Phuket
Phuket is the biggest island in Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea off southern Thailand. The island is mostly mountainous with a mountain range in the west and the rest of the island covered by forest. The western coast has several sandy beaches, while on the east coast beaches are more often muddy. One of the most popular tourist areas on Phuket is Patong Beach on the central western coast, perhaps owing to the easy access to its wide and long beach. Most of Phuket’s nightlife and its cheap shopping is located in Patong, and the area has become increasingly developed. Patong means “the forest filled with banana leaves” in Thai. Other popular beaches are located south of Patong. In a counterclockwise direction these include Karon Beach, Kata Beach, Kata Noi Beach, and around the southern tip of the island, Nai Harn Beach and Bang Tao Beach. These areas are generally much less developed than Patong, and sought out by individuals, families and other groups with a preference for more relaxed and less crowded environs than Patong.
Growing up, I remember Phuket as one of those places that expatriates from Hong Kong would visit during the December months to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. This year, I had the pleasure of spending a few days on the island as part of my in-law’s family reunion. It was everything I expected with its sandy beaches and laid back environment. As expected the weather was quite tropical and the heat and humidity were quite intense on certain days.
During our time there, we stayed at a ClubMed which was stocked with friendly tourists from around the world. The facility is located right on Kata Beach and, aside from general hotel and restaurant accommodations, supplies nightly entertainment and activities including trapeze, acrobats, and cobra shows. We also had the opportunity to try Thai Massages. These entail a masseuse using his/her elbows and feet to dig into your body. They don’t use any oils and its definitely worth trying at least once. Massage parlors are extremely common in Phuket – I think I saw almost one every block.
The region is just starting to recover from the after affects of the tsunami that devastated the region, and most of the coastal cities of Southeast Asia. As we walked through the city, we saw signs that indicated the path to “Tsunami Hazard Zones”. We were told that in the event of another tsunami, these would be areas where one would be in danger and there would be areas where one would be safe. I never bothered to ask but isn’t that a bit like predicting the location of where it will rain next? Well, I’m at least glad they are making precautions.
If you have some time, don’t forget to try the transvestite shows. We went to the Sphinx Restaurant where we had a good European style dinner and then were treated to a lip synching extravaganza performed by men and she-men! These are very common throughout Thailand!
