Phuket, Thailand
October - December 2019
The apartments overlook well-tended gardens and a pool and we have our own car port which keeps our Toyota Yaris nice and cool.
And we are overlooked (almost) by Big Buddha, one of the most important and revered landmarks on the island.
Constructed from reinforced concrete covered with 135 tons of white jade marble from Myanmar, this statue stands 45 metres tall at the top of Nak Kerd mountain just north west of our accommodation. From the car park, there are 94 steps up to the monument. To answer your question, "No, we haven't climbed them", despite the rewarding 360° bird's eye view of the island.
The statue is known to most people as Big Buddha because its official Thai name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue: Phra Putthamingmongkolekanagagiri.
The first few days here were spent exploring the area and stocking up the kitchen cupboards - and of course, investigating the beaches!
You will not be surprised to hear that, during our exploratory trips around the south and south east coast of the island, we have discovered our little piece of paradise, Ya Nui Beach. Most tourists may well be persuaded to visit the more popular beaches of Karon, Kata and Patong, for example, but Ya Nui is the one for us.
There are two small bays overlooking a nearby island and the coastal headland. Uncrowded, soft sand, no music or loud intrusive water sports - just simple kayaks and paddle boards. The beach is situated just under a mile from the main road along a quiet country lane. There are two restaurants set back on the road and a small shop selling beach inflatables, etc. That's it! Perfect. There is also ample parking directly behind the beach. All boxes ticked.
But, most important, superb snorkelling right from the shore with so many tropical fish of rainbow colours, star fish and areas of colourful hard & soft coral. Some fish we have never seen before; others seen only during our trips to the Red Sea or the Maldives.
Just 10 or 15 metres from the beach we are snorkelling in an amazing, colourful aquarium and there is always something different to experience in the underwater world.
We did look at many other beaches, of course. One was particularly good - Ao Yan - where we had a swim and enjoyed lunch at a restaurant right on the beach.
But, you had to park on the main road and walk down a steep concrete pathway down to the sand. Even worse going back! Not for us oldies!
The wet season here runs from May to October. We arrived on 27th October, expecting (as you would) the rain to stop at 12 midnight precisely on the 31st, if not before! Not so. The unpredictable weather of SE Asia continues to surprise us all. Which means we have had quite a few rainy or cloudy days up until this week. But we have enjoyed many days at the beach, too, with temperatures around 30°C whatever the weather. We are now pleased to report the rainy season has ended.
Elaine has been researching Thai cookery and, as a result, we have been enjoying even more deliciously different meals. This has meant stocking up on more local ingredients such as Pak Choi, Thai Celery, red and green Thai curry pastes. Not forgetting kilos and kilos of fresh ginger, garlic and wafer-thin wraps for home-made spring rolls plus litres & litres of coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Well, I'm probably exaggerating the quantities but you get the idea.
At the time we visited Thailand, UK Passport holders (and many other nationalities) could enter Thailand for 30 days with Visa Exemption. However, as we are in the country for 54 days, we needed to formally extend our stay.
In theory this is a simple process involving a visit to the Immigration Office, completing a form, submitting passport photos, copies of passport photo page, copy of Visa Exemption stamp in Passport, confirmation of your address in Phuket, etc. Oh, and a wad of Thai Bahts! But you never know what questions they will ask or other documents they may require.
There is also a dress code for visits to official offices in Thailand. No vest tops (shoulders & tops of arms to be covered); no see-through tops; no mini skirts; no bikinis; no short shorts; no sandals. Apart from that you can wear what you like!
However, on the day we visited the office in Patong, there was a young girl who could have won first or second prize for the shortest skirt in Phuket. She was very lucky to have been even allowed to step inside. I don't think she'd have got away with it in Bangkok, for example.
Anyway, we arrived at the office at about 9.50 and left at 10.20 with our Visas extended until 24th December. Job done:
Off to the beach!
Presumably, due to a higher level of security at airports, we are often asked for Proof of Onward Travel (POOT) during our journeys. Because we rarely have a return ticket back to our home country, we are sometimes unable to check-in online and have to produce proof of our next journey to a human being at a check-in desk. At Cairo and Perth Airports this year we had to produce tickets for our next two flights! So we are prepared now and have our detailed itinerary and e-tickets ready to show on our 'phone.
We leave here on the evening of 18th December for our flights to England via Singapore. We stay there until 7th January when our travels continue.
Visas: With effect from 1st October, 2022, citizens of 64 countries can enter Thailand Visa free for up to 45 days (increased from 30 days). This change is currently in effect until 31st March, 2023.
And we are overlooked (almost) by Big Buddha, one of the most important and revered landmarks on the island.
The statue is known to most people as Big Buddha because its official Thai name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue: Phra Putthamingmongkolekanagagiri.
The first few days here were spent exploring the area and stocking up the kitchen cupboards - and of course, investigating the beaches!
You will not be surprised to hear that, during our exploratory trips around the south and south east coast of the island, we have discovered our little piece of paradise, Ya Nui Beach. Most tourists may well be persuaded to visit the more popular beaches of Karon, Kata and Patong, for example, but Ya Nui is the one for us.
But, most important, superb snorkelling right from the shore with so many tropical fish of rainbow colours, star fish and areas of colourful hard & soft coral. Some fish we have never seen before; others seen only during our trips to the Red Sea or the Maldives.
Just 10 or 15 metres from the beach we are snorkelling in an amazing, colourful aquarium and there is always something different to experience in the underwater world.
We did look at many other beaches, of course. One was particularly good - Ao Yan - where we had a swim and enjoyed lunch at a restaurant right on the beach.
But, you had to park on the main road and walk down a steep concrete pathway down to the sand. Even worse going back! Not for us oldies!
The wet season here runs from May to October. We arrived on 27th October, expecting (as you would) the rain to stop at 12 midnight precisely on the 31st, if not before! Not so. The unpredictable weather of SE Asia continues to surprise us all. Which means we have had quite a few rainy or cloudy days up until this week. But we have enjoyed many days at the beach, too, with temperatures around 30°C whatever the weather. We are now pleased to report the rainy season has ended.
Elaine has been researching Thai cookery and, as a result, we have been enjoying even more deliciously different meals. This has meant stocking up on more local ingredients such as Pak Choi, Thai Celery, red and green Thai curry pastes. Not forgetting kilos and kilos of fresh ginger, garlic and wafer-thin wraps for home-made spring rolls plus litres & litres of coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Well, I'm probably exaggerating the quantities but you get the idea.
At the time we visited Thailand, UK Passport holders (and many other nationalities) could enter Thailand for 30 days with Visa Exemption. However, as we are in the country for 54 days, we needed to formally extend our stay.
In theory this is a simple process involving a visit to the Immigration Office, completing a form, submitting passport photos, copies of passport photo page, copy of Visa Exemption stamp in Passport, confirmation of your address in Phuket, etc. Oh, and a wad of Thai Bahts! But you never know what questions they will ask or other documents they may require.
There is also a dress code for visits to official offices in Thailand. No vest tops (shoulders & tops of arms to be covered); no see-through tops; no mini skirts; no bikinis; no short shorts; no sandals. Apart from that you can wear what you like!
However, on the day we visited the office in Patong, there was a young girl who could have won first or second prize for the shortest skirt in Phuket. She was very lucky to have been even allowed to step inside. I don't think she'd have got away with it in Bangkok, for example.
Anyway, we arrived at the office at about 9.50 and left at 10.20 with our Visas extended until 24th December. Job done:
Off to the beach!
Presumably, due to a higher level of security at airports, we are often asked for Proof of Onward Travel (POOT) during our journeys. Because we rarely have a return ticket back to our home country, we are sometimes unable to check-in online and have to produce proof of our next journey to a human being at a check-in desk. At Cairo and Perth Airports this year we had to produce tickets for our next two flights! So we are prepared now and have our detailed itinerary and e-tickets ready to show on our 'phone.
We leave here on the evening of 18th December for our flights to England via Singapore. We stay there until 7th January when our travels continue.
Full information on entry requirements here.
Travel requirements can be subject to change at very short notice. You should check and observe all health and entry requirements applicable to your journey and the latest travel guidance of the relevant authorities of your destination.
Currency: Thai Baht
Shopping in Rawai: Tesco Lotus, Makro,
SuperCheap all quite close together and many other small shops and mini-markets.
Comments
Post a Comment