Phuket, Thailand

Phuket is Thailand’s largest and most visited Island. It’s located in the Bay of Bengal on Thailand’s southern peninsula and is attached to the mainland by a causeway. Marie and I had been to Bangkok about 10 years ago and therefore opted for an adventure tour on Phang Nga Bay vs a cultural one. Having said that, you get adventure and culture just by being in the country—no way around it. This is a mostly Buddhist nation with a sprinkling of Muslim’s mixed in. As the pictures show there is no shortage of Monkeys or beautiful water scenes.

Our trip to Phang Nga Bay in the north took about 2 hours each way but it was worth it. The bay includes rocky peninsulas, limestone cliffs and numerous fishing villages. Once there, we boarded a high speed boat and spent several hours on the waterway. It’s a shallow bay and is surrounded by the South China Sea. Fishing is the primary industry here and the villages are built on floating docks anchored by piers and stilts. Four years ago the Tsunami flooded the villages and beaches with the heights exceeding 10 feet over the houses. The village has since recovered as have most of Phuket’s beaches on the West Side of the Island. We were able to visit one of the villages and meet some of the people during our tour. The fishermen and their families are poor but the children were great. We bought some inexpensive jewelry and post cards which they appreciated. I handed my change back to one of the children who bowed and made many gestures of prayer hands to show her appreciation. I hope she can keep the money.

Lunch was a great Thai meal at a restaurant overlooking the bay. It consisted of curries, fruits, several rices and lots of things that I did not recognize. After lunch Marie and I asked to be dropped off at Phuket town which was on the way back to our ship. The town is very much like a small Bangkok and after walking the town for 90 minutes(in 90 degree heat) we decided it was time for a Beer back at the ship. It was a tiring but fun day. We wish that we had time to visit some of the great beaches but you can’t do everything in a day.

We left Thailand that evening and entered the Straits of Malacca on the way to India. I noticed that there was some pretty heavy security on the outer decks since this area has been a hangout for pirates for many years. The captain notified us that there would be increased security on the ship and port entrance as we entered India tomorrow because of the recent terror attacks. Regardless, all of the passengers are looking forward to our visits to Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay) but will heed the safety and security information the ship has provided us.