M-whY

"How much longer?" I asked the driver when we breaked for lunch.

"Maybe, two more hours?"

Which would thankfully put us in Phuket at 2:00pm Sitting in front of me were two girls that wouldn't shut up, and to my right were two lovebirds acting like immature teenagers. I couldn't wait to get off.

We stopped in front of a travel agency. "To change buses", we were told. I have no problems employing travel agencies, but I don't like being forced to use a particular one. I went inside anyways, figuring the sooner I let them give their spiel, the faster we'd be on our way.

"[Something something]" said the lady at the counter.

"English please."

"Where are you going?"

"Phuket town."

"You don't want to stay at the beach?"

"No thanks, Phuket town is cheaper."

After everyone else was put through the same routine, we were all herded back onto the same van. So much for changing buses.

I'm not really sure why I came to Phuket. I didn't have a huge urge to go to the beaches. Unlike Ko Phi Phi, the beaches of Phuket has received lots of attention from the government, and everything has been rebuilt so that you'd never know a tsunami hit. Five-star resorts and lame strip malls geared towards package tourists eat up most of the beachfront property. Again, nothing against five-star resorts and package tourists. I just didn't feel like catching hotel envy.

Mind you, this is what I've read. Because I didn't actually stay there, I won't stand by my words. I had other reasons though. Recently it's been raining on almost a daily basis, replacing the light blue skies seen in travel brochures with dark gray clouds. I had also recently dropped my camera on the beach. It still worked, but some of the mechanical parts don't move as smoothly as they used to. That left a gritty taste of sand in my (or my camera's) mouth, and I wasn't quite ready to go back yet.

I had a good look around town, courtesy of my inability to read a map, before finding a guesthouse. I unpacked and headed down to the internet cafe and tourist office to figure out my plans for the next day. Afterwards, with plenty of time to kill, I sought out a shop to get a new pair of glasses from. My temporary fix wouldn't hold forever, and I could already feel it coming apart again.

Now my eyesight is really poor, and if I don't get the special thin lens, they'd probably come out as thick as oreo cookies. I asked them whether the new pair would have lens at least as thin as my current ones. They assured me it would. But 45 minutes later, what came out was a monstrosity.

"You told me the lens would be as thin as my old ones," I said.

The manager came over and tried explaining that since the frame I selected was a little bigger, it was only natural that the lens would be thicker. He took out a ruler to prove his point.

I took the ruler and did some measuring of my own.

"Okay, the frame is a millimeter wider, but the lens are twice as thick? That doesn't make sense."

He frowned and took the glasses back to the lab. A few minutes later, he came out apologizing.

"Sorry," he said. "We used the wrong plastic. We can have it remade by tomorrow afternoon, is that all right?"

I'd be in town for at least another day, so I said it would. Before leaving, I picked out a smaller frame. "It'll be as thin as my old pair right?"

"Yes, yes," he promised.

I had some dinner before returning to my room to write and reflect. Twelve hours ago, I was on the resort island of Ko Phi Phi, and now I was on the other resort island of Phuket. And it was all so easy. I almost wished for some more inconveniences. Otherwise, this trip might start to feel boring!

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!