South East Asian Trips

Phuket - 'Pearl of the South' and Thailand's largest island lies in the Andaman Sea off the country's south-western coast. The island is connected to the Thai mainland by a bridge, but has retained a distinct culture fused from Chinese and Portuguese influences combining with the culture of the chao naam, the indigenous sea-faring people. About 35% of the island's population are Thai Muslims.

The island is blessed with magnificent bays, powdery, palm-fringed white beaches, sparkling island-dotted seas, sincerely hospitable people, comfortable accommodation, superb seafood, tropically vegetated mountains, lovely waterfalls and parks, and delightful turn-of-the-century Indo/Portuguese and Chinese-influenced architecture which create an enchanting ambiance. The main resorts include Patong, Karon and Kata, but better beaches are scattered all around the island.

Phuket Province is stunningly beautiful. Its incredibly diverse geography offers enough in the way of beaches, scuba diving, hiking, and idyllic rural communities to keep a traveler busy for weeks. Local seafood is exquisite, and though its beauty has made this island a popular and relatively expensive destination for foreign tourists, there still are a few inexpensive places to stay and hang out.

Phuket City also is very interesting. Its architecture and culture reflect a history of co-mingling between native people, Portuguese colonists, and Chinese immigrants. Thirty-five percent of the residents are Muslim. Phuket is also known for its Vegetarian Festival, which takes place at the end of Buddhist "lent" in late September or early October. The province is the wealthiest in Thailand, per capita.

Although the employment opportunities for teachers are limited in this part of Thailand, most teachers spend at least some time here. Since there are so many tourists and international business opportunities in Phuket, teachers may be able find students to tutor individually or in small groups.

Population

50,000

Location

Phuket is the name of the city and the island province on which it is located. The island lies off the west coast of the Malay Peninsula in the Andaman Sea. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge.

Weather

Like other places in Southern Thailand, Phuket is hit by both the southwest and northeast monsoons, and it rains more than ten inches per month from May to October. Temperatures do not vary much throughout the year, and average about 82°F/28°C.

Transportation

You can get to Phuket by both air and bus from other locations in the country. From southern cities, you can hire a "share taxi," which is a regular car that takes you for about twice the bus fare. On the island, songtaews and motorcycle taxis can be hired from about US$.75 to US$2 per trip.

Key Attractions of Phuket

Deep Wild Interior of Phuket

Visitors to Phuket Province generally head for the sea, but the interior is worth exploring for its vivid patchwork of plantations and rice paddies, crowned by the island's last rain forest in Khao Phra Thaw Royal Wildlife Reserve. Here, rainy season hikes provide the best views of Ton Sai and Bang Pae waterfalls, with possible sightings of resident wildlife such as flying foxes and slow loris: visit the Gibbon Rehabilitation Center near Bang Pae falls and see how they reintroduce captive gibbons to the jungle.

Patong - Countless Pristine Sites

Phuket's limestone cliffs and palm-fringed tropical beaches are its biggest attractions. Sunseekers flock to its blue waters, with many enjoying the shopping and nightlife of vibrant Patong. A few quieter beaches to investigate are Karon, Kata, Rawai and Surin. Situated in the Andaman Sea, Phuket is a world-class dive destination with countless pristine sites and just as many operators, mostly around Patong. Experienced yachtsmen looking for all-inclusive charters will find fair-to-excellent craft with great facilities at the Phuket Boat Lagoon (Ao Sapam) and the Yacht Haven Phuket (Laem Phrao). Interested ? Contact us

Divers Paradise

Water Diving in PhuketNear Phuket, on Thailand's west coast from Ranong down to Krabi are a large number of excellent dive sites. However, the area is sometimes tricky and can be difficult during the southwest monsoon from June to November. As Phuket's popularity among divers of all nationalities has increased, so has the number of dive sites. Nowadays, regular trips lasting up to two weeks are made to distant island groups in the Andaman Sea. Many of them are uninhabited and absolutely pristine, with dive sites to rival the best in the world.

The other attractions of Phuket include Phuket's restaurants that are excellent and there are still plenty of beaches for snorkeling and other water sports. There is also a wide variety of non beach activities: Tours of coconut and rubber plantations, Buddhist temples, batik factories, a cultured-pearl farm, a crocodile farm, the Marine Biological Research Center (essentially a fish farm), a number of parks and the nearby islands off Rawai Beach (tropical scenery) are possibilities.

Activities

Phuket has remarkable range of sports, tours, diversions and adventures guarantee a fun-packed holiday for all. The Andaman Sea and Phangnga Bay offer an unrivalled selection of watersports, including deep-sea fishing that would give Hemingway a thrill, and snorkeling and Scuba diving that would take Cousteau's breath away. There is also sea-canoeing into spectacular hollow island escarpments and enchanting yachting experiences that have not only made these waters world famous, but also helped make Phuket one of Asia's premier yachting destinations Gallop gracefully across the sand on a horse from one of Phuket's several riding stables, or take a trek into the island's jungles aboard an elephant. Hike through the primordial forest of Khao Phra Tieow, or mountain bike along the winding hill roads. Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi all have world-class golf courses some designed by renowned international architects and star golfers.

Shopping

Phuket is the country's finest gift and souvenir products including cultured pearls, neilloware, pewterware, ornaments and dried seafood. Phuket offer the best Batik - crafted by the island's numerous artists into tee-shirts, dresses, wall hangings, and bed covers - beachwear and easily-affordable made-to-measure cotton, linen and silk clothing - courtesy of the island's many tailors. Thalang Road, in Phuket Town, is home to many cloth merchants, offering excellent deals on a wide selection of cloth.

Ex-pat Hangouts

Popular restaurants for ex-pats in Phuket city are the Mae Porn and the Kanda Bakery on Rasada Road. The Timber Hut is also popular and features live music after 9pm.

Safety

Wherever you have a large number of foreigners you will find more theft from hotel rooms and homes. There have been a few isolated cases of assault and druggings of tourists in southern Thailand in the last ten years. Be careful about taking "gift" drinks, cigarettes, or candy from strangers on buses.