The beginning of the end

I’ve been prolific this week. There’s been so much to talk about as I have absorbed Thailand like a great big sponge.

I’ll be writing two other posts, with pictures aplenty.

But here’s how it ends.

Twenty six hours from departure, and I’ve still not found a basic teapot or any significant quantities of Thai tea. Or much of any tea that’s not bagged or powdered.

At the southernmost cape of Phuket, I noticed a large elephant shrine, similar to the one I previously described in Patong.

Our driver for the day, Mong, encouraged us to buy the requisite incense and flowers and then we took part in the Buddhist ceremony. I thought I might feel a bit hypocritical, but it was interesting and quite calming.

Later in the day he took us to a restaurant on a beach in Chalong Bay that he personally recommended. Mainly because they have a Driver’s Hall and feed drivers who bring people there for nothing, but regardless, it was an excellent place. A converted seafood processing plant, at a a guess.

And whilst there, I spotted this.

Yes, someone had finally offered Buddha a cup of tea. I confirmed it with Mong.

I had left the can of milky white tea I was carrying for such an occasion in the car, but could this be the turning point? We’d just come from the massive Wat Chalong monastery and temple complex, but this was even more exciting (and the pork lunch was pretty good as well).

The rest of that amazing day included visiting a Sea Gypsy village and feeding a bunch of wild monkeys.

We were exhausted, so returned to our hotel room at about 7:30, and I had to slip out and get some provisions.

A massive emporium on the corner, which I had never seen open, was suddenly there. And it was full of teapots.

Here’s the one I bought for not much.

A lovely souvenir, if sadly unused in Thailand.

The next morning, we did some last minute shopping.

Half an hour before heading off to their airport, what did we find?

In the hitherto unseen basement of the JungCyelon shopping centre, where we’d been four times.

And the shop next door?

More of the same!

Shelf after shelf of Thai tea from Chang Mai.

I don’t believe I would have got it back through Australian customs, so it remains, waiting for me to return.