Phuket is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands off its coast. It lies off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch, and English traders. It formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber and now from tourism.
On 26 December 2004, Phuket and other nearby areas on Thailand's west coast suffered damage when they were struck by a tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake. The waves destroyed several highly populated areas in the region, killing up to 5,300 people in Thailand, and two hundred thousand more throughout the Asian region. Some 250 were reported dead in Phuket, including foreign tourists. Almost all of the major beaches on the west coast of Phuket, especially Kamala, Patong, Karon, and Kata sustained major damage, with some damage caused to resorts and villages on the island's southern beaches. Source: Wikipedia
Phuket Island
Where in the world are we?
I was so excited about our stop in Phuket today for a couple of reasons. First, I have wanted to go to Thailand for years, ever since we started cruising and encountered so many wonderful crew members from Thailand, especially Suttipong, who was our waiter for two winters on the Emerald Princess. They all seemed to exude hospitality and warmth, and I wanted to experience the country where they lived. Second, I have wanted to swim in the Andaman Sea for at least 16 years, when I first saw photos of it that were stunning. Actually, I think the photos were actually of the Andaman Islands in the Andaman Sea, which belong to India, but to swim in the Andaman Sea off Thailand was a good start.
G was excited about our visit today because he wanted to go elephant trekking. We had considered booking the elephant sanctuary excursion in Bali through Princess, but it wasn’t cheap and I cannot ride an elephant. I am allergic to most mammals (including some humans, frankly) and 30 minutes on an elephant would have left me wheezing, sneezing and rash covered. So when he heard that he could ride an elephant today and I could just take photos, he had his mind set on that.
Our arrival in Phuket wasn’t supposed to be until 9am, so we set an alarm for 7am (not that we really needed to; we had moved clocks back an hour overnight) and had breakfast in the Horizon Court Buffet, which, as usual, was a zoo because it was a port day. We were still eating when we heard the arrival announcement being made around 8:30am. We rushed back to the cabin and grabbed our things for the day, and heard the first tender groups being called. So we headed to the Savoy Dining Room to pick up our priority tender tickets…and waited for quite awhile. Everyone must have done exactly as we did, and sprung into action when we arrived early, causing a bit of a crunch. As it turned out, we were on a tender by 9:30am, which is when we had initially hoped to be.
As hospitable as the Thai people are known to be, their taxi drivers have a bit of a bad reputation for taking advantage of tourists, especially cruisers. Destination Expert Debbie Shields had warned us about them, and told us the maximum we should have to pay to go to various tourist attractions. The first several drivers we spoke with were charging well above that amount to simply go to one beach ($100 round trip), so we kept walking until we met Ray, who told us he would take us to ride elephants, followed by the two different beaches we wanted to see and stay with us the entire time for $80. It seemed Ray was our man.
A statue honoring a past head of the navy with gifts and offerings
We could not believe the overhead wiring...
...especially all the looped wire in case of future changes.
The roads in Phuket were excellent, but traffic was fierce (that seems to be a common theme in Southeast Asia). It took us at least 30 minutes to reach Chalang, home to Kinaree Elephant Trekking. We paid for G’s 30 minute (more or less, the elephant decides) trek with a Visa since we had no local currency and he had no wait at all. He met his elephant, a female with an indecipherable Thai name, and climbed a wooden structure to board a seat on her back. Off he went, with me waiting nearby, close enough to be able to see his return, but far enough that I wasn’t too affected by the elephants.
Apparently, his elephant wanted to take her time, because his ride lasted closer to 40 minutes. He said she particularly liked a shaded area with tall grass and spent some time feeding there. He returned and was given a chance to say goodbye and feed her bananas to show his appreciation. And he was very happy (kind of like me with the koala last year, so I totally understood).
Elephant trekking was on G’s bucket list
He was excited!
Greeting his elephant
Returning “home”
Saying goodbye
Our next stop was Karon Beach, which both Debbie Shields and our driver Ray said was the quieter, more laid back beach in the area. It stretched forever, and the sand, though not the powdered sugar white of Carlisle Bay Beach on Barbados, was nice and free of stones and pebbles. We wasted no time getting in the water, and it was like bath water, probably some where between 86 and 88F. The waves were gentle and the entry nicely sloped and it really was a perfect beach.
Karon Beach in the Andaman Sea
Karon Beach
Karon Beach
The water was the best place to be!
After 90 minutes, Ray drove us north to world famous Patong Beach and we spent an hour there. It was far more crowded, with all kinds of water sports activities like jet skis, parasailing, banana boat rides, etc. And across the street but have been over 50 narrow restaurants like we had seen in Bali. But Patong is really know for being the sex capital of Phuket, with a sorts of massage parlors and kinky sex places sprinkled among the restaurants. Still, the beach was packed with British, European, Russian and Australian tourists.
Patong Beach, the intense beach
Patong Beach
Patong Beach
My view for the afternoon :-)
After spending an hour on Patong Beach, Ray drove us the 45 minute trip back to the port. We were sand and salt covered, and hungry; it was after 3:30pm and it had been a fun but long day. We tendered back to the ship and G decamped to a hot tub while I rinsed and washed everything I had been wearing, and took a long shower. He did the same when he returned and we were at dinner at 5:30pm, absolutely famished, which is a good feeling on a cruise ship. Headwaiter Nazzario had a special vegan curry made for me and I could eat that every night.
Small islands in the Andaman Sea
Production show Do You Wanna Dance was performed tonight, especially appropriate because of the exotic Thai dance segment. And somehow we found the energy to go to the Country Western Night party in Club Fusion afterward, and I even line danced.
And then we crawled back to our cabin, completely wiped out from three hot days of sightseeing. We move clocks ahead an hour tonight (we didn’t even change our watches today, it was such a quick back and forward), and I’m hoping to wake up in time for lunch. ;-)
And, finally, blog reader Denise filled me in on the elephant head statue we had first seen in Bali (I posted a photo), but have continued to see every day since. He is the elephant god Ganesh, or Ganesha, depending on the country. Denise wrote that he is the god of overcoming obstacles and said he is her favorite. Frankly, he could prove very useful in my life, too. Our guide in Kuala Lumpur shared a few more details. The most common belief is that Ganesha was created by Parvati (his mother) using clay to protect her and Shiva (his father) beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant.
Ganesha is a non-sectarian deity. Hindus of all denominations invoke him at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies. Hindus migrated to Maritime Southeast Asia and took their culture, including Ganesha, with them. Statues of Ganesha are found throughout the region, often beside Shiva sanctuaries.The spread of Hindu culture throughout Southeast Asia established Ganesha worship in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. Today in Buddhist Thailand, Ganesha is regarded as a remover of obstacles, the god of success. Source: Wikipedia
Ganeesh in Phuket