We went to a different beach for the day and were surprised at how secluded it was. Then we came back to Patong Beach and walked around all of the shops again. Nothing too noteworthy to mention as we were just relaxing and walking around.
While walking around, we stumbled upon this mall type shopping center and found an awesome food court! They had all of these different food stand offerings and you charged anything you wanted on this little card and then you paid for everything on your way out. It was perfect since Will and I love a good smorgashboard.
While walking around the shops, I finally decided to go into the Boots and try Thailand's famous "Snail White Cream." I had seen it everywhere in Thailand with a gazillion ads for it in the Bangkok subway. It is apparently the number one selling face cream/treatment brand in Thailand so I decided to give it a go! Apparently snail goo makes your face look smooth and dewey and I figured this was easier than finding a snail and letting it take a stroll on my cheekbones. I got the face wash and the snail excretion serum to help fight the inevitable aging. :) We'll see if it does any wonders.
Later, it was almost time to head to the airport (we checked out this morning and have a 9pm flight) but we couldn't leave without one last trip to our favorite ice cream roll maker! We'd probably miss this more than anything else in Thailand. Anyways, while we were waiting in line, this older man behind me started soliciting a handmade hammock. I have always liked the idea of a hammock but didn't need one but I decided to inquire about the costs. After he told me the price in bahts (Thai currency), I quickly did the math but then had to re-do it because I couldn't quite believe it, it was like $150 in USD! You can get a plate of pad thai for like $3 USD so I couldn't believe how much this guy was seriously trying to peddle this hammock for. Now this is pure craziness because Thailand in general is really cheap in costs compared to the US. Plus, while this hammock was hand woven (supposedly), it was the skinniest hammock, like a width of 2 feet once opened. You definitely couldn't fit a second person or even a larger first person. I quickly said no thank you and turned around to go back to my spot in the ice cream line. While my back was turned to this guy, he kept pestering me and trying to show me his picture of his daughter who he was trying to put through school. Not winning me over with guilt, I said I wasn't interested at all and looked back to the ice cream. Then, completely without my participation, the guy started haggling with himself while talking to my back. First it dropped to $100, then $75, and then $50. Will and I were trying to contain our laughter as this hammock deal was getting ridiculous and he kept getting lower and lower even though I wasn't even countering him with any other prices. This guy clearly doesn't know the art of negotiation because eventually he got from $150 to $4. I couldn't believe it! Once it got to $4, I figured what the heck? I decided to take it. I still didn't really need a hammock or even want this one but it was a funny story and it was $4. However, as the guy took my money, he was pretty snippy with me like I stole the thing but now it's all mine!
Now we're at the airport and it's time to head to Egypt. Once we land, it will be bright and early in Cairo!
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