Phuket has long been luring tourists to it's drop dead gorgeous beaches and dramatic bay scenery. It is also Thailand's most famous island destination for vacation from around the world. Apart from all the new developments, Phuket's natural wonders are still the main attractions where beaches, rainforest trek or boat ride to
Phi Phi Island and etc are the must try or do for tourists.
And after a day in the sun, you could also pamper yourself with traditional Thai massage to experience this ancient art of healing.
PHUKET, THAILAND
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| Photo captured around 7.30am where dark clouds are forming |
{Day 4} As you could see from the photo above (without edit), it was rather cloudy that morning where thunderstorm might appeared anytime. Everyone on board was very worried about the weather as well as the day excursions in Phuket as we were required to transfer to another small passengers boat which ferry us to the dock at Phuket.
Above is an example of the small passengers boat and floating platform for us to transfer from our cruise ship to the boat.
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| Another view of the passengers transferring process. |
There are quiet a number of stalls at the dock area where you could find their local snacks, food as well as fresh fruits like Durian, Lychee, Mango and etc.
But don't except their Durian to taste like what we had in Singapore as compared to our D24, Mao Shan Wang and etc as theirs are quiet different in terms of taste and texture.
SURIN BEACH
For this round, we did not join the Shore Excursion package provided by the Cruise, instead my brother hired a van with a local guide to bring us around the island which is much cheaper compared to the package available on baord. And moreover we could visit any locations and take our time to explore instead of rush here and there. (A 10 seater van cost less than S$100.00 (1/2 day), brings us around to the places which we requested)
Surin Beach is about 20 minutes away from Phuket Airport and it still has a small village atmosphere which is very different from our life-style in Singapore. (food stall that we ordered our lunch shown below)
From the photo you could see the waves was rather rough due to the monsoon season and we were all taken back by the huge waves and wind which seems scary at that point of time.
The beach area was covered with strong waves and it was impossible for us to go down and walk around the sand area.
It was an experience that we had our lunch just by the siting area around the beach whereby the stall owner do a quick set up for us which was very thoughtful of them. Above is their Thai-style Chicken Fried Rice (50 THB / S$2.00) and surprisingly it taste quiet good for a roadside stall.
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| Tom Yum Prawn (100 THB / S$4.00) |
This is our favourite Stir-fry Chicken With Thai Basil Leaves (70 THB / S$2.80) with generous amount of chicken and fragrant Thai basil which was just spicy enough to go with the rice and sunny-side up egg. Thumb up for that!
Chicken Phad Thai (50 THB / S$2.00) on the other hand was rather a bit too salty and lack of flavour as compared to some other Phad Thai we tried.
SHOPPING MALLS
After lunch we stop over at Silang Boulevard - Jungceylon Shopping Mall for 2 hours where we could do some shopping, walk around and etc.
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| We tried their Chocolate Banana Crepe at one of the stall in the foodcourt. |
Mango with Sticky Rice is one of my favourite Thai dessert and you could easily spot them in Thai Restaurant, Supermarkets or even roadside snack stalls.
Other than the shopping malls, we also walk around the shops and wet market around that area. Look we also spotted a Boxing Stadium along the way.
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| Assorted Thai snacks and kueh found in the wet market stall. |
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| Indeed their wet market had a lot of herbs, ingredients and etc as compared to ours. |
KARON BEACH
Karon is famous for its beautiful long beach, wide variety of restaurants, shopping bazaars and some bars for a relaxed night hangout with friends and family.
Karon Beach is very long which is about 5km (three miles), with fine white sand that squeaks when you walk on it. At some part of the beach you could also find money value Thai massage and reflexology which gives you another different beach experience.
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| View of Karon Beach at the Karon View Point. |
For about 10 - 15 minutes drive, we reached the Karon View Point where scenic view of the Karon Beach is amazing at our sight. A lot of tourists were there for photo taking as well as enjoying afternoon tea at the view point.
PROMTHEP ENERGY STATION AND CAPE
Next we moved on to Promthep Alternative Energy Station which is a MUST GO as it gives you an amazing view of the clear blue waters and mountains surrounding Phuket.
Although the weather was not very good (a bit cloudy) during our visit there but we still enjoyed the magnificent sight from the viewing point.
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| View from the Promthep Alternative Energy Station |
Further down from the Promthep Alternative Energy Station, we reached the Phromthep Cape which is the island's most photographed and also best-known location for taking stunning sunset photos. But too bad we didn't managed to stay till sunset due to our schedule to go back to the cruise ship.
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| Another view at the Phromthep Cape |
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| At the dock getting ready to go back to the cruise ship |
After a fruitful day at Phuket, we were finally back to our Cruise Ship. Everyone of us had a great time visiting all those breathtaking scenic beaches and mountains of Phuket. I am sure we would be back to Phuket again in near future to continue our exploration around the island.
Till then for more photos of our Shore Excursion trip at Phuket, you could take a look at Cuisine Paradise Facebook album HERE.
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