Phuket

Big Buddha

December 17th, 2016

After seeing Wat Chalong, it was on to see the Big Buddha that sits on the highest peak in the area.   It is 45 meters high and made of white marble. It is massive and impressive.  Construction to build the Big Buddha started in 2004 and although the Buddha statue is complete, the area surrounding the Buddha is still under construction.   Funding for the project comes from donations.   More impressive than the Buddha is the 360 degree view.

On our way up to the Big Buddha as well as we can down the hill, I noticed that there were at least a dozen stops with animal being the main attraction.  Elephant rides, Cobra Shows, Bird Shows, Monkeys, snakes and I am sure there were others.   I don’t like seeing animals used as attractions and worst, made to perform.  I saw a handful of elephants, each chained up where people could buy bananas to feed the elephant or for an added fee, they could ride the elephant.  Sad!

December 17th, 2016

This morning it was off to see Wat Chalong, a Buddhist temple in Chalong on the Southern end of Phuket.  It took over an hour to get from the hotel which is in the North part of the Island to Chalong wich is in the south part of the Island.  Not sure why, but I thought Phuket would be about the same size as Ko Phi Ph, but it isn’t, Phuket is many times larger.

We arrived at Wat Chalong to hear a lot of loud pops and sea of smoke.  Many Thai locals as well as tourists light firecrackers inside large beehive shaped clay ovens whenever a prayer is answered as a way of celebrating good fortune.  It is very loud and a little bit startling.  I think I heard it four or five times in the 45 minutes I was there.

The main temple is quite beautiful with three floors that you can go up inside. The inside is colorfully decorated with different religious themes. On the top level there is a sacred relic of a fragment of a bone of the Buddha. Continue reading →

December 16, 2016

It is raining outside so thought I would finally post some pictures of Phuket.  I arrived in Phuket on December 13 after spending a day in Bangkok. I flew to Phuket which is a large Island at the very southern end of Thailand where I checked into the JW Marriott.  It is a really nice hotel and I find myself not doing a whole lot.  I am perfectly content sitting by pool and walking around the resort and beach.

This place is huge!  Several swimming pools, almost a dozen restaurants and plenty of activities.  My room is on the first floor and just outside my door is the adult pool.  I have nothing against children but am enjoying the quiet.

The restaurants have been very good and the staff has been outstanding.  I don’t have a single complaint and although hanging out in a tropical resort doesn’t necessarily feel like the cold snowy Christmases that I grew up with, I could get used to this!

Continue reading →

December 15, 2016

I had read in a travel guide that transportation in Phuket is terrible with a limited amount of metered taxis and bunch of overpriced chartered cars.  Normally, transportation in Thailand is relatively cheap with a variety of options including Tuk-Tuk, taxi, van, or boat.   I quickly learned that the travel-guide was right, to get anywhere, we had to arrange transportation through the hotel which came at a price.

I also learned that there is Phuket the Island and Phuket the Town.  The Island is quite large and it took about 45 minutes from the resort to get to Phuket Town aka The Town.  Sophon and I headed into Town for a few hours to check out “old town”.   On our way we went through a few cities as well as a few rubber tree plantations.  As we wandered around looking at the colorful Sino-Portuguese architecture looking for  an air-conditioned restaurant serving local food, I couldn’t help but admire the old buildings that housed hip and modern establishments. I hadn’t seen anything like this before in Thailand. Continue reading →