocolate parfait.

Later on, in evening, Hubby and I took FL and ML to dinner at Kan Eang @ Pier at Chalong. It had been a recommendation of our friend's dad, YYM, and we had eaten there back in 2012 with our friends. FL was telling us that about 20 years ago, Kan Eang used to be a little hut on the beach, without the fancy deck and tables. He was quite surprised by the changes to the place.

Andaman blue swimmer crabs

It was a delicious seafood dinner. The highlights would have to be the prawns, the blue crabs, and the pla sam rot. The tom yum goong did not seem to taste as good as I remembered, and I also much preferred the tom yum goong we had at Raya House and at Siang Can. At the end of dinner, ML and I each got thapthim krop (ทับทิมกรอบ) to finish off. Thapthim krop, also known as red rubies,^{Note 4} is one of my all-time favourite desserts, comprising of water chestnut chunks coated in tapioca flour, dyed red, and served with crushed ice and sweetened coconut milk. I am sad to report that I have had way better back in Singapore.

Day 3

Good morning!

Morning coffee

So while FL and ML got an early start with a dip in the pool, Hubby and I sat down to my morning addiction at the cafe nearby. A very good cappuccino.

[Photo coming up.]

Late, Hubby had a swim at the hotel's lovely swimming pool while I sat on a deck-chair under the shade and made some headway in Private Empire. FL and ML too had a pretty long swim and snoozed on the deck chairs.

After a leisurely time of, well, doing nothing, we all headed to Patong. I actually can't stand Patong. But there was no avoiding it because ML was insistent - she wanted to shop (again), get a massage, and have steamboat lunch at MK Gold.

[Photo coming up.]

So Patong is really built up and full of shopping, and Jungceylon at Patong is one of the more popular shopping malls. We went to Jungceylon mainly because it had a large carpark and had an MK Gold branch. But to be perfectly honest, I was pretty sick of yet another shopping location near yet another overcrowded beach lined with touristy franchises.

Steamboat lunch at MK Gold, Jungceylon, Patong

As for the food at MK Gold, I'm very sure Phuket has much better food offerings, especially the seafood ingredients. After our very satisfying dinner at Kan Eang @ Pier the day before, the seafood pickings at MK Gold were not only disappointing but overpriced. The roast duck, however, was quite delicious.

Layan Beach, Dream Beach Club, Phuket

After a few hours at Jungceylon (during which I developed a niggling headache), we then headed to the Dream Beach Club, the beach club on Layan Beach that is managed by the hotel we were staying at. The initial plan had been to go to Patong Beach, per ML's wish, but when she saw how crowded it was, she declared that Layan Beach was more beautiful. So Layan Beach it was.

Mitsuha at Layan Beach, Dream Beach Club, Phuket

Layan Beach, Dream Beach Club, Phuket

We made it in time to catch the sunset which, I admit, is beautiful.

So after a while at Layan Beach, we headed back to the villa to drop off our things before heading out to dinner at DeDos Restaurant. 

Duck breast "Pomelo", DeDos Restaurant, Laguna

DeDos is located at Tinlay Place, near Laguna Phuket Resort, and is run by Swiss-Bolivian chef Pablo Blattman. Tinlay Place kind of reminds me of Dempsey Hill at home, just smaller and more rustic. The food at DeDos is French with Mediterranean, Japanese and Thai influences. Overall, we enjoyed the food, though I found it a little heavy on the salt. (Possibly personal, as we generally consume less salt at home.) ML loved it and it was one of the few times she didn't have a single criticism to make. 

We also witnessed what appeared to be a dine-and-dash incident involving 3 Caucasian adults (1 male, 2 females, and a baby) who were seated 2 tables away from ours. Dine-and-dash is a form of theft by fraud, and it is a criminal offence in many countries, including Thailand. There was a case of 2 New Zelanders who did it and were arrested when they re-entered Phuket 2 years later. I've posted more details about the incident separately.

Day 4

Nai Yang Beach, Phuket

Last day in Phuket at last! I like Phuket, but I was dying to go home, and this trip did not feel like a break at all. We had some time to kill between hotel check-out and checking in for our flight, so we spent some time at Nai Yang Beach which had been recommended by the hotel staff. It is a rather beautiful beach, with Thai street vendors (probably unlicensed), massage places, no-frills diners and some dusty shops lining the uncrowded street. It was also very close to the airport.


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Note 1
Gaeng boo bai chaplu kab sen mee (แกงปูใบชะพลู กับเส้นหมี่): crab coconut curry with rice vermicelli
Tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง): prawn tom yum soup
Tam mamuang (ตำมะม่วง): green mango salad
Goong pad sataw (กุ้งผัดสะตอ): stir-fried stink beans (aka petai beans)
Khao phat sapparot (ข้าวผัดสับปะรด): pineapple fried rice
Pla sam rot (ปลาสามรส): "three-flavour fish", a dish of deep-fried fish with sweet, sour and spicy tamarind sauce

Note 2
Khao niao (ข้าวเหนียว): glutinous rice
Pla duk dam (ปลาดุกย่าง?): grilled catfish
Som tam boo pla ra (ส้มตำปูปลาร้า): green papaya salad with brined paddy crabs and fermented fish sauce

Note 3
Mu daeng (หมูแดง): red roast pork
Khao phat sapparot (ข้าวผัดสับปะรด): see Note 1 above
Tom yum goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง): see Note 1 above
Phak bung fai daeng (ผักบุ้งไฟแดง): stir-fried morning glory (the Ipomoea aquatica, also water spinach, mostly called kangkong at home)
Kai thot (ไก่ทอด): deep-fried chicken
Sai mu thot (ไส้หมูทอด): deep-fried pork intestines

Note 4
Pla sam rot (ปลาสามรส): see Note 1 above
Thapthim krop (ทับทิมกรอบ): a Thai dessert known as "red rubies" comprising of water chestnuts coated in red-dyed tapioca flour, crushed ice and coconut milk