Phuket Day 3

1:31 AM Cassan 0 Comments

Day 3: Elephant ride, ATV to big Buddha, R&R, Phuket Fantasea

Day 3 saw us conquering more places and this time, it was the elephant ride + ATV to the Big Buddha!

We booked this before hand from the agency which costs us 1000 baht each (SGD $40). Haha now you know why I keep emphasizing that the things there are highly expensive. But good thing's that once we try a certain sport, we won't be doing that anytime soon if we ever do visit another beach holiday destination! And Thank God H was a good bargainer if not we would have paid more. Different agencies charge different pricings so it'll be good to find out more before decide on agency one to book! (There're gaziliion of them on the streets so no worries)

The driver picked us up at around 8am in the morning and it took us around 1hr 15mins to reach this area of Phuket. Oh yes, all packages includes a to and fro trip from the destination and your hotel. Haha we definitely had a good sleep on the mini-bus. We also met a family from New Zealand who were extremely friendly and helpful! Thanks to them that we did not waste moolah and visit the Phuket Zoo. I've heard and found pretty bad reviews about the place and how they were mistreating the animals there :(

The elephant ride was amazing but err.... a little scary. Hahaha all that were supporting us was just a rope fastened across our bellies. Well, the seat was very much secure but I kept freaking out when the elephant went down steep slopes because we were on top of a mountain and falling off the elephant would mean.......

HAHA this baby elephant loved me so much that it sucked my hand.

ATV!!!

Verdict: Once is enough.

I'm not really THAT adventurous of a person but an EXTREMELY CLUMSY ONE. One time, I got so near to the slopes that the car almost rolled over. You know those movie scenes when the protagonist reaches the tip of the cliff and you can see rocks rolling/falling down to the bottomless pit?
Yup.
That was me.

After that I was shaking so badly and couldn't wait for this to finally end lol.

When it comes to shopping in Phuket.... you can pretty much forget about it. The things sold here are mostly souvenir items so if you're thinking of bagging home clothes or bags, it's almost impossible to do so unless you're willing to pay a high price. But come on, I would rather you go to BKK for that.

After the morning adventure, we decided to spend our second last day in Phuket roaming around the streets and taking it slow. Had a really slow lunch (becos the food took horrendously long to be served) at Black Canyon coffee but I must admit the Phad Thai there was one of the best I've had in my life.

Even better than the one at Nakhon.

I wouldnt say it was worth the wait unless you're willing to wait an hour and a half for it. Haha.

We paid 200 Baht (SGD $8) each for a photo w the animals on the streets and till this day I still don't understand why.

My 300 Baht (SGD $12) Mani + pedi!!!

After pampering ourselves, we retreated back to the loft to rest for a while before the driver picked us up for Phuket Fantasea at 6pm. Well, I would recommend you not to go if you're on a tight budget because it costs us 2700 Baht (SGD $108) for both the entrance ticket and the buffet dinner. Normal tickets cost 2500 Baht ($100) if you're a good negotiator with the agency. The buffet dinner is a must-try though!!! Because the other eateries in there are costly and where can you expect a $8 buffet? Plus you get to dine in a freaking palace-looking room which was so huge. Haha you'll see why from the photos below.

Unlike theme parks like USS, Fantasea does not have any amusement rides and only operates at night. There're elephant rides though, but I'm sure they're extremely over-priced there. At Fantasea, you'll be able to find themed areas with certain endangered animals and lots of souvenir shops.

The main highlight of Fantasea was the show, which was why it was so expensive.
I couldn't take any photos because we had to deposit our phones and bags before heading in.
But elephants, baby tigers, little chicks, sheep, cows.... it was somewhat like a zoo in there, just that they could ALL perform!!! Haha if you're a fan of such gigs, I would recommend you to pay for this.

The show lasted from 7-9pm. There were also booths where you could pay to take photos with baby tigers and some of the other animals.

Headed back to the hotel after that and walked out to the night market again for our last street food adventure of the trip. I still miss the amazing sotong to this day because it was so incredibly cheap and fresh! Do try when you visit Phuket! This night market is located opposide Gycelyon Shopping Centre and only operates after 6pm. :)