Kan Eang 2 Seafood

Phuket is well known for seafood. Tourists love it. Most would not be eating lobster and king prawns at home, but on holiday you can do whatever you want. There are loads of restaurants selling seafood on all the beaches. Everywhere you turn is an ice filled display of fresh fish, crab, prawns, lobster...

As is evident from this blog, we tend to avoid the main tourist beaches when we go out, We prefer to explore the island and try restaurants that are more local. There are loads of seafood places around the coast where you don't see many tourists. Some of our favourites are Bang Pae Seafood, Laem Hin Seafood - and there are many more.

Kan Eang 2 Seafood is found on Chalong Bay, just a few hundred meters from Chalong Jetty, and was right next door to Danang Seafood. Quite why we have never eaten here before is a mystery, I guess because we like Danang and were always happy to eat there. Kan Eang always looks busier and sometimes has buses full of people arriving. Is this because the food is better or because they have better marketing than their neighbour? I think the buses put us off before, since Danang is normally pretty quiet and the food has always been good there - and as I get older I become less adventurous! Note - Danang closed down in about 2009. Kan Eang 2 is still there. There is also a newer, fancier place called Kan Eang @ Pier, right next to Chalong Pier.



Well, we ate at Kan Eang Seafood on 14th April and couldn't have picked a much busier day, since the 14th is during the Songkran holidays! The place was full, all tables were occupied or reserved, but they found us a spare table nonetheless. Service was good, though a bit slow - can't blame them and we will try again on a quieter day. The Yam Kai Pla (fish roe salad) was very good.



Like most of the seafood restaurants, you sit right by the water. The view over Chalong Bay is great. We like this kind of restaurant. It's quiet, they don't play music, you can't hear any cars, the food is a decent price. If you are staying on one of the main beaches, try to get out for a nice evening meal away from the hustle and bustle. Chalong is only 10 minutes from Kata, or about 20-25 minutes from Patong.

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Thai funeral (wake) in our street

You'll often see funerals in Thailand. It's not like England where people hide away their grief, have a quick service, maybe a little party at someone's house after the funeral..no, here a funeral is a week long wake, with half the street taken up outside the family house. There was a wake in our village last month, and my mother took a walk down the street one day while I was at work. These are her words and photos.

I am sure that each family arranges things differently in Thailand, just as we do here in England; but there are are some constants that are part of every funeral. In Thailand a funeral lasts for days and anybody who ever knew the deceased is there at some point. Sometimes you wonder how they could have known so many people! The local monks supply a long awning and tables and chairs and large cooking pots so that every guest who comes receives food and drink. On the day I walked by, this funeral had already been going on for over a week.

Of course, being English, I was a little sensitive and felt I should not intrude, but I did manage to get a picture of the monks praying and chanting.



You can see many of the offerings that had been left by family and friends who had been there during the week. You can see also how far down the street the awning stretches, shading the chairs and tables which are outside the gates of many neighbours' houses.

On my way back one of the family saw me with the camera and invited me to come much closer. By this time the monks had finished the morning's prayers and were seated at tables.



Family members served lunch to the monks. The monks are forbidden to talk whilst they are eating.



Soon I was joined by a young woman who could speak English and she was very eager to tell me about her father who had died. I found myself sitting amongst the monks with a glass of iced tea and some water melon. I had declined to eat a meal for I explained that Jamie's wife would have food ready for me at home, but it would have been unforgiveable to refuse food and drink completely. I sat with the woman and we talked of life and death and our different approaches, finally coming to the conclusion that whatever the faith, people want the same things from life and have similar hopes for after death. She then took me to see her father.

Again, I felt I should not be poking my camera into other peoples' grief and at first stopped by the swathes of black and white ribbon and flowers which were in front of the coffin.



But no, I was beckoned on. She wanted me to see him and share in their occasion. The coffin was inside a downstairs room - it could be seen from the road through the open doors and curtains. It was adorned with many flowers and lights and candles.



And there was a big colour photograph of the woman's father. I imagine the family had chosen a favourite photo, rather than a recent one. He was in his 80s when he died and had been gravely ill for many months.



This was the last day of the funeral "wake" at home. The next day was to be the burning of the coffin at the temple. That would be the 10th day of the funeral.

Jamie's wife explained to me that at funerals she had been to the coffin had been burned on a large funeral pyre. This leads to the rather gruesome sight of the body being revealed as the wood of the coffin burned and the mourners could actually see the burning of the body.

This is how it is done in Thailand, and I have a degree of envy for their ways, which contrast with our own in England these days. Death is such a difficult subject in our modern world and grieving and mourning is supposed to be a very private affair. People don't like to be seen to make a fuss. Here in Thailand, it's out in the open, a real celebration of life and death.

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Songkran in Phuket - April 13th 2007

I am quite happy that the Songkran water throwing only lasts 1 day here in Phuket. Yesterday was fun, a nice day for all the family.

We first drove way up to the north of Phuket, to Mai Khao beach, an area which is still quite "traditional" although there is the JW Marriott Resort somewhere along the beach. There is a turtle project at Mai Khao (see www.maikhaoturtles.com), and a yearly turtle release ceremony held on April 13th. The mayor gave a speech, all the local gentry attended, and then the lucky few who had known to book their turtles in advance (doh!) got a turtle to release into the sea.











From Mai Khao (via a lunch break) we drove to Patong (the main tourist beach), only 10km from home, but as I had guessed the traffic was heavy and it took 45 minutes to reach Patong. The world and his brother were heading there for some watery fun. What struck me most was the sense of happiness all around. The water rituals used to be limited to sprinkling Buddha images (like in Mai Khao, see photo above) or splashing a little water on friends or family as a way of ritually cleansing the body and making way for a new year free from any past worries. It has gone a bit mad, with drinking, water fights and way too many road accidents due in part to alcohol, and in part to the dangerous way people throw water at moving vehicles. We did take a walk around Patong and the kids loved it, carrying their water pistols and being splashed and being able to shoot back! I really must get a waterproof housing for the camera...

Photos below taken from the safety of our car!











• Hope to see you next year for Songkran 2008!

Updated - in 2009 we "did" Songkran at Patong Beach, driving round in our truck and throwing water. Sanook!

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Old Phuket Town

Update 2013. This blog post was in 2007, since then I have many newer blog entries about Phuket Town events, cafes, restaurants or about walking around and exploring the town. Phuket Town is my favourite part of Phuket for sure!

• Thalang Road - Heart of Old Phuket (2013)
• Phuket Old Town Festival 2013
• Old Phuket Town Gets a Facelift (2012)
• Walking in Old Phuket Town (2011)
• Phuket Street Show (December 2010)
• Old Phuket Town Heritage Tour
• Shrine of the Serene Light

Original blog post from April 2007

Yesterday I decided to take a walk around Phuket Town (officially called Phuket City now). Better to do this at the weekend when the streets are quieter. It's not a small town, but the urban sprall can be left alone - the average visitor will be more interested in the old center, the market and the various temples. I wandered for a couple of hours and would need another afternoon of meandering to cover everything. Unlike many provincial towns in Thailand, Phuket actually has some character, some history and some interesting old architecture. I do recommend a walkabout. It has been a while since I did this - normally the town is a place to come for business (paying tax or social security or renewing visas and work permits), but I did enjoy yesterdays stroll. The old town has a lot to see.





(above) 2 old shophouses in the old town, one rather better looked after than the other!



(above) Old mansion on Dibuk Road



(above) The old On On Hotel. I actually stayed a night here back in 1999. It has been totally renovated now and reopened in 2013.



(above) Arches on Dibuk Road

The first place I wanted to see was the Catholic Church. Due to it's history and location, Phuket has a variety of religious influences. Christianity is alive and well, with weekly services at this church and other assembly rooms. What I did not realise (sometimes you need a walk to take time to stop and smell the roses) is that on the same street as the church (Soi Taling Chan, on the other side of the clock tower from the Metropole Hotel) there is also a mosque (Yameay mosque) and a Chinese Shrine (Hock Guan Kong). It has always struck me that Phuket is a melting pot. I don't want to dwell on religion right now, but many visitors may not realise that the population is around 30% Muslim. A man leaving the mosque after prayers stopped to say hello. "We're all the same", he said. I wish everyone felt the same way. I suggest you take a walk down this street. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity all within 200 meters.







Along the same street (above) - church, mosque and shrine



A few hundred meters north of Soi Taling Chan you find the old town, the market, the local bus station, several cheap guesthouses and the business centre. The main streets to wander are Phang Nga Road, Thalang Road, Dibuk Road, Ranong Road, all within a few blocks of the market. Up on Dibuk Road is a fair sized Buddhist temple (Wat Phutta Mongkhon Nimit) which has some beautiful external artwork and a collection of chedis (see below)..





As I was walking later on Phang Nga road, a monk happened to pass by ...



Just along the road from the temple entrance is the north end of Soi Romanee. This narrow street was quite captivating, that is to say I liked it. Old buildings, a view of the temple roof to the north, and I am happy to say (on this hot day) I found a small cafe there called "Natural Farm" (note: this cafe does not exist now, 2013, but there are plenty of cafes in old town), where I enjoyed a sandwich and a refreshing lemon soda. The street was very quiet. As I sat resting, maybe 2 vehicles drove up the street in half an hour. One of them, a rather fancy Mercedes, parked in the house opposite the cafe.. don't let the old houses fool you - there is old money here. Next door to the cafe was an art/handicraft shop. A couple of doors down was an interesting looking bar called Glastnost. Phuket town has lots of small, unique bars, cafes and shops hiding up narrow back streets like Soi Romanee.





(above) Soi Romanee between Thalang Road and Dibuk Road

That was quite enough wandering for a hot afternoon! I did not get to the market or any of the other Chinese shrines (such as Jui Tui and Bang Niaow). If you want to see something of real Thai life, Phuket has it all over. The town/city is a good place to start if you have limited time. The local news just reported that a museum will be created in the old town in a renovated historic building. If you are traveling on a budget there are several guesthouses such as Old Town Hostel, Phuket Backpackers etc.. And there are some nicer hotels in Phuket town too. Getting to the beaches is easy - local buses run from the market (or you could splash out on a taxi). At the very least, I think a day of pottering around the streets is well worthwhile. I do it as often as I can!

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