Phuket. Review on Phuket

Phuket is a lovely place . The very reason why we visited Phuket was the Phang nga province which has a very strange and different topography . We reached Phuket through Singapore . Phuket International Airport was far better than my expectations .

Phuket is basically a big island in the south of Thailand with plenty of adjacent island archipelago shared with the Krabi . Our stay was for 3 days , but it should ideally be much longer . I was always tempted to find comparison between Phuket and Andaman . They are quite similar when it comes to the natural beauty ; but unlike Andaman , Phuket is a developed tourist place . There are so many things to keep you amused , that you should spare a week for this place .

Patong and Phuket town

We stayed at Patong Beach , the central place .Our hotel was fantastic and yet cheap .Patong has a huge market area but it is only a little expensive as compared to Phuket town . Trendy clothes were expensive at both places , and street clothings were not cheaper than India .

Patong beach is a crescent shaped beach in a cove , beautiful but spoiled by extreme commercialization . The other beaches are good , but somehow we had no time to visit them .We however did not miss the Simon Cabaret in the night . Simon Cabaret is fantastic !!! The show is for 2 hours and runs non stop .The sets are huge and they change within fraction of a second . The costumes are beautiful and the ladyboys are lovely .It is a show that you can’t miss.You can watch the show with children , but don’t tell them that the beautiful ladies on the stage are men .The excursions for the adjacent islands can be booked from several travel agents in Patong or elsewhere . Do not book through hotel . Do not book much in advance . The rates drop on previous day . Magnolia travels near Banana Disco on Beach Road is a good travel agency with helpful owner .PNT tours is the ultimate tour organiser and has fantastic tour itineraries .

Food options are abundant in Patong . If you are comfortable with the thai food and seafood , you are in foodies mecca- you will love it .Street food is safe , delicious and cheap .Indian food is very expensive . Massage at Patong can get nasty , hence go to a decent place and make your intentions clear at the beginning .

Phi Phi Island tour

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The Islands being a little away from Phuket island , a speedboat tour is advisable as it gives you more time in phi phi .They show a Viking cave from a distance . A trip to monkey island is in the itinerary - in India we see many greedy monkeys - nothing special about it .Maya Bay , the star attraction is stunning and crowded .The huge mountains jutting out of the sea has cordoned off this beautiful bay .There is a place to swim , but most of the beach is occupied by parked speedboats .Loh Sama bay is near and one can walk thru the jungle trail - but they give very little time here . We had lunch at Phi Phi Leh - delicious ! Khai island on the way back was very beautiful . We were given lot of time here . We could snorkel, swim , feed the colorful fish , swim , bask in sun and just walk around the place .

Phang nga province

A double decker boat leaves for phang nga which is nearer to phuket .Lava Island was the first stop on the way . I have never seen a safer place to swim - very gentle waves , water not deeper than waist , soft white sand at the bottom of the sea with no rocks or creatures - it is like a swimming pool.

The Phang nga province starts quite abruptly . Suddenly many tall precipice jut out of water , and in close proximity . The sea , hence , forms canals in between these erections which at times are as pointed as pencils .It feels nice as you move across these mountains .These mountains are made of rocks which stand at right angles to the sea and these rocks have shrubs growing near the apex . There are plenty of stalactites hanging from these rocks . Near the sea level these rocks have dense clusters of oysters on its surface .There are many caves , big and small , in these rocks . These caves are often at multiple levels giving it a mezzanine like effect .The entire fun is in entering inside the caves . We get into small canoes , and the boatman takes us in the caves . The caves at times are very narrow and long . You need a torch as they are pitch dark . One has to squirm the body so that you get accommodated inside the cave . But once you negotiate through the cave , the beauty inside is spell bounding . You suddenly enter an open space bound from all the sides by huge rock walls but open to the sky . There are mangroves inside and chirping of birds. Now this space is connected to another space somewhere by another set of caves . The water inside these open spaces is very shallow - rather there is water only during high tide . Later we went to the Hong Island which is quite similar to the above discussion , but the caves are not narrow - good for people who suffer from claustrophobia .A very tasty and splendid lunch was served overboard unlike the previous day when we had lunch over the island . The pit stop of the journey was James Bond Island .A beautiful place , little over hyped , but not bad . There were a few trinket shops at this place , and the vendors were very obsequious .Phang nga is a very nice place to visit .

Thai people are very punctual . They are good natured and smiling - we had a little bit of problem though as were robbed by a cunning person . Conveyance inside the island is fairly good . Tuk tuks are expensive but freely available . Local buses (look like trucks ) are very cheap . Language is a very major barrier - very few people can understand or speak English .So, you end up a lot of time in communicating . Prostitution is a very big and thriving industry , but it does not get in your way if you wish not to get involved - mind you , those ladies will hunt you down and pester you , politely and perseverantly you have to find your way out .Thai food is delicious and I personally miss it a lot .

Phuket is a must see place but leisurely . There are numerous entertainment options which are artfully and efficiently managed . Besides , beaches and the sea are of course mind blowing .