Wat Sri Sunthon (Sri Sunthorn Temple)

Last Sunday we set out with a particular target in mind. Phuket is full of temples, and there are many that we have never visited. I wanted to find Wat Phra Thong, where there is a famous half buried Buddha image...We found it, but on the way, a litle south of Thalang Town (which used to the the main town in Phuket a couple of hundred years ago), we found Wat Sri Sunthorn and were very glad we did.

There were several buildings in the temple. The main Wat seemed to be closed, but on top of another building is a huge reclining Buddha. We found our way up to the roof to look more closely and say a quick prayer. Certainly worth a quick visit, and can be combined with a visit to Wat Phra Tong and also Wat Phra Nang Sang, also in Thalang, which we have not visited yet.

• See location on Google Earth - the reclining Buddha is easy to spot.

 

The temple is named after one of the two sisters, known as the Heroines of Thalang - Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthorn who rallied the people of Phuket to defeat invading Burmese in 1785. Actually at the time, their names were Chan and Mook, but later King Rama V gave them these honorary names.

Pretty much every visitor to Phuket will see the "Heroines Monument" which is a bit south of Thalang in the centre of a traffic circle on the main road between the airport and the southern beaches and Phuket Town. Not many tourists go to these temples. On Sunday we saw a few Thai people there. The most visited temple in Phuket is Wat Chalong, and quite a few go to Wat Phra Tong too.

 


 

Hotel Recommendations: Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

As a resident of Phuket, making hotel recommendations has some plus points - I know the island well, I can advise on the best beaches, know the locations of the hotels etc... At the same time, as I am not a tourist, I have not stayed in any hotels since I was a backpacker (and I can't really recommend the On On Hotel unless you're a backpacker!).

Le Meridien Beach Resort is one of those hotels that I can't say anything bad about. Over the years many customers I've had contact with have stayed there and I've never heard a bad word. The resort is located on it's own private beach in a place called "Relax Bay" or "Karon Noi" between Patong and Karon beaches, and no more than 10 minutes from either, so you have both seclusion and proximity to main tourist areas. I say seclusion, but Le Meridien does have more than 400 rooms, so you're bound to see a few other people, just you better hope they don't all decide to use the pool at the same time! The beach is great, and you can snorkel there too.

• Location on Google Earth



Le Meridien - Online Booking

• Le Meridien Beach Resort Rates and Reservations at LateStays.com
• Le Meridien Beach Resort Rates and Reservations at R24


Le Meridien - Photos

  

There is another excellent Le Meridien Resort on Naiharn beach, Phuket:

• Le Meridien Phuket Yacht Club

Phuket Hotels - More Information - Online Booking

• Phuket Hotel Info and Booking at Agoda.com
• More of Jamie's Phuket Hotel Reviews
• Jamie's Top 10 Phuket Hotels
• Thailand Hotels at Agoda.com

Singing Bird Competition in Kathu, Phuket

In a place like Phuket, well known for it's tourism, the local life is often overlooked. Phuket has a rich and diverse history and the people of Phuket are a true mix of races and religions as one often sees in port towns around the world. The Kathu area of Phuket was the original center of the huge tin mining industry in Phuket bringing with it many Chinese workers. The mines are now all closed, but tin mining, along with rubber made Phuket a wealthy area well before the tourists arrived. The Chinese influence is clear in Phuket, both in Phuket Town and in Kathu, with many Chinese shrines in evidence, Chinese writing on many shops and many a Chinese-looking face. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe the keeping of caged birds is very Chinese influenced, and you see many bird cages in Phuket.

This was the first time I'd seen a singing bird competition, and indeed the first time I'd seen so many caged birds in one place, so went along to have a look - it was just a couple of minutes drive from my house in Kathu.

 

Hard to know what was going on, but the bird owners were sure taking it seriously. As I understand it, the birds were judged on their singing in several ways - how much they sing, how long they can sing for and how nice their songs are - something like that. There was a huge scoreboard plastered with the scores. I think you'd have to be a local bird fancier to know exactly what it all meant. My wife didn't have much more of a clue than I did.

 

There were a couple of hundred birds hanging in their cages. Judges would stand and take notes, and when a whistle blew, it looked like the owners would call to their birds. Owners had to stand a set distance from the cages behind the judges. I must say it was quite a spectacle, and I do enjoy finding some local life in my local area.

Chalong Temple (Wat Chalong)

Chalong Temple is the largest of Phuket's temples, and the most visited. Locals come to pray and pay respects to the founders of Wat Chalong, among them Luang Pho Cham and Luang Pho Chuang, 2 monks who were well known for herbal medicine and took care of local villagers and negotiated for a settlement during a chinese miners rebellion in the 1870's.



Wat Chalong a big place, with several buildings including the main temple, with statues of the revered monks where people can pray, apply gold leaf to the statues, light incense and candles etc.. There is another building with a tall tower, in which one finds painted walls with scenes from the life of Buddha and many Buddha images. At the top of the tower is what is said to be a fragement of bone of Buddha himself. There is also an airconditioned building containing waxworks of the monks.

 

 

The views from the tower are nice, across the temple grounds looking towards the hills. You can see Buddha Mountain and Radar Hill from here.

 

Wat Chalong is well worth a visit, though if you want a quiet time, I would suggest going early morning or late afternoon, as it can be rather busy with locals and tourists alike. It's really the only temple on the Phuket tourist trail, and tours tend to arrive there from 10am - 2pm. We went yesterday at midday and it was buzzing! There is a yearly fair at the temple around Chinese New Year (see links below).

The temple is located between Phuket Town and Chalong. The road runs from Central Festival to Chalong circle. If you want a good half day tour, you can combine Chalong temple with some of the small beaches in the SW corner of Phuket along with Laem Phromthep, a drive up one of the hills mentioned above (good for sunsets) or a walk down Chalong Jetty.

• More Photos of Chalong Temple
• More Temples in Phuket
• Chalong Temple Fair
• Wat Chalong on Google Earth

More Noodles in Phuket

Are noodles the life force of Thailand? Well, for sure a bowl of noodle soup is a cheap and tasty meal, commonly eaten by Thai folk for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I reckon some noodle shop owners are millionaires. They always have customers, and some are always busy. The last noodle place on this blog, up near Kathu Waterfall (see here) is a real local place, off the main road, a few regular local customers.

This morning we went to another noodle shop near our house in Kathu, but this one, close to the busy Ket Ho junction between Patong and Phuket Town, is bigger and busier. Breakfast time is fairly calm, but they are super busy at lunchtime, filling up with local office staff and other working folk; they get their trade during the day and don't open in the evening - but despair ye not because there's another noodle shop just 100m down the road. This is a real clean place, all stainless tables and chairs, real ceramic bowls (many use cheap plastic), and the owner and staff are always friendly. There's another small place right opposite which only opens for lunch and during the afternoon - the noodle soup here is maybe a bit tastier, but the owner is not so smiley :)

Here's some pictures from today's breakfast...

 

 

Hotel Recommendations: Baan Yin Dee Boutique Resort

Patong Beach is well known as the biggest, baddest beach in Phuket..paradise to some, hell to others, you can't deny it has a huge selection of restaurants, bars, hotels, resorts, shops and more. But even Patong has it's quiet spots. Try checking out the back roads, or head to the far south end of the beach and cross the little bridge. The road splits here - turn right for the (very nice) Amari Coral Beach Resort, or turn left and follow the road as it climbs up and over the hill. Up here you find Baan Yin Dee.

This boutique resort features just 21 unique rooms, with 3 pools and the excellent "Fusion" restaurant with great views over Patong Bay. Friends have stayed there and say the service is superb, it's quiet, romantic...maybe one of the best places to stay around Patong without being in the heart of the madness!

Baan Yin Dee - Booking and Reviews

• Baan Yin Dee Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Baan Yin Dee - Guest Reviews


Baan Yin Dee Photos

 

 

Phuket Hotels - More Information - Online Booking

• Phuket Hotel Info and Booking at Agoda.com
• More of Jamie's Phuket Hotel Reviews
• Jamie's Top 10 Phuket Hotels
• Thailand Hotels at Agoda.com

Quiet Beaches in Phuket - Ao Sane and Ya Nui

Quiet Beaches Part I - Ao Sane and Ya Nui

The main tourist beaches of Patong, Karon, Kata, and to a lesser extent Kamala and Bang Tao will not get too much mention on this blog save for hotels (such as the Dusit Laguna on Bang Tao beach) or places to eat (such as BBQ Hut in Patong. The main west coast beaches contain most of the hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and shops, so no matter where you stay or go during the day, it makes sense to visit these at some point or even stay at a hotel on a main beach and travel out each day to explore.

There are many small or quiet beaches on Phuket Island, some have development, some have almost nothing. Among those I like include Naithon, Nai Yang, Layan and Surin. If you want something real small for a day's relaxation, try one of these:

Ao Sane Beach

Reached by a winding cliffside road from Naiharn (you have to drive through Le Meridien Yacht Club), Ao Sane is a tiny beach with some bungalows for rent and a small restaurant. There's even a tiny dive shop. The views are great, the water always seems quite clear and is good for snorkeling. There is limited space for parking vehicles, and when we have been there we've only seen a few other people. The bungalows were hit by the tsunami, but have been rebuilt and the restaurant serves decent food (nothing special, but not bad). The beach is rocky, with large boulders buried in the sand. It really is quite scenic, and is always quiet. My only gripe is that the bungalow/restaurant owners don't seem to bothered about keeping the beach clean.

• Ao Sane Beach location on Google Earth

Just a little further is a unique accommodation option - the Baan Krating Jungle Lodge, set in the trees overlooking the sea, a real jungle getaway.





Ya Nui (Yanui) Beach

This place has a special place in our hearts. We have photos of our daughter here with my parents back in 2003. The beach was wiped out by the tsunami and many of the small bungalows were destroyed. It's not far from Ao Sane and Naiharn, in the same SW corner of Phuket - it's a very nice area to drive around with several beaches, views and quiet roads.

At Ya Nui there are some bungalows again now, and it's usually quiet. We went last time in April and there were just a few people there as we watched a great sunset. It's a lovely little beach, again quite rocky with little rockpools where the kids enjoy finding little fish and hermit crabs.




Ya Nui Beach Links

• Ya Nui Recovery Project
• Ya Nui Beach location on Google Earth
• Ya Nui Bungalows
• Ya Nui Resort