Phuket: The Land of Farangs

Welcome to Phuket everyone! This "island" is the mecca of the Thailand tourist industry. Here you will find beautiful beaches, great Western and Thai food, history, and an immersion of cultures. When I was younger, my father used to proclaim, "Jason... One day the Chinese are going to take over the world!" He usually said this en route to the Chinese restaurant for Dim Sum. His comment holds strong merit, as our home base of Phuket Town is 35% Chinese. I even read that behind every strong business in the surrounding streets, you will find someone of Chinese decent!

We began our voyage in Phuket Town by visiting two Chinese temples. This is the entry way to Put Jaw Temple. It is dedicated to Kwam Im, the Chinese goddess of mercy. It is the oldest Chinese Taoist temple in Phucket at 200 years old! 

This is where your fortune can be told by choosing a stick from one of two cans after saying your problem aloud. Michelle has chosen #49.(Michelle doesn't have a hunch back it is just her back pack protruding under her poncho!)

These "cubby" holes have a fortune that is written on a piece of parchment.

Oddly enough, I also chose #49. To our dismay they were written in Thai so we had to find a translator. Once located, she asked us if we were married. We both exclaimed, "No!" and she explained that while we are on a solid path, we needed to communicate more our road ahead will be blissful and everlasting. It gave us both goosebumps!

These pigeon holes have herbal recipes that when mixed together with the parchment chosen can heal the sick and make wishes come true! We weren't real excited in drinking liquified paper, so we passed on this one.

 Michelle is in front of the second Chinese Temple, Jui Tui. This temple is dedicated to Kiu Ong Ya, one of the nine emperor Gods to which this temple is dedicated.

 Statues dedicated to Kui Ong Ya

We found that this street is home to the annual Vegetarian Festival in October! Several flock to this location to see devout worshipers participate in acts of self -mutilation and sacrifice. We can only speculate, but we decided to celebrate in our own way by eating some vegetarian dishes.

 Examples of Portuguese influenced architecture

December 5th is King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Birthday! It is also Father's Day. The people of Thailand love their king. He has been in rule since 1946. There were gatherings of several people to celebrate his excellency and they even shot off fireworks. WAHOO!!! I found it very interesting that the King was actually born in Cambridge, Massachusetts while his father was studying medicine at Harvard University! He is 84 years old and while his days seemed numbered his impact on his people will be everlasting.

 Cashew Factory in Phuket. Free Samples!!

We found the Weekend Market in Phuket and came across some tasty treats. It was a "circus" there though as at least 10,000 people centralized in the small plot of land off the highway! Not one for the claustrophobic!

 The On On is the first hotel built in Phuket Town in the year 1929. In its beginnings, it was a glorious resort that the original, The Beach, movie was filmed. Today it is where Michelle and I lay our heads and it is such a bargain at 180 Baht/ night!

 The Wat Chalong is dedicated to two highly venerable monks, Luang Pho Chaem  and Luang Pho Chuang , who with their knowledge of herbal medicine helped the injured of a tin miners rebellion in 1876. - Wikipedia

 Don't Even Think About It :)

View from the top of Wat Chalong

 The statues immortalizing the famous monks

 View trekking up to the Big Buddha

 The 5 commandments of Buddhism

 If rubbed correctly it resonates a sound that can be heard for miles... I did not have the magic touch.

Michelle is dwarfed by the Big Buddha

 Kata Beach

 This one is for you Alicia, hahaha. Your gifts will have a nice bronze tan!

 Patong Beach is miles and miles of lounge chairs and tourist. The beach can be a little overwhelming to someone looking for peace and quiet, but you can't argue with the scenery!

Stay Tuned.... FEAR FACTOR: THAILAND COMING SOON!

LIFES A BEACH!

Hello My Friends. Welcome Back! This week Michelle and I took a break from sightseeing and decided it was time for some rest and relaxation. We departed Krabi Town and made our way to Ao Nang Beach. This area is over flooded with Western style restaurants, souvenir carts, and pricey resorts. It took us 30 minutes to actually find a bungalow that was in our budget. It took us even longer to find cheap Thai food. We didn't travel half way across the globe to eat pepperoni pizza, haha! The beach was absolutely beautiful and with the weather hitting the mid 90s and the humidity at 100%, water is a very welcoming sight.

 

The beaches off Krabi are lined with limestone rock faces, which make it one of the most popular climbing destinations in the world. The top of the Ao Nang Beach is lined with massage tents and 5 star restaurants.

Michelle catching some sun rays

Smile!

 Catching a sunset while enjoying a Chang's beer, brewed and distributed throughout Thailand.

This is the view from our balcony at the Forest Park Bungalows. We decided to leave Ao Nang and head to Ton Sai Beach. This beach was underdeveloped but it felt comfortable. Oddly enough, we ran into several Americans and even some of them hailed from Oregon. 

 

As you can see, Michelle feels at home! This tree house like structure is supported by stilts and includes its own mosquito net and bathroom. (400 BAHT/ night) 

For all those that think a trip to Thailand is all peaches and cream take a look at our bathroom/ shower. South east Asian countries rarely have western style bathrooms. That black bucket has a bowl that you use to scoop water and force flush "your business" down the drain. This is not the case in all hostels and hotels but it made me think twice about taking a shower or using the restroom. Michelle didn't bat an eye... she's a keeper!

Another item both of us noticed was that Ton Sai was full of reggae bars and hippies. Marijuana sometimes caked the air as we passed certain areas. As you can see from the signage they were not shy about their lifestyle despite Thailand having one of the most strict drug legislation (deportation, jail, or even death). On a side note, Ton Sai is definitely the place to be if you enjoy rock climbing. They have courses for all skill levels.    

For all the slow ones, Peace Cake means cake with marijuana in it. And it was delic... just kidding!

 When low tide hits you can see all the rocks emerge from the sand

 View from our kayak around a rock island

 The water level is about waist high even around 100 yards from the beach. We had to avoid snorkelers as we paddled.

We kayaked to Railay Beach (west). A friendly passerby-er took a pic of us as we arrived  Railay Beach (east) is full of mangroves and is not a place you want to swim.

 Don't forget to wear sunscreen!

"Please hurry and take this photo, all this flexing is straining my arms " - Jason

 

Nice form

 And after about 5 days and 4 nights, we took a long tail boat back to Krabi Town. This is one the symbols of the towns, go figure! Krabi actually gets its name due to when the city was discovered ancient swords were found in the earth. Regardless it is a great place to stay en route to other destinations. So tomorrow, December 3rd, we are off to Phuket!

 And for anyone who thinks I am going to get rusty on the PS3 sticks, THINK AGAIN!?! They got FIFA in every Testcos and mall. Bring IT!!!

Toodles...