Exploring Phuket

We had decided to rent a car which really gave us the flexibility to explore Phuket island. We made frequent visits to the one concierge at our hotel. He was very helpful in setting up the tours we went on but also took great pride in telling us about some of the more local attractions. He was very instrumental in guiding us around the island which really made our trip so special. We discovered mid-way through our stay several very nice, un-crowded, non commercial local beaches .

Thailand's infrastructure is very bad and the sign posting is terrible, at least when it comes to English. Some of the beaches were pretty remote. You had an idea of where they should be but getting there was sometimes a challenge. Once we found them we were pleasantly surprised . He also recommended several local restaurants just outside of the resort area. Hard to find but once the we found them, wow the food was great. We ended up having dinner 3 times at this one restaurant, very good fresh Thai food.    

the local beach

having lunch

relaxing

long tail boat just off the beach

another local beach

favorite local restaurant, open on all sides, just a roof over head

close up of bar 

this was just a shack, served wonderful seafood

had a great sunset view

Phuket, nightlife

Phuket also has many non-beach activities especially when it comes to the nightlife. Night markets are very popular with one popping up around the island each evening. Some with 100's of stalls selling food, clothes, and souvenirs. There are many nightclubs in the beach front towns with outdoor concerts and dancing under the stars. Each night is like News Year's eve with throngs of people hanging out enjoying the scene.  There are also big show extravaganzas, from theme park shows with live elephants, to Thailand  cultural performances to ladyboy cabarets. These venues hold hundreds of people and are one of those must see while in Phuket. We decided to go to Patang, a good size beach town and see Simons Cabarets a hugely popular show featuring ladyboys (transvestite) performers. To say the least it was very interesting. Somehow we got front row seats to view this very unusual show. It consists of singers (really just lip singing) who are backed up by a chorus of dancers who perform many show numbers from the home countries of the tourist.

Before the show we had dinner at one of the many restaurants perched on the rocks overlooking the beaches at Patang with sunset views. This was our one big night out. 

Patang beach

sunset view 

table with a view, Thailand has wonderful fruit drinks

beautiful flower arrangements are everywhere

ladyboy who did a cute skit posed as two people 

taking photographs during the show was prohibited, but after the show the entertainers did photo ops 

click to enlarge

Phuket, Tachai Island

We were so pleased with the snorkeling we had done, we decided to go on another trip. Margot did some research and found another set of islands, the Similan Islands National Park located in the Andaman Sea. She found a small tour operator called Love Andaman who runs what feels like a more personalized tour to the island of Tachai, which is only open for 6 months each year. This time there were only 16 people on the boat. The snorkeling was great and the beaches had the whitest, finest sand we have ever seen - which made the crystal blue water appear even more bright turquoise. We had sun and clouds this day, but that worked out well to keep us from getting too sun burnt. This excursion was definitely a highlight of our trip and something we would recommend to anyone staying in Phuket.

early morning, leaving the coast of Thailand

hanging in the boat, about an 1 hour ride to the island

our guide Artie with the girls

pointing out the cove where we did some snorkeling 

the beach area, view from the boat

a fantastic lunch in a grove on the island

drinks and the lunch table huts in the background 

relaxing while enjoying lunch

girls on the beach

jumping, beautiful white sand

taking a swim in the afternoon

parting shot, click to enlarge

Bob hanging with the crew on the return

Happy New Year 2013

Bob, ME, Margot, and Meredith would like to wish all of our family and friends a healthy, happy and safe New Year.