Phuket

Leaving Cebu, I was up early before my alarm went off.  I’m glad I was as I kept forgetting to put things into my suitcase after locking it.  I grabbed my water and brekky from the fridge before locking my suitcase for the last time, after jamming in my international power-board as cords are not permitted on as hand luggage.  Out the door by 5am, taxi called from the concierge and arrived within fifteen minutes.  With traffic at a minimum at this time of the morning it didn’t take us long to reach the airport.  I had data on my phone so could follow the route on the GPS, questioning why he was taking a back route, less traffic lights, fair enough.

My baggage weighed in at 13kg so I was well under the 20kg allocated.  I could now relax, enjoy my breakfast and wait for boarding.  I was given a seat between a young married couple so offered them my seat so they could sit together; who am I to separate a newly married?  They offered me the aisle seat, which is what I prefer.  I then dozed off and on most of the way to KL; I think it was the Phenergan that hadn’t worn off that I’d taken to help me sleep through the night.

The flight arrived ahead of time in Kuala Lumpur, giving me time to purchase a SIM card, which I also would need on my return in 6 days.  It was a bit of a rigmarole as I had to go through security twice.  It was worth it, as the free airport wifi was very slow and unreliable, in fact I couldn’t even connect.  With my SIM connected, I messaged my friends in Malaysia to let them know my new number and when I was due back. Next stop coffee.  Rather expensive and not as good as I hoped, I’ve been very spoilt at Abaca, Cebu.  Then a gate change just before boarding.  Thank God it was close by as I’d just walked from one side of the airport to the other to get to the first one!

Our plane was delayed about 20 minutes due to bad weather flying in from Singapore.  I had heard the haze from the fires in Indonesia blanketed all of South East Asia, affecting not only Cebu but also the skies over Phuket.  After boarding my flight I sent a quick message to Sylvain via WhatsApp to let him know of the delayed arrival then settle back to ‘enjoy the ride’.

There was a slight problem when I arrived, as once again I couldn’t connect to the airport’s free wifi and I couldn’t find Sylvain anywhere.  Praise the Lord, one of the airport attendants was able to log me on.  I now had access to the outside world!  Sylvain was sending his French connection, Frankie, whose girlfriend had a car.  Our messages went via Sylvain whose English was also limited. Eventually the car arrived and I was sped off to the NY Pizza Airbnb.  It was actually very close to the airport on an off road heading to the beach.  Frankie explained that he was hoping to get a Thai visa to be able to work here, helping Sylvain and was soon going to Penang for his application.

I had thought the NY Pizza stood for New York Pizza which seemed a bit strange as the proprietors are French and Thai.  NY stands for the town of Nai Yang.  Of course silly me!  I met Sylvain and his wife Shayana who showed me a room on the third floor overlooking the road. This was a slight problem at night as the lights from the air conditioner and TV were on 24/7.   It was like having a full moon every night!  Thank the Lord I had a pair of eye shades, I doubt if I could have slept otherwise.  Before unpacking I set off back along the road where I’d seen a 7/11 at the cross roads.  I was hungry, having only snacked on sour mango and guava slices dipped in salt, sugar and chilli, this was around 3:30pm before the flight to Phuket.  I found a place selling Lahp Moo (Pork Lahp) and ordered Lahp and sticky rice which also came with a bit of cabbage.  Although it was a large serve I was shocked at how much the price had gone up since the last one I bought.  Still that was over 27 years ago and this was Phuket, a tourist destination.  The local vendor reassured me it was the same price for locals.  Next stop the 7/11 for milk for my breakfast and to make more kefir which has been struggling to produce curds.  I think I’m needing to start again but not till I get home.  I do hope the one I left in my fridge has survived!

Back to my little room where I unpacked, prepared my brekky, kefir and posted the last blog before falling exhausted into bed!  Thailand is an hour behind Perth and the Philippines which means the first time to adjust to the time difference.

To say the least, I didn’t sleep well.  It was quiet but the light, heavy doona and the air conditioning was difficult to adjust to.  Part way through the night I took the cover off the doona, casting it aside, I slept under the doona cover only.  I don’t like air conditioning but when it’s so humid and there is no fan it’s a must, especially as since Cebu I’ve had a heat rash on my neck, which has been driving me crazy!  The second night was much better.  I think being extra tired helped.

Thursday I woke at 5am which was actually a sleep in, being 6am if you use the old time. I had a list of things I needed to do that day, one of which was try to change my pesos to baht.  After breakfast in my room with my dwindling supply of nuts, seeds and muesli, I headed first to the right of my dwelling to check out the local market which is set up four times a week, Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays.  I was thinking the usual early morning markets but the vendors were only just setting up at 7am.  It opened around 2 – 9pm.  I returned to my dwelling, exchanging my shopping bag for my bathers and headed towards the left / west to the beach.

It’s only a two minute walk down the road to NY Beach from where I was staying. The beach is nothing spectacular (we are spoilt with beautiful beaches in Aust).  Still it was reasonably clean although very shallow for quite a way before you were able to swim.  I headed back to the road where I walked past many vendors setting up their carts for the day.  It seemed nothing really opened till 8am or l0am.  I found several money exchange booths but none were willing to change pesos.  I should have changed them at the airport.   Maybe later.

I walked back to my dwelling and sat outside the shop chatting with Sylvain, a bit like a chicken and a duck as his English was minimal and my French zilch!  His Thai wasn’t much better, even though he is married to a Thai. My Thai had greatly improved, even during the short time I had been here.  The locals were quite impressed, I think mainly because other foreigners spoke so little and very poorly.  That afternoon Sylvain took me back to their condo for a swim in the pool.  They have both been very kind to me since my arrival.  After about an hour just relaxing in and out of the pool I walked back via the beach shops where I knew I could use my bank card to purchase a large 6 litre bottle of water.  I hate buying the small individual ones.  Such a waste and pollution of plastic!  Praise the Lord there wasn’t much of a walk back although the rain did start to sprinkle along the way.  I had my umbrella to shade me from the sun as I’d seen many westerners who were very red all over from sunburn.  I did get a bit burnt so was taking extra precautions.

Dropping my water in my room, I grabbed my shopping bag and set off once again to the market.  I had a great time wandering around all the stalls looking for things I loved to eat.  I found Mieng Kham which I last had when we made it at the school in Hod, northern Thailand in 2015.  I also found my favourite spicy sausage, tiny coconut pancakes, Som Tum without the muddy crab, MSG and not too much chilli, and of course another durian.  With goodies in hand I headed back to feast on my tiny balcony before going downstairs for a chat with Shayana and their house maid who also cleans and prepares the apartments.  Sylvain returned later in the day and invited me to go shopping with him on his scooter.  It was quite an experience seeing him load two bundles of 6 water bottles and a box of beers into the gap between handlebars and seat.

That night it was early to bed again, which meant I also wake early, so I waited for the sun to shed enough light for me to go jogging.  It was so much nicer jogging along the side of the road and through the Sirinat National Park than inside the gym.  The treadmill wasn’t very good for my knee, which started playing up after 15mins but on the roadside I was able to jog for a full 25mins without a tweak.  Sylvain had warned me that the park charged an entry fee from 9am to 4pm but if I went before this there were no guards, so it was free.  I was surprised that there was tourist accommodation inside the park along the road; it didn’t really look like much of a national park to me.  When I returned from my jog I looked on google maps and noticed I had actually jogged to the end of a circle road through the park. I thought I might take the other direction another day just to see how much of a difference there was.

I found another money exchange booth quite near my stay and returned there at nine am to change some of my pesos, which will tide me over for a few days.  Most of the things I needed to buy were for cash but where ever possible I tried to use my bank card, so I didn’t need to change money, which is at a terrible exchange since the Aussie dollar is so low.

Later that morning Sylvain was going to the airport so I hitched a ride on the back of his scooter.  There was an orange local bus that left from here going into Phuket Old Town and Patong Beach.  I wasn’t interested in Patong Beach as this was the tourist strip but thought the old town sounded interesting.  The bus took around 1 ½ hrs traveling very slowly looking for passengers along the way. It was an interesting journey, which I followed on my google maps previously downloaded so that I could use it off line, as I had done in both Singapore and Cebu.  I’m not sure how it works without wifi but it’s so convenient.  We passed through quite a bit of semi-rural townships with markets, stalls, shops, mosques and temples along the road.  Through the big shopping area of Central and on to Old Town where the bus terminated and I went off in search of a coffee and a short rest before exploring.  On route to the coffee shop I was nearly accosted by a very fierce dog.  I fended it off with my umbrella which I use as a parasol to protect me from the sun but now as a shield against maurading dogs!  Then I realised it was muzzled.  Praise God!  It must have had a habit of mauling passers by.  On my walk through Old Town I decided to try to stick to where I knew the bus would be returning so that I could flag it down when I’d had enough sightseeing.

It was an interesting part of Phuket, with Portuguese style buildings and many Chinese shops.  At this time there was a Chinese vegetarian festival on and I often heard or saw drums, flags and banners on the back of vehicles as they passed through the streets.

Remembering the ring I had brought with me that needed repairing, I asked a vendor if he knew where I could find a jeweller.  With my smattering of Thai I understood it was along the same road the orange bus went, close to a large intersection.  Off I went with a little map in hand.  When I found the shop I was told the same thing as in Cebu, the heat of the soldering iron might crack the stone.  Oh well I tried.

A little further up the road I read a sign in a window saying ‘Brown Café – Coffee from down under’.  I popped to inquire and found it was run by a Thai who had lived in Melbourne.  If I hadn’t already had my coffee I’d have given it a try.

As I was approaching the large intersection, an orange bus pulled up to the traffic lights.  I hurried up to it indicating I wanted to board.  It was the same driver and conductor as the trip down; I was glad to be back in the air conditioning and on route back.  I had my queries about the driver though, as the conductor seemed to be letting him know when to slow down as the traffic approached the lights.  My thought was that he didn’t see very well.  She wasn’t always paying attention either as she was watching a movie on her mobile phone; on one occasion we came to a sudden holt behind a truck!

I disembarked the little orange bus a little early to see if I could find a young coconut to drink and an early dinner but then walked all the way past my intersection till I eventually found somewhere selling what I was looking for.  I stopped again at the corner to buy lanzones, before heading back for a relaxing evening in my room and another early night.

I woke around 3:45am but couldn’t be bothered getting out of bed, so lazed around till 7:15 when I went for a walk.  I had decided I’d go north along the coast then walk back inland from the other side of the airport. I dressed in my silk long sleeves top and trousers to protect myself against the sun.  There was a nice cool breeze and long shadows from the trees along the shoreline.  The airport backing onto the beach at the end of the national park was fenced off with high security fences topped with barbed wire.  There were two small waterways on this walk one I crossed by a small bridge the other I stripped off my trousers and waded across.  Fortunately there was no one is sight.  I had to wait for the waves to subside as they went out then rush across before the next wave.  I was going to go further north but ran out of energy.  I could either go east around the airport which was a very long way, or retrace my steps south.  As the sun was getting hotter I decided to return along the beach.  This was a bit tricky as the tide was coming in and the outlet was getting deeper and waves higher the tide had also created another inlet which fortunately I was able to walk above along the runoff outlet.

Now on the south of the airport fences I took a road, which lead through what looked like airport staff accommodation, back to the main road.  Before reaching the main road I stopped at Maya Phuket Coffee Shop for a caffeine fix in the air conditioning.  I was pleasantly surprised at how good the coffee was and the cheapest yet at 70 baht. I had a lovely chat to a Chinese couple and their small children here on a holiday from China and delighted to be able to practice their English, which was amazingly very good.  I also chatted to the girl behind the counter who came and sat with me when all her customers had gone.

Braving the heat, I donned my umbrella and headed for the main road and south towards the junction to Nai Yang, stopping along the way to purchase the fried soy curd, corn and taro fritters which is topped with sweet chili sauce.  Then home where I flaked out for an hour, exhausted after my 6 km walk!  I needed to regain my energy for the afternoon market.

I was at the market a little earlier than last time and not all the stalls were set up, which probably was a good thing for them as they had to hurriedly pack away or cover their goods as the rain was coming.  Firstly there were gusts of wind which wiped up the dust, then it bucketed down for about 20 mins.  Rivers of water turned into pools, the vendors constantly pulling on the tarps to release the accumulating rain. It continued to drizzle for about another 20 mins while stalls were setting up.  I wandered around but didn’t see what I was searching for.  I bought some more sausage, coconut pancakes, chicken sate and mangosteens and headed home.  My tummy had been a bit rumbly that morning and was worse that afternoon.  Too much fruit and chillies I suspect.  What goes in hot comes out hot!  It rained off and on most of the afternoon so I stayed inside taking it easy, sorting my photos and writing.

I later returned to the market but still no durian.  Then for a walk to stretch my legs and back where I chatted with Franky and Sylvain with a couple of glasses of mango, soda and rum.  Franky was delighted to practice his English, Sylvain not so, he said it made him weary.

Sunday I was up early so went for a jog along the other road in the park, this time I went on the full circuit. It’s a lovely time of the day before the sun gets too hot.  I took the orange bus again, this time to Central, which I hadn’t realise was closed till 10:30am.  Never mind there was a McDonalds in walking distance where I could have a coffee before walking to the church.  After ordering, I tried to logon to the free wifi and realised they wanted all my personal details.  Just at this time a westerner and his wife interrupted me to say I could hotspot my phone to his.  Wow! Thank you, how kind.  When we introduced ourselves I realised he was the pastor of the church I had planned to visit that morning.  Pastor KR and his wife Darleen, how amazing is our God!  They even offered to drive me there as it was a good half hour walk away.

At the church I was introduced to some of the members and visitors, a visiting pastor and his wife originally from Canada and ministering in Mexico.  Then after the service Jennifer caught up and introduced herself. She asked if I and the couple from Canada wanted to join some of the church members for lunch at Central and then paid for us, saying she was well paid by the HeadStart International School.

Ps KR introduced me to Mattias from For Freedom International which helps women who have been caught up in human trafficking and sexual exploitation.  Mattias explained how they are looking for a house mother for their woman’s refuge and would I like to come and see the work on Monday.  I said I’d be delighted.

Jennifer then asked if I and our Canadian friends would like to have a look around Phuket before dropping us off.  She was picking up a friend from the airport at 6pm so had time to spare.  We were thrilled.  She drove us to some of the beaches then along the west coastline to the markets at NY were we wandered around before going for a walk along the beach, which was now at low tide.  We stopped for a snack at one of the seaside resorts where Jennifer had eaten before, it was Happy Hour with mocktails two for the price of one.  Jenny and I took advantage of this offer although I’m sure mine was not a mock, there definitely was alcohol in it, as it went straight to my head.  Jenny was glad her’s didn’t have alcohol as she was driving.  I was then dropped back at the market where I bought another durian which I offered to an American couple for a try.  They decided to stick to the mangosteen.  Once again the rains hit and we were stranded under the tarps till it subsided enough to dash home.  Then off to 7/11 to replenish my milk before turning in for the night.

Monday morning the last day of September and only two more days before I fly out of Phuket.  I contacted my friend Veni in Malaysia to see how I might get to their place in Seremban from the KL airport.  I was arriving early enough to take a public bus.  This would give me one night with them before I headed north.  I was so hoping I could catch up with them on this visit and it looks like the Lord is once again working things out for me.  Hallelujah!

I was back out to the main road waiting for the orange bus and into Central.  I got the time mixed up as I hadn’t changed my watch, so I was an hour too early for the shops to be open.  Thank you Lord for McCafe 24/7 service.  I waited here and this time gave up my personal information to access their free wifi.  After wandering around the shops when Central opened, I returned to meet Mattias and his son at McDonalds and from here to BigC, another shopping complex with a food hall.  Over lunch Mattias explained about the ministry of For Freedom International; he then took me to see the premises, meet his wife and some of the staff.  They have two, three-story blocks which have offices, classrooms for vocational training, dorms for visiting church teams and on the ground floor a hairdressing saloon and coffee shop, which provide opportunities for the apprentices and well as bring in a bit of money to help finance the organisation.  In another part of town is the home where the girls live with a house mother.

I had a long chat with Kathy the house mother, Mattias and Viyada his wife about the work.  They are praying for a mature Thai woman to replace Kathy, who is leaving at the end of the year.  When I returned to my dwelling I put out the word to all my Thai connections to spread the word.  Sylvain also explained that I would need to move tomorrow, as the reason I was unable to book the full time here when I booked online was because someone else had already booked the last night.  He had another place but could I please pack my bags and leave them in the room before I rushed off in the morning and he would move them for me.  Bother!  What a nuisance! I’d gotten used to this place, it had easy access to so much.  Oh well never mind, it was only one night, one needs to be flexible and grateful for what one has!

On Tuesday, with my bags packed, room locked and a message to take the things in the fridge when moving, I set off for the main road.  I knew I was early but thought a walk would be good, as I hadn’t jogged for a few days.  I had walked about 2km when a taxi van pulled up ahead of me.  Drawing alongside the driver lowered the window and asked where I was going.  I told him to BigC and he offered to take me for the same price as the orange bus so I agreed.  We chatted in Thai with me explaining I was visiting a children’s school for the poor and asked how much he would charge me to take me there.  I rang through to Roelien to ask instructions.  It wasn’t easy as it was a brand new construction and not yet on google maps.  The nearest landmark was given which the driver punched into his phone.  I had already taken photos of how to get there off google maps and with the off line map was able to direct the driver the last 3km.  On the way we talked about many things, including my previous visit as a Christian missionary in Bangkok.  He said his wife is a Christian.  Before I left I gave him some of the tracts Mattias had given my yesterday.  I wrote Mattias’ mobile on the back of one so that the driver could call him if he wanted more information.  I encouraged him to call as Mattias knew of an Alpha course he could attend and a local Thai Church.   How wonderful is the Lord in providing a ride for me right to the very door and for only 50 baht more than I would have otherwise paid.

I was introduced to some of the staff till Roelien finished her meeting.  Then I had a long chat with her about the work here and how it was started.  She showed me around the classrooms, offices, kitchen, dining area etc.  It’s only the beginning of the overall plans they have.  The classes finished and children began to enter and sit at the small tables in the dining room, getting ready for their midday meal, which the school provides.  The children are from the poorer families who would generally not be able to attend school and were often left home with older grandparents, who were sometimes too unwell to really care for them.  The centre also has a nurse who visits these families, helping with any medical needs where possible and providing general teaching on health and hygiene.

When the children had finished their lunch, the staff ate.  During this time Roelien asked me to say a little about myself and one of the staff translated.  Before leaving, Roelien talked about the possibility of me coming back for 3 months next year on a trial run.  What an exciting proposition.  I then filled in an application form, before being taken back out to the main road to catch the orange bus. It was there at the lights as we turned at the intersection just ahead of it.  Perfect timing, thank you Jesus!

I walked back to the Airbnb where Sylvian and Frankie were chatting. They asked if I wanted to go for a swim with them in the pool.  We went on scooters to my new premises, which was about two kilometres away in a closed gate community. This was where Sylvian and Shayana used to live before moving to the condo with the pool. I changed into my bathers, taking my damp dirty clothes with me, no time to wash them before leaving, I might as well wear them again.  It was lovely cooling off in the pool.  Poor Sylvian has a very bad back and seemed to suffer the rest of the day even though he was cooking and serving guests that evening.

Frankie later dropped me off at the house. Frankie asked the neighbour if I could please use their wifi as the house had none, seeing as no one lived there now. We had tried hot-spotting my phone with Sylvain’s but there was still my computer that needed access!  I was very grateful the neighbour gave me access, as I hadn’t checked in online and needed to contact Vein in Malaysia.  She wanted to know my flight details to pick me up from the airport.  What a blessing.  The Lord has certainly been providing for me on my travels. I hung my bathers to dry and washed the light things, putting them in front of the fan, then the air conditioning.

I didn’t sleep well that night as, again, it was a new premises with strange sounds including a gecko calling out during the night! I woke at 1:45am and couldn’t sleep.  It seemed I finally fell asleep just before the alarm went off at 4:35am.  Frankie and Yinglee were already waiting outside when I messaged them.  They had taken another guest to the airport at 5am.  It was great not to have had to worry about getting there on time.  I had plenty of time now.  For the first time on my travels I was asked to eat my breakfast at the scanners as they didn’t permit liquids through.  I had just drunk my water but now needed to finish the muesli as it had too much fluid to pass the check.

I’m on the last leg of my journey…. Malaysia.

Photos:  1. Nai Yang Beach      2. Cebu early morning       3. Map of Nai Yang     4. First meal Phuket     5. Balcony snacks       6. Coconut pancakes       7. Down pour NY markets     8. NY beach    9. Visitors from Canada, Jennifer and me      10. Veggies at market NY

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for an amazing time in Phuket with so many opportunities for ministry.  All the new friends and adventures I’ve had while here.

Please pray for the Lord’s protection, leading and guidance as I travel around Malaysia and head home on the 14^th of October.

Pray the Lord will continue to watch over me and keep me safe from sickness and disease, for good weather as I travel around.

Please continue to pray for doors to open and open hearts.  Pray the Lord will provide many opportunities to speak about the mystery of Christ during the remainder of my time in Malaysia.  (Col 4:3)

The Lord has answered prayer in regards to accommodation in Malaysia.  I still have only one more night to look for in KL on the 13^th before I fly out.  I’m confident He will lead me as I look to Him for guidance.

Please continue to pray for the salvation of my three sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat and especially for reconciliation and forgiveness between Tricia and the rest of us.

Thank you for your prayers for the business, Senior’s Benefits and Rewards.  It continues to proceed, although there have been a few hiccups.  The trademark application is going ahead, as is Grace, who is working on a map for the location of our business partners.  Grace will soon be starting the app trial with seniors and coffee shops she knows in Sydney.  Please continue to pray for the success of our venture.

Thank you to all my supportive friends and prayer partners; it’s reassuring and encouraging to know you are all standing with me.