Fantasea and Dreams

Now in Phuket they have this show called 'Phuket Fantasea' which I must admit, throughout the holiday, I had resisted in going to despite recommendations from everyone we had met. 'Oh what have we got to lose? Let's make our last night a busy one' I told my husband. 'You can go, it's not my cup of tea' Abdel shrugged. 'How would you know, you have never been?' I sighed exasperated.

So after a bit of persuasion and cries from newly made friends of 'You must be mad, it's your last night', we booked our night out to see 'Phuket Fantasea'. We were picked up at 5.15pm and taken by car to Kamala where the show is held.

Nothing prepared us for what we saw on arrival and I shall do my best to describe it although you will have to forgive me as I can't do it justice. Beautiful Thai people met us as we got out of the car.

Entering a stunning gold building that somewhat resembled a palace, we paid to get in and went through a rigorous security check. The whole place was totally magnificent, Thai people in traditional costumes, shops and stalls brightly decorated and the sound of music filled the air. A sense of excitement made you feel that anything could happen and I knew at that point it was money well spent.

The restaurant was so beautiful, the food first class, it gave you a taste of what it would be like to live a different life from the one you might have at home. Abdel filled his plate with food and beckoned me to do the same. For whatever reason, I had lost my appetite a couple of days before and settled for one slice of beef and a slice of duck. 'You must eat you haven't had anything for days' Abdel coaxed. As a little girl, whenever I saw something that excited me -- usually animals, I could never eat, you ask my mum. When she bought me a rocking horse for Christmas, I didn't eat for 2 days.

The source of my excitement was five elephants, brightly decorated marched out and lined up by a stand. Trumpeting excitedly, they waved their trunks as their Mahouts gently tickled their flapping ears with their feet. The way these little men stayed so firmly on the elephants and had so much control in such a minimal fashion totally amazed me.

'Oh go on then, go and see them' Abdel said wearily. Leaving the poor man at the dinner table I ran outside to see them. 'English girl not afraid of elephant?' The Mahout said to me and then nodded in approval to his friend on the elephant next to him. Clutching onto this huge female elephants trunk and gazing into her eyes, I replied; 'What is there to be scared of?' It really was incredible and I should have been scared of her as she could have taken me out easily, but she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life and I could not take my hands off her. Examining me with her trunk, we seemed to stare at each other forever until a tap on the shoulder brought me back to reality as Abdel insisted we should look at other things. Telephoning my mum I shouted down the phone; 'Mum, I'm touching an elephant'. My mum loves elephants so much she was tearful as I vividly described each and everyone that I touched. Smiling at me, the Mahout gently nudged his elephant with his feet to urge her to walk forwards. After persuading a reluctant husband to have an elephant ride with me, we managed to get a photo of Abdel looking terrified and me with my strapped up ankle on top of the elephant -- priceless.

Let me tell you that several kisses and hugs were exchanged between me and those elephants not to mention a new found respect from the Mahouts that were shocked at the English girl 'not afraid of elephants'. After bottle feeding a baby tiger, we were shown to our seats and waited for the show to start. 'Look at that!' The lady behind me shouted.

A sound of a horn and the beat of drums filled the theatre. Looking behind me, I saw a troupe of elephants with their riders marching slowly, so close, I could have touched them. You know when something happens to you which is so unbelievable; you want to phone and tell your mum? Well if I could have done at that minute in time, I would have. Trapeze artists did a display from the ceiling, it was so perfect and well choreographed, everyone gasped. Goats, chickens, water buffalo ran across the stage, dancers and singers' did their bit for the show. The elephant display was great, you could hear them calling impatiently as they waited outside to do their bit. The whole show had everyone clapping their appreciation and I doubt that any show in London could rival it. A perfect end to our last night.