Phuket Thailand & Beyond

By Christopher Evans

Phuket - a tropical paradise jammed with endless pleasures and treasures - has long been Thailand's top tourist destination. And Thailand is the number-one tourist destination in Southeast Asia. The island of Phuket, which is approximately the size of Sin

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Jan 21, 2010
• ISBN: 9781588439062

Christopher Evans

Christopher Evans has been the Member of Parliament for Islwyn since 2010. Currently he serves as the Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement. His first book, Fearless Freddie: The Life and Times of Freddie Mills was published in 2017 and shortlisted for The Times Biography of the Year at the 2018 Sports Book Awards. Christopher Evans lives in South Wales and is married to Julia and has two children. @Chris_EvansMP

Book preview

Phuket Thailand & Beyond

Christoper & Lindsey Evans

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,

www.hunterpublishing.com

Ulysses Travel Publications

4176 Saint-Denis, Montréal, Québec

Canada H2W 2M5

514-843-9882, ext. 2232; fax [phone]

Windsor Books

The Boundary, Wheatley Road, Garsington

Oxford, OX44 9EJ England

01865-361122; fax [phone]

©  Hunter Publishing, Inc.

This and other Hunter travel guides are also available as e-books through Amazon.com, NetLibrary.com and other digital partners. For more information, e-mail us at [e-mail].

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

About the Book

The tsunami that hurtled into Southeast Asia, including the southern coasts of Thailand, on December 26, 2004, was the worst natural disaster the world has known. It killed hundreds of thousands and affected the lives of millions (see The Tsunami). We were in Phuket when the murderous waves struck, and were among the very fortunate who suffered no ill effects.

The exact number of deaths will never be known. In Thailand thousands of tourists and Thais died. The country is also home to thousands of illegal immigrants whose bodies were never claimed, and many more who would have been sucked to a watery grave, their families frightened to report them missing. Throughout Southeast Asia and beyond the total loss of life was in the hundreds of thousands. We witnessed the scenes of devastation and stood by helplessly, watching the grieving and agony of those trying to locate lost loved ones.

Throughout it all the Thais, a remarkably friendly and resilient people, retained an unbelievable dignity and desire to help others. They sought no pity. Instead we saw nothing but heroic acts of kindness and a determination to rebuild and return to a normal life.

Our work on this book was halfway complete when disaster struck. Days earlier we had visited resorts that now no longer exist. We had been on the Khao Lak strip and marveled at the luxury hotels that had been created. We returned to find the area flattened. Rubble of those fine buildings had become an early grave for hundreds. We had stood on the beaches of Phi Phi and saw some of Mother Nature's finest scenery. Now she had smashed the area from both sides and claimed hundreds of innocent lives.

Amazingly, just days after the disaster most of the southern Thai resorts were operating normally. But the world did not see that. Instead it saw the gruesome scenes of body bags and decomposed corpses. It saw the frantic faces of relatives searching for a loved one.

Through it all the Thais involved in the tourist industry took care of their personal problems and returned to work - if they were lucky enough to still have a place of employment - with a determined effort to make sure the remaining visitors enjoyed the pleasures that Thailand has to offer.

Understandably, the tourist numbers fell rapidly in the affected areas as people scurried home either hurt or horrified by what had happened. We stayed to continue our work and marveled at how quickly rubble and ruin were replaced with improved facilities. Not every area was able to recover so quickly; it is unlikely that Khao Lak will ever be the resort it was. But Phuket's hard-hit areas were soon to be ready for visitors once again.

When we began the work for this guide we had no inkling that it would be interrupted by such a catastrophe. We still intend to follow our initial plan, which was to create a book for those who seek luxury at an affordable price.

This book is one of an adventure series. But if you were expecting tough treks into the unknown at bargain prices you have bought the wrong book. While we much appreciate your purchase we suggest you close the volume now and gift wrap it as a surprise for someone else. To us, adventure means a gentle exploration or escapade, not a nightmare journey into uncharted jungles.

We believe that Thailand can provide a high degree of luxury at an affordable price. The words mosquito net appear now for the one and only time. We confess that we have never spent a night in Thailand without air conditioning, nor do we plan to do so. At home we do not travel on buses with chickens or goats so we don't do it when we are away. We are slightly more adventurous when it comes to food; in Thailand we try everything - well almost everything - once. And most times we come back for more. We are never far away from a television with news in the English language or a telephone that works. We enjoy getting lost as long as we are home in time for dinner and always sleep in something that resembles and feels like a bed.

To us luxury means lots of large, white fluffy towels in the bathroom. It means an ample supply of sweet-smelling lotions and soaps that are replenished daily. We relish not having not having to handle our baggage once we've lifted it from an airport carousel. We enjoy being whisked away in a limousine from the airport and not being kept waiting on a tour bus while Mrs. Brown argues about the scratches that have appeared on her brightly colored suitcases. Luxury to us is picking our favorite items from the menu and not having to flinch when the bill arrives.

At most Thai hotels you are greeted with genuine smiles. The necessary check-in formalities are conducted over a welcoming drink, while your luggage seems to find its own way to the room. These niceties, which seem to come automatically in Thailand whether you spend $50 a night or $500, are just one of the aspects that attract us, and millions of others, back to the shores of this magical kingdom. Thailand is a very foreign country with its own peculiar ways and culture. Respecting the different customs and lifestyle will make your stay here more enjoyable.

We hope that this book will give you ideas that will enhance your stay in this land of silk and smiles. If in some small way we can convert you to becoming a returning visitor then the words we have written have not been wasted.

Christopher Evans began his newspaper career as a copy boy in Fleet Street when it was home to the newspapers of the world. He learned from the bottom rung of the ladder how newspapers worked. His first income as a writer was as a junior reporter in northwest London, covering everything from births to burials. After three years he became news editor, the newspaper expanded, and his territory extended south of the River Thames.

At 21 he joined the London Daily Mirror as a sub-editor, the youngest person to hold such a position. In the middle of a bitter British winter he was lured away to the Bahamas to become editor of the country's morning newspaper, The Nassau Guardian.

He met Lindsey Hedger, who hailed from the same town in England, at a wedding reception in Nassau. Five months later they were married. Three children and three grandchildren later they are still together and split their time between southern Spain and Thailand.

In addition to writing travel articles and novels, Christopher was a pioneer in the cable-television industry in Florida, where he started the first pay-per-view cable channel. He owned and operated a printing company in Atlanta, Georgia which employed 150 people. And together they owned a travel agency in Atlanta, which heightened their desire to see more of the world.

About the Book

Introduction

Facts & Figures

Exchange Rates

Geography

Tourism

Climate

Prices

Public Holidays

Practicalities

Visas & Immigration Laws

Safety & Crime Prevention

Medical Attention

Money

Telephone Service

The Royal Family

Religion

Buddhism and Society

Culture & Society

National Temperament

Food

Recreation

Shopping

Thai Massage

Nightlife

Language

Spirit Houses

Where Do You Stay?

Where Do You Eat?

Phuket

Introduction

Climate

History

Getting Here

Getting Around

Patong

Phuket City

Crime In Phuket

A Medical Moment

A Driving Tour

Things to See

Things to Do

Shopping

Festivals & Events

Where to Stay

•  Accommodation in the Bay of Phang Nga

Where to Eat

Nightlife

Beyond Phuket

Introduction

History

North from Phuket

Khok Kloi

Thai Muang

Khaolak Beach to Takuapa

•  Things to See & Do

•  Where to Stay

Takuapa

East from Phuket

Krabi

•  Getting Here

•  Things to Do

•  Where to Stay

The Phi Phi Islands

•  Getting Here

•  Where to Stay

Ko Lanta

•  Introduction

•  Getting Here

•  Things to Do

•  Festivals & Events

•  Where to Stay

Ko Samui

•  Introduction

•  Getting Here

•  Rum from Samui

•  Things to See & Do

•  Where to Stay

Living in Thailand

Climate

Cuisine

Language

The Very Basics

Place Names

Numbers

Useful Terms

At the Airport

Eating & Shopping

Days of the Week

Medical Terms

Popular Thai Proverbs

Politics

Tying the Knot

Owning a Home

Legalities

Where to Buy?

Medical Vacations

Health & Wellness

Call Me Mister

Practicalities

Cost

Referrals

Insurance & Claims

Hospitals

Traditional Thai Medicine

Herbal Medicine

Massage

Psycho-spiritual Healing

Afterword

Top 20 Hotels

Introduction

It only takes a few days in Thailand to understand why this incredible place is the number-one tourist destination in Southeast Asia. As you soak up the complex culture, sample the exquisite cuisine and explore mystic temples or unspoiled islands you cannot fail to experience a dramatic rise in your feel-good factor.

It happens to us every time. This is our seventh visit and the anticipation is as great now as it was the first time we arrived in Bangkok, the nation's capital. On this trip we plan to explore destinations away from the normal tourist areas. And there is added excitement since we are hoping to buy a home and spend even more time here.

Our first trip six years ago was the ideal combination for first-time visitors. We spent four days in the capital and then flew south to the beaches and resorts of Phuket Island. It was this sample that gave us an enormous appetite to see and learn more.

The anticipation of any adventure can be as appealing as the adventure itself. We get tremendous enjoyment from planning and thinking about what lies ahead and fortunately our expectations of a trip to Thailand have always been exceeded by the reality.

A couple of facts before we get started: The country covers 514,000 square kilometers - about twice the size of Wyoming. The population is 62 million, compared to 500,000 people who live in the state of Wyoming. The country is 95% Buddhist, which explains why you will see so many monks in saffron-colored robes. Something you don't see in Wyoming.

The Buddhism they practice here is Theravada Buddhism, an offspring of the ancient Dvarati Buddhism, and it plays a major role in all aspects of Thai life.

Facts & Figures

Exchange Rates

With exchange rates fluctuating every day it is difficult to give costs in currencies other than the Thai Baht. Throughout the guide we have given most of the prices in the currency of Thailand. In our price guides for hotels, however, we have priced accommodation in US dollars since many of the major hotels quote prices on their Websites in US dollars. In June 2005 one US dollar was worth 38 Baht, one euro bought 53 Baht and the UK pound 75 Baht. We find it best to create a simple worksheet giving the various currencies. Once you've established the formulas it is easy to update every few weeks. You may also check current rates at www.exchangerates.com.

Geography

The country has the Andaman Sea on one side and the Gulf of Thailand on the other. It borders on Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. Border skirmishes are not unknown but normally only last a few days. Less than 4% of the population is Muslim; most of that group lives in the south of the country and there have been problems with demonstrations over neglect and lack of understanding by the Bangkok-based government. The problems are not new. There has been unrest for over 40 years. To date, the fighting has only affected tourism in the far south and the situation is being closely monitored by foreign governments.

Tourism

Modern-day tourism got a shot in the arm back in 1974 when part of the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed on an island named Ko Ping Kan. The scene featured Roger Moore and Christopher Lee. Today, tourists swarm to be photographed on the spot where the two men faced each other. The island has been renamed James Bond Island and now boasts 52 souvenir shops. More recently, another island was used for the movie The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Local conservationists are delighted that access to that island is very difficult and as a result tourist vessels stay away.

Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, says Thailand should attract 20 million foreign tourists a year to Thailand by 2008. To achieve this he is preparing to spend 40 billion Baht ($1 billion) on promotion.

Climate

If you don't like it hot you have made the wrong decision by coming this far from home. Snow gear is as much use here as an ashtray on a Harley Davidson. Without doubt, the best time to visit the resorts of southern Thailand is between November and March - and this is the most expensive time too - but do not be put off by the rainy season. Climate does vary from north to south (you will find more details about local climate in the destination chapters). Obviously nobody wants to suffer through a typhoon, and fortunately typhoons are very much a rarity in Thailand, but we have spent weeks when it has rained a little every day. Most times we were on the beach and just enjoyed the natural shower. Minutes later we dried off in the sun.

Prices

Where else in the world can two people dine well and walk away with change from $5? And low prices abound everywhere. Obviously, the copies of brand-name products are extremely inexpensive. But everywhere you will find excellent value for money. We do not know of another country that has so many truly luxurious hotels and, here, the finest hotels with their impressive service cost a fraction of what you would pay in other countries. The business hotels in Bangkok and throughout the kingdom are second to none and we know of nowhere in the US or Europe that has the quality of tourist resorts and spas that you will find here. You'll find that the word wellness has crept into the dictionary here. Not to content to tack the words and spa onto their names, the resorts now have wellness centers and wellness menus.

Public Holidays

Holidays listed without dates are Theravada Buddhist holidays; the date changes from year to year based on the lunar calendar.

January 1 New Year's Day (Wan Khun Pee Mai)

February Makha Bucha

April 6 Chakri Memorial Day

April 13-15 Thai New Year (Songkran)

May Visakha Bucha

May 1 Labor Day (bank holiday only)

May 5 Coronation Day

July Khao Phansa

August 12 Mothers' Day/Queen's Birthday (Wan Mae)

October 23 Chulalongkorn Day (Wan Piyamharat)

December 5 Fathers' Day/King's Birthday (Wan Pot)

December 10 Constitution Day

December 31 New Year's Eve (Wan Sin Pee)

Practicalities

Visas & Immigration Laws

On arrival you will be granted a visa for 30 days. On one trip we planned to stay longer and we explained that to the immigration officer. He smiled and said yes, as is the custom for those not speaking much English, and we assumed all was well. It was not. On departure we were fined for each day we had stayed over the one-month limit. We were not alone; there was a line of offenders waiting when we went to pay for our error. And to aid those, like us, who had let their supply of Thai Baht dwindle, there was an ATM close by. On subsequent extended stays we resolved the problem by making a visit to the local immigration office and having additional time granted. You can also leave the country and re-enter, whereupon you'll get an additional 30-day visa; on one occasion we made a trip to Singapore, which gave us an extension. If you are planning a longer-than-30-day visit it is worth checking with a Thai embassy for details about various visas that are available. The regulations do change.

The Embassies of Thailand In the US

Royal Thai Embassy, 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate General, 35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1834, Chicago, IL 60601, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate General, 801 North LaBrea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate General, 351 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022, tel. [phone].

In Canada

Royal Thai Embassy, 180 Island Park Drive, Ottawa, ON K1Y 0A2, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate, Campus Tower Building, 8625-112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 1K8, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate, 1155 René-Levesque West, Suite 2500, Montreal, QC H3B 2K4, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate, Scotia Plaza, 40 King Street, West, 44th Floor, Toronto, ON M5H 3Y4, tel. [phone].

Royal Thai Consulate, 736 Granville Street, Suite 106, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1G3, tel. [phone].

In the United Kingdom

Royal Thai Embassy, 1-3 Yorkshire House, Grosvenor Crescent, London. SWIX7EBP, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

In Europe & Elsewhere

The following listings are locations of the Royal Thai Embassy:

Australia, 111 Empire Circuit Yarralumla, A.C.T., 2600, Canberra, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

Belgium, 2 Square du Val de la Cambre, Brussels, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

Denmark, Norgesmindevej 18, 2900 Hellerup Copenhagen, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

France, 12 Rue Lord Byron 75008, Paris, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

Germany, Ubierstasse 65, 53173 Bonn, tel. [phone], fax [phone].

Italy, Via Nomentana, 132, 00162 Rome, tel. [phone], fax