Phuket – It Does not Rhyme with Bucket
With much excitement we boarded Bangkok Air to Phuket after a couple of days in the capital city. The multitude of small islands speckled in the Andaman Sea prepares you for your arrival on the main island of Phuket. Thailand is a very popular destination for travelers from all over and with good reason. The beauty of the thick forests, mountainous islands, clear sea water and sandy beaches will not disappoint. Phuket International Airport is located 45km away from the Kata region where we resided.
Located in central Kata, a mere 500 meters walk from Kata Beach, Kata Lucky Villa & Pool Access is a tropical, garden-style resort surrounded by mountains and beautiful gardens that offers the ultimate peaceful holiday getaway. Ever wanted to walk out into a pool from your bedroom? The hotel features a spectacular wrap-around pool, private balconies with direct access to the pool, tropical greenery, fitness center and massage service.
The walk to the beach will keep you busy as you pass spas, supermarkets, shops and bars. During our April visit, we were lucky enough to catch the locals setting up street food markets on the walkways leading up to the beach. Be sure to witness the art of making ice cream on dry ice, eat the shrimps and sweet chili sauce on a stick and quench your thirst with the popular fruit drinks. Rather than visiting the hotel restaurant in the evening, support the locals and have your dinner on the sandy white beach.
We were fortunate enough to visit Thailand during Songkran (Thai’s New Year’s) in April. Prepare yourself to be soaked on this typically hot summer’s day! This day has locals and tourists roaming the colourful streets with water-filled buckets, balloons, water guns and water tanks with the purpose of drenching each other. Welcome this action and celebrate with those around you! Locals may also apply a white powder, locally knows as din sor pong to your face. This substance is made from limestone that is said to cleanse bad luck. Pack your electronics into a ziplock bag and ensure to capture as much as you can of this exciting and fun day.
Since the heat and humidity probably convinced to spend even more time in the water, why not head out to the ocean for a couple of hours. If you walk to the Northern end of the Kata beach, you’ll find a few restaurants that rent out kayaks, surfboards or paddle skis. Rent a kayak for an hour or two and paddle your way to the Koh Pu island. For Geocachers, there’s a cool cache to log on the uninhabited island! Take along your snorkeling mask and discover the beautiful and clear underwater world with an amount of sea life.
Cooled off? Time to start exploring the island. The Big Buddha located in Chalong can be seen from many places in Phuket. It’s worth spending half a day to go there and experience the beautiful views and take in the enormous size of this statue. There are various transport services taking tourists up the mountain. If you have motorcycle licence, hiring a motorcycle (available from reception) would be strongly recommended. Motorcycles are the most popular form of transport. There are thousands of scooters everywhere. We witnessed 2 adults, a child and a dog (laying over the foot stand of a scooter) on a 120cc scooter, happily on their way to the beach! Similar to Bangkok, be sure to dress appropriately when visiting religious areas. The green, thick forestry will leave you in awe. Elephant Experience companies are visible along the road. Be careful to give in to the cuteness and large size of these animals, as paying for the expensive experience actually contributes and supports elephant/animal abuse. Rather research a proper elephant sanctuary beforehand and support the rehabilitation of these gentle giants.
For the evening, Phuket has several cultural shows which we were recommended to watch. We purchased tickets to the Simon Cabaret show which was available at the reception of Kata Lucky Villa & Pool Access. Once we sat down at the venue we realised that it was a glamorous and sing and dance show starring only lady-boys. This was not cultural at all; the actual performance was probably some of the worst entertainment we’ve ever seen, elevated only by some light humour. After the show, spectators are invited to take pictures with the exaggeratedly dressed performers, only to be charged 100 Baht (at the time) per performer you posed with. A very sneaky move and somewhat deceptive from them, so pay extra attention to the information boards around you.
