Patong.
- B K
- Aug 11, 2019
- 4 min read
One day I woke up in a hostel on the west coast of Phuket Island. I was two miles from the filthy beach of Patong. The air conditioner in the room had refused to change the temperature. The remote was broken. It was satisfied to be exhaling at seventeen degrees throughout the night. The room had very little lighting and it was as cold as a morgue. All the other five males from different parts of the world, were asleep in their assigned bunks and wrapped up under the thin navy blue blankets. A young Austrian opposite my bed had snored like a steam Locomotive with short pauses in between the tracks. It had worked overtime; All...Night...Long. The engine was rough. There was a heavy choking sound as he breathed out through his three narrowed holes. It was an upsetting scene. It certainly would be an ugly way to suffocate to death.
Desperate to escape from the freezing storage. I opened the sliding door that lead to the pool outside and the sun was already up high, feeling the heavy weight of heat that was pounding down to the ground. I stood by the pool, observing my own reflection from the hazy water. The perspiration from my skin had drained out from my forehead non-stop. The heat had grown strong over me within minutes and I could smell the alcohol from the dripping sweat. The cigarette became wet from every draw I took in. The room was too cold and outside was too hot, there was only one way to avoid the heat. It was to take a leap of faith and drive into the nasty white powdered pool, Nothing better than the taste of chorine in the morning, I said to myself in a childishly manner before diving into the clear water between clouds of the dissolving chlorine in the Pear shaped pool; Feet first and my left hand pinching over the nose. My eyes had stung painfully at first but I didn't care since my body had cooled down as I lay in the pool all by myself. Not a living thing in sight. Floating gently on the backside and It was peaceful under the morning blue sky. It was the only chance to enjoy the silence before the other guest from the hostel took over, destroying my peaceful moment.
The colour of the hostel building is white and blue. It is wide and large in the open, standing strong up on the mountain between Sirirat Rd and Nanai Rd. Impossible to miss from any direction. Before the round a bout of chaos and before the road that climbs up the steep hill to Karon. A sloped concrete driveway full of cracks appears in a shape of a rainbow arc on the left side of Sirirat road and it leads up to the entrance of the hostel. Up and away from the clogged traffic below, on the narrow endless pothole roads.
The view from the hostel looking out towards the ocean and the south of Patong cannot hide. The weather was always crystal clear in the tropical climate when I had observed the shady town by the sea; day and night. Hours would have flown by, using the time spent on drinking Leo beer and glancing at the dirty image with unknown strangers from different countries. The view could have possibly been transformed into a master piece; A black and white photo, or a painting of colours or any art form of some sort. It would have been displayed in a gallery to be adored and appreciate by many others rather than myself. The portrait that I had observed of Patong was completely off balanced and grubby. The vibe projecting from the field of vision was very chilling and unpleasant without a reason given.
Patong at night transforms into a neon-lit lively town. The women and the ladyboys start to suit up and head out after the sun sets beneath the Andaman sea. A night in the sex capital of Phuket. The music from all the bars on Bangla Road start to intertwine with each other without sync. The music will only get louder by the hour. Tourist of all ages had their eyes peaking all over the strip. The men and women are consumed by the exhilaration of freedom and the choices available; Dance in one of the famous clubs in town or adventure on a pub crawl and mingle with new friends or see a Ping-Pong show and life will never be the same after watching the Thai ladies perform their tricks underneath. A single man can choose his love from a menu. The prices are always negotiable. However, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is not. Mistakes can be made, especially after too many bottles. Bad choices are made in desperate times. It can only come with self-condemnation in the end. Sadly, I had witnessed some of the men, shattered and disconnected from themselves by sunrise. It was not a woman that they had hoped it would have been. Anything can happen under the stars in the dark night in Patong.
Phuket is a paradise island with a pounding headache. Patong with all the constant hustle bustle and I began to hate the damn city. Impossible to walk around without distractions. Too many ladyboys call out and block the pathways and too many scammers selling fake tours. The garbage and trash are piled high beside the sidewalks, and there are lot of dealers on Bangla Rd. Too many young horny men and think the world owes them something special. Too many Russians fuming for a reason to cause a blood bath with a fist. They are scary people. The police are corrupt and it is no surprise. They will pull the tourist over and make them get off the scooter and make a deal about the chin strap isn’t correctly adjusted or not having a Thai license. It was usually a friendly warning about road safety and some other random bullshit while the locals rode past without helmets. Just an excuse to issue a fine on the spot and it occurred frequently. After three tickets in one day on the scooter, I had returned the bike back to the rental shop and relied on the cheap Tok Tok (Taxi). Nothing ever went according to the plan. The town is very uncertain during the daylight. A tough life to live in an undependable place as known to be one of the greatest holiday destinations in Asia.