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      There are a lot of memories that are fresh in my mind about Phuket. The trip to Phuket was sunny and filled with adventure. Let’s begin with the greetings and customs. When saying “hello,” people will often bow placing their hand together in a prayer position in front of their face.

It’s a way of showing respect. Hello is pronounced, “saw-wah-di-kah”. Thank you is said, “ka-poo-n-kah.” How are you is pronounced as “saw-bah-di-mine”.

I caught on quick, but my mom had some trouble figuring out the correct way to say it. When walking down the streets for the last time, I noticed some unique fruit. One day while eating breakfast, I decided to try a new fruit. Mom had brought “Dragon Fruit” back to the table. It had a bright pink coating, and the inside looked like poppy seed cake. The fruit was red on the outside and inside was white with the little black edible seeds. It didn’t have much of a taste. It was dull but the look of it was very pretty.

 

We also saw an unusual style of a massage. It’s called a “Fish Massage.” There’s a lit tank of small fish. There are a lot of them. You place your feet inside and some of the fish swarm around our feet, nipping off the dead skin. I’m not sure if it hurt, because I didn’t try it.

 

But I did get a nice pedicure today, while mom got a back and shoulder massage. “It’s the best massage I’ve ever had. And it cost about ten dollars,” she says. Yesterday we took a speed boat to several different islands. Ever seen “Man with the Golden Gun?”

 

We went to the spot where one of the scenes was shot, now universally known as “James Bond Island.”

The place was pretty crowded and touristy, but it was packed with pretty assortments of jewelry. In fact, I bought a pretty shell necklace for my friend. We then headed for another island, “Tham Lod Yai” (Grotto Cave) and a nice oarsman took us around the island where we took lots of pictures and explored a cave. For lunch we visited Gypsy Village in Koh Panyee Island. Lunch was good. The village was built on stilts, over the water and has been a fishing village for over two-hundred years. We went for more shopping and I found a pretty shawl that’s black and imprinted with pretty purple butterflies, and a touch of glitter. I bought a pretty hair clip made out of white shell that was carved in a gorgeous design. Just  behind

all the shopping stand was a school. The classrooms contained an English class, music and dance class, and art class. Hand-made cloths by the students were on sale to raise money for their school.

We tutted our way back to the dock and from there, drove back to our hotel.

 

Adjusting to a new environment can definitely be tough when you’re just starting. But once things begin to soak in, you realize it isn’t so bad after all. People and countries will be different all around the world no matter what. We just have to accept that and learn to adapt to a diverse culture – even if it means that you have to acknowledge changes, like new smells and conversions. Once you’ve mastered that skill you can enjoy a world-wide trip like that. It’s simple!