Loy Krathong 2007 in Phuket

After making our own krathong at home on Saturday (see Making a Krathong), there was plenty of time before the evening festivities got underway. We had not decided where to go and loy (float) our kratong... we normally head for the Bang Wad reservoir where hundreds, maybe thousands of people in the Kathu area go every year for Loy Kratong. The reservoir is the largest in Phuket with an 800m long dam and people gather there every evening for picnics...

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Loy Kratong - Making the Kratong

Loy Kratong is on a different day each year, falling on the Full Moon of the 12th lunar month, which is normally sometime in November. Last year was November 5th, this year (2007) November 24th. Loy Kratong is celebrated all over Thailand with particularly large ceremonies in Bangkok, Sukothai and Ayutthaya. Here in Phuket, festivities are quite extensive at the main beaches such as Patong and Karon, and anywhere else you find water - which is everywhere,...

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Layan Beach

Layan Beach is not at all well known, so if you want to find one of the quietest and most beautiful beaches in Phuket, try to find Layan Beach. Hard enough to find it on a map! We first found Layan in January 2007 on a rather grey day while driving around the back roads in the North of Phuket. You have a choice of small roads to reach Layan Beach. Most photos on this page were taken November 2007. We drove through the Laguna Resort complex, the road...

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CC`s Hideaway Hotel (Formerly CC Blooms) Phuket

CC's Hideaway has been recommended to me several times by customers from our dive shop who give it rave reviews - friendly staff, attention to detail, beautiful decor and "that something extra" that makes CC's Hideaway (previously called CC Blooms) more than just another hotel. OK, it's not by the beach, but the location in the hills of Karon is just as nice. Plenty of fresh air, great sunsets, nice and quiet.The name of the hotel was CC Blooms,...

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Phuket Island View Hotel at Karon Beach

Karon Beach has many small scale resorts along the beachfront, along with a couple of big ones like the Hilton and the Thavorn Palm Beach Resort. For location, I can recommend them all! Just be aware, that apart from the Karon Beach Resort and the old Ruam Thep Inn, none of the resorts have direct beach access - you have to cross the road first.The South end of the beach is a little quieter than the North end, and you are within about 10 minutes...

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Wat Ladthiwanaram

Wat Ladthiwanaram can be found along Chao Fa Road between Phuket Town and Chalong, a little after the turn off to Phuket Zoo and before Land and Houses Park. It's a rather unique temple, with a small lake between the temple grounds and the road.I must have passed this temple hundreds of times, not knowing what lies beyond the entrance... Phuket has so many small local temples, any one of which is worth stopping to visit if you happen to be passing...

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