22 Dec: Island Tour

Went out to hunt for a quick breakfast, since our driver Mr Sam was picking us up at 9:30am. Walked into 7-11 in the end, bought a spicy pork burger, something like moss burger. Surprisingly, it was cheap and good.

First stop, we went to the famous Patong beach. We wanted to stay there at first, but after reading its review, we chose the quieter Kata, and we are glad we made this choice. There were four rows of deck chairs on the beach and streets after streets of clubs, pubs and restaurants. Stayed for a quick 10 minutes and left.

After that, Mr Sam brought us to a few view points to experience the breathtaking scenery. He also pointed us to Le Meridien resort which has a private beach.

Had a good lunch at a restaurant on the way to Big Buddha. Followed by Wat Chalong. Was glad that we had Mr Sam with us, to introduce us to the stories of the venerable monks.At around 4pm, Mr Sam dropped us at Central Festival, we didn't shop around much. Slept most of the time at ETE cafe. He picked us up at 7pm and we headed to Phuket Airport.

Phuket is quite a good place to rest and relax, food is nearby, beach is nice, pool is cool. The only woe is transportation, travelling by taxi and tuk tuk is not exactly value for money. If there is a lot of travelling to do, it would be better to hire a driver or rent a car. Alternatively, one could simply spend a good few days at a particular beach and walk around it.

21 Dec: Karon Beach

Had breakfast at Orchid Restaurant again, cos we missed the lemon grass. But this time, it was a disappointment, perhaps it was a different chef.

Weather was great, took the opportunity and did some pool shots with sisters. Caught the public bus to Karon beach (we passed by yesterday and thought it was worth a visit). It is a big and long beach, not too crowded as well. Spent a good few hours suntanning.

After a nice long nap, headed to Oyster Bar for our dinner. The lobster could be done better. Oyster was fresh though. The two pancakes we had after that were better than this dinner.

20 Dec: Phuket Town

Breakfast at Black Canyon Coffee (this branch is nearer to our hotel, but limited variety). Enjoyed its ambience more than its food. Love the metallic ceiling fan.

Took a public bus to Phuket Town. The bus ride itself was an experience! It travelled from Kata to Karon then to Phuket Town, for most of the journey it crawled at a speed of 20km/h to pick up passengers flagging it down. We didn't have a destination in mind, only knew we wanted to do some shopping. Luckily, we met a kind lady on the bus who asked us to follow her and brought us to a shopping street catered to the locals. Took a rest at Swensens and headed back by taxi. A typical street scene, one of my fave shot:
Had our first roadside stall pancake while walking to the famous Two Chefs restaurant. Great food, great ambience (i am running out of adjectives!), the lobster and prawn dish which LH had was fantastic.

Chatted with Mr Vladimir Ponjavic from Switzerland. His hotel, Beach Inn located beside Two Chefs started operations only the week before. He gave us a tour of his new place enthusiastically.

Took a walk to Kata Beach and lit a lantern which flew all the way into the sky.

19 Dec: Kata Noi Beach and a day of great food

We thought we could settle our breakfast at a small eatery or something, but there wasn't such places. Finally found a signboard which stated "breakfast" round the T-junction. Was skeptical of this Orchid Restaurant at first as we seemed to be the only customers. Luckily, apart from the asparagus soup, the food were quite tasty, the lemongrass fish was exceptionally good.
On our way back to the hotel, we made a detour to Kata Beach. There were three rows of deck chairs and we decided it was too crowded for our liking.

Headed back to the hotel and took a dip in the pool. At the same time, checked out the map and realised there was a Kata Noi Beach nearby. Well, it wasn't that near afterall. Took a long walk uphill and downhill to Kata Noi Beach, not the mention the long flight of stairs leading towards the beach. Passed by some luxurious villas and we promised ourselves to stay in one of those in the future.

When we reached the beach, the long walk was definitely worth the while. The beach was so much serene compared to Kata beach we saw in the morning. Spotted a couple of skinny dippers too. :P

It has been a long while since I soaked in the sea, all the childhood memories came back. I remembered the pleasant times we had when Daddy brought us to different beaches in Malaysia.


Had afternoon snack at Black Canyon Coffee on the way back. The green curry chicken stick and vermicelli appetiser (really spicy and sour, despite of the harmless look) were a pleasant surprise. Love the ambience of that place too.


The rain started pouring in the evening, was quite worried as we had absolutely nothing to munch on in the room. Finally the rain stopped after a few hours and when we set off for dinner, it was nearly 10pm. Braved the puddles of water and had dinner at Kata Food. Pineapple rice and pizza were superb.

18 Dec: Hello Phuket

Two months ago, while my sisters were in the midst of studying for their exams, we decided to go on a sisterly trip, our first trip together. After ruling out Maldives, Bali and Australia, we booked our flight to Phuket. Why Phuket? We have heard so much about it and it is within our means.


Arrived at the airport and encountered our first hiccup. SY brought along a 150ml sunblock which was not allowed on the plane. Solution: Bought a 50ml mouthwash from Watsons, emptied its content and transfered the sunblock.


Researching beforehand goes a long way. We ignored all the shuttle bus tout at the arrival hall and went straight to the small and dark public taxi stand. We were kind of paranoid throughout the journey, especially when the driver stopped along the road and got down ("lock the car door", "look out for strangers approaching"). It didn't help that it was 10+pm and the roads were dark.


Thankfully, we reached Rico's Bungalow safely. We were allcoated Room 9, a big L shaped room tugged at the corner. All 23 rooms faced a swimming pool right at the middle, after a few days, you kinda know who your neighbours are.


Had our first meal of pizza and tom yum soup at Tomato Restaurant. It was there that we realised that Phuket is filled with Caucasians. Despite having only two tables of customers, our food took also half an hour to arrive, that was when we knew that we should leave our Singaporean efficency at home and start enjoying our rest and relaxing trip.

30日和31日：最后一天，广州

30日一早，海哥就送我们到机场。到广州后，再次回到江畔国际青年旅舍。早餐没怎么吃，所以到旅舍附近的老湘楼时，肚子已经相当饿了，点了几道菜，味道都不错。之后，和立业夫妇吃日本菜，由于友人病了，晚饭后就打道回府，本来想去的茶楼（中华茶园，广州越秀区教育路80号）也没去成。





31日一早，启程回新加坡。

29日：雁荡山

在启程前，我和友人在网上读到雁荡山，就和大哥说我们要去一趟。

雁荡山离开碗窑还真有点距离，我们大概开了四、五个小时的车吧。到了大龙湫，快快地走了一圈，本来想等天黑了，看看灵峰的夜景，可是大哥似乎有点不耐烦了，所以我们就离开了雁荡山。

或许，无论怎么特别、壮观，外国人必去的名胜地在当地人的眼里只是很普通的一草一木。

28日：碗窑写生

大哥有位朋友，海哥，是位美术老师。今天，海哥带着约15个学生到碗窑写生，我们一起随行。碗窑村最繁华的时候是在清朝乾隆年间，以手工烧制陶瓷器皿出名。目前，碗窑村只剩下数十户人家，有山有水，很幽静。

学生们拿起画板、水彩画画，我们就在一旁喝茶、读书、沉醉在这美好的风光。晚上和大伙一起篝火（campfire）、唱歌。农家乐外有一块空地，下午学生在那儿画画，傍晚收起画板摆上桌子在那儿吃饭，晚上搭起帐篷就在那儿睡觉。

在忙碌的城市中生活，过过一两天的简朴生活也真不错。因为简朴，让这个城市小孩尝试了几个‘第一次’。

第一次睡帐篷

第一次看人杀鸡

第一次用这种厕所
第一次在露天尿尿

（当然没有相片！哈哈！）

27日：我敬你一杯

一早，大哥就带着徒弟时分到酒店来接我们。先到菜市场买点吃的，路边有人提着笼子在卖活鸡。



一路开上鹤顶山，满山长满了白色的芦苇，远看像盖满了白雪，但随风摆动的芦苇又白雪多了一份活力。


来到山下的这家小吃店吃鱼汤。这是所谓开放式的厨房，右边烧菜、左边餐桌。黑黑的墙壁、橱柜里煮好的菜、含着枝烟炒菜的老板。老实说，我还真的有点担心，心里一直提醒自己要入乡随俗。小小旧旧的小吃店竟然做出我吃过最好吃的鱼汤，不懂好怎么形容那个味道，就是一个‘好’字。

晚餐和午餐的落差还真大。大哥叫了两个朋友一起吃饭，一个是土地局局长，一个是新闻编辑。贵宾房有独立洗手间，还有一直站在一旁待命的服务员。菜的味道不错，可是烟酒一上，烟酒就成了主食，可怜的菜就没人理了。电视看到的情景终于发生在自己身上了。就在无数个‘我敬你一杯’，我吞下了一公升喜力（Heineken），呕吐收场。

26日：农讲所一习

在旅社旁的简陋小店吃了一碗热腾腾的鱼粥（5元），就起程到农讲所。

前一晚，我们翻阅景点介绍书，正在阅读赵紫阳回忆录的友人一眼就看中了农讲所。而我曾经作业写过太平天国洪秀全的，当然对农民起义有兴趣。

中山路的农讲所是第六届的原址，毛泽东曾在这里讲习。正好碰上导览时间时间，所以唐老师就带着我们参观。谈话间，原来唐老师是学历史的，当天因为“年轻人放假去了”，所以由她代班。唐老师分享了很多，以下是我最铭记在心的一段话：

我：农讲所占了孔庙，这样好像不太好吧！
唐：毛泽东是相当反对宗教的，因为宗教都是教人要和平，农民起义的理念正好相反。
我：可是，近十年孔学好像在中国又兴起了。
唐：是啊，现在社会安稳了，领导当然不要打打杀杀。
我：所以推崇什么宗教、信仰，是随着时代变化的。
唐：这当然，宗教、信仰永远为政治服务。
（内容大意）

农讲所不远处有个菜市场，每次出国我都会找机会到菜市场，因为那里最接近市民，反映大众文化。看看这么大的冬瓜、活生生的鱼、还有鳄鱼肉。



午餐后，还有一点时间，就到上下九步行街走走。没什么好买的，就到了咖啡馆喝茶、吃法国蜗牛。



下午3点到，到机场准备飞往温州，可是飞机延误两小时，所以在机场吃了一顿不好吃的晚餐。晚上10点到温州机场，大哥（也是友人登四姑娘山认识的）已经在那里等我们了。

25日：广州和香港很相似

广州白云机场 - 客运到芳村转运站 - 打的到广州江畔国际青年旅舍

江畔国际青年旅舍在珠江旁边，早上非常幽静，晚上就热闹多了，因为那带也叫“酒吧街”。check in 时，中午一点多，从香港到广州的友人还没到。在旅舍旁的小店吃了个番茄肉片，就在附近熟悉一下环境。中国真是地大路大，车到、行人道都很宽，和5年前在杭州的感受一样。

短短两小时就已经觉得广州和香港很相似，人不会粗鲁、也不会像台湾人那么友善，语言广东话、普通话都ok，交通方便，唯一不同的是，广州的价格平均为香港的一半。

回到旅社，在大厅遇见友人和立业（友人在登四姑娘山时认识的朋友）。把包包放下后，立业就载我们到沙面岛。那里曾是外国人的租借地，所以建筑有英式风格。以为这样建筑现在应该都是高级餐厅、咖啡馆、画廊，这类比较有feel的场所，可是这些只是少数。一般是专做旅客生意的商店、住宅，还看到了一所小学。

接了立业的太太后，我们到炳胜吃粤菜。从门面开来，这是家挺有水准的餐馆，食物也真的不错，例汤好喝又打碗，鸭肠出奇好吃！

因为隔天是工作日，晚餐后，我们也不好意思让立业和太太再陪我们逛，就说我们自己到北京路一带逛逛就可以了。当时是秋末入冬，衣服多是长长厚厚的，比较不适合在新加坡穿。

中国之行：10月25日至31日

几个月前，友人说想到广州和温州探望朋友，问我要不要同行。想想，从台湾回来已经几个月了，旅行瘾也正要发作了，就说了ok。

居然当地有朋友招待，而友人也是个临危不乱的女子，这次的中国之旅，我收起了一贯计划周详的作风，决定让大路带我到哪，我就到哪。

就这样，背了一个大背包（第一次没用行李，因为如果没有电梯很麻烦），我再次踏上世界第二大国--中国。

旅费

既然已经把钱用光了，不必担心被打抢（想太多！），在此公开这16天的旅费。

这趟台湾之旅的总花费是，NT57,000 (SGD2,600)。这包括中华航空的机票NT12,500、旅馆和民宿NT17,000(一晚平均NT1,100)、到澎湖的凯旋船票NT1,000、澎湖到台北的复兴航空机票NT1,700、交通费，和伙食费。

如果，扣除犁记伴手礼的NT2，000、书籍与DVD的NT3,000、 和买衣服的NT1,000； 其实，NT5万左右(SGD2,300)就ok了。

这样的费用，对我而言，还算过得挺舒适。吃了两次牛排，也在台北和新竹坐了几次计程车。长达16天的行程，走过高山游过大海，口袋还不算烧了个大洞。这也是台湾吸引人的一点。

一件行李去，三件行李回。13公斤去，30公斤回。

还是回来了

在机场......
妈妈： 怎样？还好吧？
我： 我真的不想回来。

不想回来，却还是回来了。回来，是为了下次启程。

今早，到长安路的犁记拿事前预定的饼。40个凤梨酥、30个太阳饼，和10个绿豆小月饼。没想到还挺重的，每走10步就要换手提。在犁记附近买了的便当，鲁鸡腿不错吃！让我佩服的是，便当的container既然是用木做的。台湾人的环保意识是我们值得学习的。



回到汉口街，想要买一个三角架，结果没买成。一、品质较好的价钱挺高的；二、旅行时要带它太重、太大了；三、风景照不是我的最爱，所以决定暂时可以不买了。下午1点，出发到桃园机场。



回到新加坡吃的第一餐，新加坡美食三捞河粉和XO鱼片米粉。好吃~


要好好睡一觉，明天把行李收拾好，后天要上班了。12点，钟声响起，灰姑娘终究被打回原型。
写了16天的部落格，真的有点不舍得。好吧，接下来就下后记。

今日图像 （photos of the day）： http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=8244&id=100000910556320&l=a325905192