Phuket 2010
24 to 28 Jun 2010 - This was our second time in Phuket. We were there about 6 years ago, before the tsunami happened. Surprisingly, the beaches and the places look similar to the Phuket we had in our memory. A lot of rebuilding must have taken place since the 2004 tsunami disaster.
When we arrived at the airport, everything was chaotic at the arrival hall. Taxi touts rushed at you with placards showing fares to Patong and other areas of Phuket. Having read about this from websites, we quickly made our way out of the arrival hall. We turned right after exiting the door and there it was, a booth with a sign that says "Taxi Meter". Despite the big "Taxi Meter" signboard, we were still quoted a flat fee to Patong !!! 550 baht from the airport to Patong (including the 100 baht Airport taxi tax). I caught a glimpse of those prices offered by the touts - one of which indicated 600 baht to Patong.
Patong
We stayed at the Patong Bay Garden Resort which was located right in the thick of the action in Patong. It's a beach front resort where we had access to the beach. It is also conveniently located near Bangla Road, where all the pubs and bars are. The staff were warm and friendly and we enjoyed our stay there. Perhaps the only grouse was that the resort was rather old (built in the 80s) and the decor and furnishing showed their age. However, the place was clean and well kept. Besides, it also showed live world cup matches - what more can you ask for :-)
Bangla Road is where all the pubs and bars are. You can see a lot of beer-bellied farangs in t-shirts that are too tight, usually accompanied by a Thai girl or a lady boy :-)
Most were flirting with one another and having a good time playing games such as 4-in-a-row. Seriously, I never knew 4-in-a-row was that interesting !
Jungceylon is a new shopping complex in Patong, located at the end of Bangla Street (or the beginning) on the right of FBI pub. It is a huge modern shopping complex with lots of big name tenants - Robinson, Carrefour, Starbucks... If you are planning to buy dried produce or fruits, Carrefour would be your best bet. You can get different brands and varieties there.
The other huge shopping complex in Phuket is the Central Festival Phuket (Better known as Central to the locals). It is located near Phuket Town. To get there from Patong, you can try the local bus. Bus rides cost 25 baht from Patong to Phuket Town.
Some of the buses were converted trucks. Instead of individual seats, you get 3 long rows of communal seats. There are no bus stops in Phuket - you flag them down when you see one. You can board and can alight anywhere along the road. It goes in a loop from Phuket Town to Patong and back. To know where to board one, just ask the hotel reception or any local.
A word of warning - when we took the bus to explore Phuket town, we were swarmed by taxi touts ! They pester you to take their taxis and their "guided tours" of Phuket towns. They'll follow you even when you turn them down ! To escape them, we actually hopped onto a motorbike.
Riding pillion on the motorbike is also an affordable way to travel around. Each bike can take up to 2 passengers + 1 rider. We travelled from Phuket town to Central Festival Phuket and the ride costs 35 baht each.
I enjoyed eating Thai food in Phuket. There are lots of stalls selling authentic and affordable dishes in Patong. However there were also lots of inferior tasting ones. Never visit a pub and order Thai food from their menu. It is guaranteed to taste bad ! Trust me, i have tried a few.
One of better local stalls that i have tried is the Rambo & Nok Eang Restaurant located at Loma Centre. I enjoyed their tom yam soup and the fried Morning Glory vegetables. There's a stall on their left that is known as Mr Rambo Restaurant - Be warned that's a imitation. That shows how good they are - they even have imitations !
The Bang Pae waterfalls was a beautiful place. A short 10 mins trek from the visitors area will lead you there.
We also visited the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project where they rescue and rehabilitate gibbons and re-introduce them back to the forest.
"There are numerous gibbons being used as tourist attractions on Phuket. By paying to have your photo taken with a gibbon you are helping these people to reduce the numbers of wild gibbons and cause suffering to this beautiful animal.Gibbons ensure the health and vitality of the rainforests in which they live. Therefore, their survival must be ensured far into the future. Gibbons are threatened by loss of habitat, but also increasingly, by hunting and the illegal pet market. Remember, each cute baby gibbon you see at a market or beach had its mother shot dead by poachers. This loss destroys the family group forever." http://gibbonproject.org/
This project is manned by volunteers and they are currently looking for more volunteers to help in their projects. Do check out their website for more information. Its a pity we didn't get to spend more time here.
Volunteer from Australia
Canoe through the mangroves
Hotel pool
Bangla Road is where all the pubs and bars are. You can see a lot of beer-bellied farangs in t-shirts that are too tight, usually accompanied by a Thai girl or a lady boy :-)
Popular game in the Bangla bars and pubs !
We booked all our short trips with Phuket Coconut Travel. The shop is located in Bangla road, next to the The Pizza Company. The the lady manning the counter is really friendly and helpful. If you want to save some money for your trip back to the airport, you can book the mini-bus transport - 180 baht per person.
Phuket Coconut Travel
Everywhere we went to in Phuket, we will hear people calling out to us - "taxi taxi", "tuk tuk", "hello sir, where you going ?", "Massage, Thai massage ?" .. Everyone seemed to want a piece of us haha. There were a lot more tuk tuks and taxis than available tourists .. but strange enough, their prices remain sky high. The quoted price to travel around Patong in a tuk tuk was 200 baht. How low the fare can go depends on your bargaining prowess.
Can you spot the group of massage girls on the left ?
The other huge shopping complex in Phuket is the Central Festival Phuket (Better known as Central to the locals). It is located near Phuket Town. To get there from Patong, you can try the local bus. Bus rides cost 25 baht from Patong to Phuket Town.
Some of the buses were converted trucks. Instead of individual seats, you get 3 long rows of communal seats. There are no bus stops in Phuket - you flag them down when you see one. You can board and can alight anywhere along the road. It goes in a loop from Phuket Town to Patong and back. To know where to board one, just ask the hotel reception or any local.
A word of warning - when we took the bus to explore Phuket town, we were swarmed by taxi touts ! They pester you to take their taxis and their "guided tours" of Phuket towns. They'll follow you even when you turn them down ! To escape them, we actually hopped onto a motorbike.
Riding pillion on the motorbike is also an affordable way to travel around. Each bike can take up to 2 passengers + 1 rider. We travelled from Phuket town to Central Festival Phuket and the ride costs 35 baht each.
I enjoyed eating Thai food in Phuket. There are lots of stalls selling authentic and affordable dishes in Patong. However there were also lots of inferior tasting ones. Never visit a pub and order Thai food from their menu. It is guaranteed to taste bad ! Trust me, i have tried a few.
One of better local stalls that i have tried is the Rambo & Nok Eang Restaurant located at Loma Centre. I enjoyed their tom yam soup and the fried Morning Glory vegetables. There's a stall on their left that is known as Mr Rambo Restaurant - Be warned that's a imitation. That shows how good they are - they even have imitations !
Simon Cabaret is an interesting cabaret performance that features lady boys dancing to music from different genres and culture. My personal favourite is their Korean Pop Wonder Girls impersonation -"Nobody Nobody but you ... " It was awesome ! We are not allowed to take pictures during the show, but after the show, the performers line the backyard to mingle with the audience.
Smile :-)
This is when he realises he has to pay a 300 baht tip !
The performers will cajole you to take photos with them. After that they will ask you for a compulsory tip. Its at least 100 baht for the stars of the show ! If you pose with 3 of them, its 300 baht !
Coral Island
We island hopped to Coral Island for some snorkelling fun. The water was much clearer and calmer than Patong beach. It was a lot of fun swimming and feeding the fish with bread taken from the morning breakfast :-)
Mysterious blob of something on the beach ..
Does anyone know what this is ?
Elephant Safari
We signed up for a elephant trekking safari in Bang Pae. It says "Eco Tourism" on the brochure when I signed up. However when I sat on the elephant, I saw patches of purple on the elephant's body. These are gentian violet, a purple antiseptic that was used to cover their sores and wounds. I am not too sure about the "eco toursim" claim of these tours.
Wounds covered with purple antiseptic on the elephant.
The Bang Pae waterfalls was a beautiful place. A short 10 mins trek from the visitors area will lead you there.
Bang Pae Waterfall
Source: http://www.knowphuket.com/
"There are numerous gibbons being used as tourist attractions on Phuket. By paying to have your photo taken with a gibbon you are helping these people to reduce the numbers of wild gibbons and cause suffering to this beautiful animal.Gibbons ensure the health and vitality of the rainforests in which they live. Therefore, their survival must be ensured far into the future. Gibbons are threatened by loss of habitat, but also increasingly, by hunting and the illegal pet market. Remember, each cute baby gibbon you see at a market or beach had its mother shot dead by poachers. This loss destroys the family group forever." http://gibbonproject.org/
This project is manned by volunteers and they are currently looking for more volunteers to help in their projects. Do check out their website for more information. Its a pity we didn't get to spend more time here.
The tour also included a ox cart ride and a canoe ride through the mangroves ...
Strong ox - 100% muscle !
It was great to be back in Phuket. We truly enjoyed the daily massages and the sumptuous Thai food. Shopping in Patong was fun too, even with the haggling and bargaining with the storekeepers. Perhaps, if I do return, I would like to spend more time exploring the islands around Phuket, explore the area around the Bang Pae waterfall, visit a truly eco friendly tour and maybe sign up as a volunteer with the gibbon project. :-)
Comments
Post a Comment