Phuket, Thailand

The large crest right below the Buddha belongs to the Thai royal family.

This smaller golden Buddha was donated to the site.

Looking down from the Buddha viewpoint with our guide Mew.

Another very popular viewpoint on Phuket Island, on its southern tip, is Promthep Cape.

The Wat Chalong is the most important of the many Buddhist temples of Phuket. The exquisite buildings are a beautiful example of Thai architecture. The grounds are extensive and there is a marketplace next to it hawking food and souvenirs.

Before it became a tourist mecca, Phuket’s main industries were tin and rubber. Rubber’s price has now dropped to about a 10th of what it once was, so that industry is struggling, but some rubber plantations are still there. We visited one. Below, a worker demonstrates how every one of the trees have a section of bark scraped daily. Latex drippings from the tree flow down the spout into a pot. The latex is then collected, treated with acid and water, and allowed to dry in a pan where it becomes the rubber mats hanging below. Those are sold to be processed into all kinds of rubber products.

Near Phuket town is the trail up Monkey Hill, so called for the hundreds of monkeys who live there, freely roaming around and eyeing tourists for the possibility of being fed. These are wild animals, sometimes aggressive and the signs at the base of the hill say “Don’t Feed the Monkeys.” Of course right next to the signs are plenty of stalls prominently selling “monkey food.” On our way out we saw a man being treated for a monkey bite on his fingers. Of course he was feeding the monkeys.

This monkey is finishing up a discarded can of Coke. Not exactly monkey food, but it seems to be refreshing.

The Saphan Hin Shrine is a colorful Chinese temple set right on the seashore. It was built in 1996, so it’s pretty modern compared to other Chinese temples on the island.

This row of Taoist statues stand on the edge of the shrine property facing the sea.

The shrine looks out on a popular beach in Saphan Hin Park. The day we visited, stalls were being set up for one of the frequent festivals that are held there.

A view of the beachwalk across the street from the temple. These metal sculptured turtles gleam in the sun.

The Siam Niramit Show is a very popular local attraction. After a delicious dinner we walked the extensive grounds, which were lit to create a magical effect. We wandered through a recreation of a 150-year-old Thai home, participated in experiencing local traditional crafts and watched a beautiful dance pre-show in the plaza. We couldn’t take pictures of the main show in the theater, but do catch it if you get to Phuket. It rivals anything we’ve seen on Broadway or in Las Vegas. 

A stroll through the Phuket Old Town is a walk through the island’s history. In the 1800’s Chinese settlers came here to work the area’s tin mines. They were joined by Arab and European traders and they built temples, shops and houses in this area with architecture reflecting their different heritages. Many of these buildings have been carefully restored, with shops and restaurants in the front and homes for the owners in the back or upstairs. A few of the main streets have been designated for just pedestrians and it’s delightful to explore them. The day we were there was a Sunday, when a market begins at 4 pm. We had to regretfully leave as at least a hundred stalls were being set up in the center of the road with lots of interesting looking food and wares. 

This interesting building, now a store, was once a police station. We noticed that Phuket likes to extend the Christmas season quite a bit, though the Christian population is small. It was Jan. 21 when we took this picture.

There were a several areas decorated to create little vignettes, like this one. Our guide explained that it’s very popular for Thais to take wedding and special occasion pictures in these places.