Phuket Airport Closed by Anti-Government Protesters

9th September.

I can't quite get my head around the idea that Samak has to quit because he hosted an early morning cooking show on TV... but that seems to be the story..

Bangkok Post News - Samak Must Resign

Now looks like new elections might happen sometime soon. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news for the PAD, but the same people are likely to win again unless the suave Democrats, led by the sauve Abhisit Vejjajiva who was born in England and went to Oxford University... and if I might suggest, is thus not quite trusted by the rural Thais, who like 'em home bred and not so white and clever.

Anyway, aside from the weather, not much happening in Phuket! Certainly no troubles or problems, so get here NOW and check out the deals on Agoda.com!


4th September

Rumours spread yesterday that PM Samak would quit today. He did not of course. Not sure what can end the stalemate.

Anyway, Phuket is 100% normal. No problems. Everything well. Daily life continues as normal after the silly airport "siege" at the weekend. Don't think anyone round here will be dumb enough to try that again...

So, maybe I can get back to some normal blogging?? :)

PS - the weather is lovely - see the Phuket Weather Blog

Even in Bangkok, the tourists are saying "What Crisis?" - see article in the Sydney Morning Herald.


3rd September

There was a march in Phuket town yesterday with an estimated 1000 people taking part. The airport is very very unlikely to close again, as the local PAD seem to have realised (belatedly) that such action is the same as shooting themselves in the foot. Yesterdays march and occupation of Phuket Provincial Hall was totally peaceful.

Phuket Wan reports:

According to The Nation online breaking news: "Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy have seized the Phuket provincial hall, Sondhi Limthongkul, a PAD leader, told the protesters at Government House at 12:20 pm."

To Phuketwan on the spot, it looked more like a peaceful picnic in the park. And so it remained, until clouds burst over the crowd at 8.35pm, dampening the protest..



Latest News from Phuket:

• Phuket Wan
• Phuket Gazette


State of Emergency Declared in Bangkok

2nd September

Well, it all went off last night it seems with rival groups fighting in the streets. So the government finally had enough and declared martial law. Now people, back off and be sensible about this.

Phuket is Peaceful and Safe

Ok, listen, I live here with my family. I have 2 kids. In Phuket, daily life is unchanged except all the TV's are tuned to the news channels instead of the soaps. There's nothing to worry about here.

Anyways, if you worry about travel - get some travel insurance!... Click below:




The Phuket Wan website says today:

Top level talks took place today at Phuket Provincial Hall amid concerns that the protests at Phuket International Airport could be renewed.

The declaration of a state of emergency this morning in Bangkok and union action calling for the resignation of Prime Minster Samak Sunthoravaj took tension to a new level in Thailand.

But Phuket remained peaceful, and looked like staying that way.

Phuket Airport General Manager Wicha Nurnlop told Phuketwan that he had informed Governor Niran of the need to protect the airport.

Wing Commander Wicha said there was no immediate threat of a repetition of the weekend's three-day blockade.

Travellers were arriving and departing without problems. There was no protest outside the airport.

The Chief of Phuket Police, Major General Apirak Hongtong, said there were no immediate concerns on Phuket and all precautions were being taken.

Leaders of the main protest group, the People's Alliance for Democracy, have been told by the Phuket tourism and business community to keep their protests low-key and not damage the island's peaceful image.

Today is a normal day here. My kids are at school, I am at work, my wife has gone to pay our tax and social insurance. See you soon!


Phuket Airport is Open - See You soon!

Sunday 31st August 4pm

Touchdown! First flight after the "siege" has landed. The first flight to arrive was Thai Airways TG213 from Bangkok, which touched down in Phuket not long after 3.30pm.

See Phuket Wan for more information.

If anything untoward happens, I'll post here, but lets hope all the silliness has ended now and everyone can get to Phuket and enjoy their holidays or get home!

Final comment from the Phuket Wan website which has been reporting this blow by blow... "Before Friday's action, the PAD had the support of the vast majority of people on Phuket. And now? Well, anyone who depends on the tourism industry for a living would have to wonder. Tourists don't play politics, so it's best not to play politics with tourists."

Enjoy Sunday, everyone.


Sunday 31st August 1:20pm

Phuket Airport Reopens

All airlines contacted. First flight out will be 4:20pm.

Phuket Wan reports -

The blockade of Phuket International Airport is over, and now the cost is being counted.

Phuket's air siege lifted when leaders of the Peoples' Alliance for Democracy met Sunday morning and decided to stop the protest that brought a halt to all flights in and out of the island from Friday.

Soon after, airport General Manager Wing Commander Wicha Nurnlop called all 11 airlines and told them the airport was open, and that flights could resume as soon as possible.

The first outbound flight will be Thai Airways TG214, due to leave Phuket for Bangkok at 4.20pm.

Inbound, the first flight to arrive will be TG213, which leaves Bangkok at 2.10pm and arrives on Phuket at 3.30pm.

If you are a tourist travelling to Phuket or trying to leave the island, check with your airline direct for information about rescheduled flights.

The airport will have to cope with a backlog of travellers. Airport officials were meeting with the island's tourism industry leaders at the airport early this afternoon to plan a ''strategic airlift'' to relieve the backlog of stranded tourists.

As many as 20,000 people could have been delayed on the island unwillingly, but many have probably already made their escape by bus to Bangkok.

Well thank you. Finally.

And thank you to the Phuket Wan website for all the updates. Phuket Gazette - hang thy head!

The protests continue in Bangkok.

Right, now I can get back to blogging about all the nice things in Phuket!

________________

I would not normally post breaking news, but things are happening here in Phuket and in Bangkok that need to be mentioned. There will be no dicussion of who is right or wrong. It's not my place to comment. I heard shouts on the TV this evening of "Ock Bai" which basically means "Get Out". Similar shouts were heard nearly 2 years ago...

Update Sunday Morning 31st August

Phuket Wan reports a late night meeting reached no conclusion. No flights today? These people are starting to hurt Phuket...

Samak still refuses to step down, but I just heard on the BBC news that the army chief has "suggested" that Samak should step down. Reports in the Thai papers say that a large pro-government group is gathering in Bangkok. One hopes the pro's and the anti's don't start any argy bargy.


Saturday evening 30th August

Well, a lovely sunny day here. I have "caught the sun". Nice. But not nice if you are supposed to be flying in or out of Phuket today. This is going to make a few people rather annoyed. Krabi airport is also closed.

Latest on Phuket Wan, which seems to be covering this very well:

"NO NEW deadline for resumption of flights from Phuket International Airport has been set after officials cancelled advice that a return to the air might be possible from 6am Sunday.

The prospect of no timetable for a return home left some tourists low on cash at the airport, being fed bowls of rice by airport staff."

What the?

Why?

There's a long discussion on the Thai Visa forum (which is mostly moaning expats, but there is useful information there too!)

Phuket Gazette, shame on you. No news since yesterday. Come on, this is NEWS, or does nobody work at the weekend??

Meanwhile, protests continue in Bangkok. The BBC website reports that Samak met the King and refuses to resign. Actually he was elected, so he does have a point. As a farang I should not step into politics, but I just want to say... a group calling itself the People's Alliance for Democracy is trying to bring down an elected government by mob rule. Great.

Plenty of news updates on the Bangkok Post website. Also on The Nation.

Open the airport please.


earlier update Saturday Morning 30th August

Bangkok is set for another day of protests. Phuket Airport will be open sometime later today. According the excellent coverage in Phuket Wan, one flight left last night carrying stranded tourists back to Bangkok, and the airport's general manager is quoted as saying there will be no flights until at least noon.

11:30pm and the speeches continue in Bangkok at the PAD rally. The army chief is reported to have refused to impose a state of emergency. No need for it really. The army certainly does not want a coup. The talking continues. Prime Minister is probably sleeping, I would if I was him. Deal with this in the morning. Good night!

10pm - photos of tonights / todays protests on the AP Website

8:47pm and now there are speeches again, with people coughing from the tear gas... no the speeches are outside Government house, while the teargas was fired outside the police HQ.

8:33pm I am watching channel ASTV 1 - it looks kinda scary to me. Lots of tear gas, lots of shouting

NOW! 8:23pm I am watching tear gas being fired RIGHT NOW on TV... A minute ago there was a concert, singing.. now things look a whole lot worse...



The Phuket Gazette is updating the news as it happens here in Phuket (more or less -not sure Phuket Gazette will work 24 hour shift!)

• Phuket Gazette News

Phuket Wan also has updated information... but can they stay awake all night?

The "PAD" - People's Alliance for Democracy - has rallied in Phuket and closed the airport. Latest estimates say there are TEN THOUSAND protestors at the airport. And this is peanuts compared to Bangkok. Krabi and Hat Yai airports have also been closed. This is direct action in large numbers. Stay tuned.

So far no injuries here in Phuket, but I just saw on the news that police had fired tear gas at people in Bangkok about 1 hour ago.

You can find more news on the Bangkok Post website.

• Bangkok Post Special feature with news updates...

The BBC News has the latest too. (Well of course they do!)

BBC also has analysis on WHY this is happening...

Latest situation, 1 hour ago:

PHUKET AIRPORT: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit has called an emergency meeting of his top staff, including Vice-Governors Smith Palawatwichai, Worapoj Ratthasima and Tri Augkaradacha.

The meeting was called to discuss what action should be taken about today’s protest, which has stopped all flights in and out of the airport and crippled Phuket’s tourism industry.

The meeting, being held at Phuket International Airport, is closed to reporters.

________________

Earlier today

Phuket Airport overrun, runways blocked

PHUKET AIRPORT: At about 4:45 pm today, People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters breached the main gate at Phuket International Airport, made their way into the main terminal and smashed the windows of the VIP lounge.

Several hundred protesters stormed the runways and airport officials have ordered a halt to all air traffic.

Police have been called in from around the island to supervise the anti-government rally, which had swelled to an estimated 10,000 protesters by 3:30 pm.

The THAI Airways Union has allowed their 15,000 staffers to stop work to show their support for the protest.

Earlier, at about 2:30 pm, the protesters used vehicles to block road access to the airport.

Tourists with outbound flights to catch have been forced to walk several kilometers with their luggage, then clamber over a two-meter spiked security fence.

The traffic tailback now stretches about five kilometers.

Some arriving passengers have been seen walking down Mai Khao Beach in a desperate bid to get out of the area without crossing the PAD protesters.

A growing number of passengers are now trapped inside the airport and the only movement seems to be though a back door at the airport’s staff housing complex.

Just before posting this news online, the Gazette received reports that about 1,000 protesters had marched to the PIA Director’s Office Building, just north of the main parking lot, and some 400 protesters breached the gate at the main entrance and were now heading to the airport, where the scene has been described as “chaos”.

I will keep an eye on the TV and internet and may add more later

Jamie

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Phuket Butterfly Garden

We had been once before to the Phuket Butterfly Garden, years ago when our daughter was little and before our son was born. Somehow never made it back until a couple of weeks ago. Our daughter said she wanted to go again. She'd just been on a school "field trip" and they'd been studying the life cycle of the butterfly, so I think butterflies were one of her current favourite things.

The full name is Phuket Butterfly Garden and Insect World - yes, they have more than just butterflies! It's just north of Phuket town in the Sam Kong area not far from Tesco Lotus. It's reasonably well signposted, not too hard to find.. they also have a pick up service which can be quite a good deal (see the website link below). Entrance is 300 Baht for adults, 150 Baht for kids. Adult in this case means over 10 years old. Locals like us pay a bit less, but I think that's only fair for "regular" local visitors... twice already! And we'll go again soon, as after we'd left our daughter told us we'd not seen everything yet...

Before you get to the garden you have a rather good educational area and lots of displays with horrible scary things such as huge spiders, scorpions and the biggest damn millipede I have ever seen. Oh, and leaf insects, stick insects, all kind of things. There is also a lot of information about butterflies including a "multimedia presentation" (a video) about the amazing transformation from egg to caterpillar to butterfly.




(above) The Butterfly garden has a very good educational section

Out into the garden. I saw a brochure that says "imagine while you walk in a tropical garden.. with thousands of butterflies". I guess there are hundreds, but don't go imagining some fantasy scene with butterflies filling the air. My kids were more interested in feeding the fish... (They did walk around and look at butterflies too).


(above) Fish feeding at the butterfly garden

I wandered off in search of photos. It's not big, you can't lose the family here. All around you find butterflies and caterpillars too. There are signs describing the different species. It's all very well done and nicely looked after.



I was not alone in trying to get butterfly photos.. and this guy had a much nicer camera than me!



I did manage a couple of good photos with my little Canon Powershot. Actually pretty good camera for macro photos, but I want to upgrade soon! OK, there may not be thousands of butterflies, but there are a lot and the more you look, the more you see. There are said to be 40 different species here and they have a special breeding program on the premises - this being the area that we missed, so my daughter said. She's seen it on the school trip.



Good for the kids, well worth a visit. They even provide umbrellas for rainy days. Along with the zoo and Phuket aquarium, we have a good selection of animal related things to do here in Phuket. I guess you could count elephant rides and snake shows too if you like. One day we'll take the kids for an elephant ride. I know it's super touristy, but the kids will love it (so will we!).



Phuket Butterfly Garden is open every day 9am - 5pm, certainly worth a visit, especially if you have kids. Or like butterflies.

• Update - Butterfly Garden 2010
• Phuket Butterfly Garden Website

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New Lonely Planet Guide to Phuket

It was a few months ago that a guy called Adam visited our office and said he was doing some research for a new Lonely Planet guidebook all about Phuket. He explained this was a new kind of guide. Rather than try to pack the entire SE Asia region or the whole of Thailand into a guidebook that ends up weighing 2 kilos and is out of date by the time it's published, the new idea is to make small pocket sized guides to single destinations, ideal for holidaymakers. Sounded good - a small, detailed guidebook with way more information about Phuket than you can find squeezed into any Thailand guide.

"Looking for information about Phuket? You've come to the right place!", said the author of Jamie's Phuket! I and Khun Wan, our all-knowing secretary/accountant then supplied Adam with an information overload. Wan also helped him out with translations and interviews. I think Adam stayed about a month in Phuket travelling all over the island. Very nice guy - you can see his website here: Adam Skolnick

I'd forgotten about it actually, until a couple of days ago. I went for lunch at my favourite little Phad Thai shop and the owner proudly showed me a photo of her husband cooking Phad Thai in a book. "Is it a good book?", she asked. I checked the front cover - Phuket Encounter... Lonely Planet. "Yes, it's a good book!". Then I remembered - must be that new guidebook. It looks like this:

      

Aside from the tasty Phad Thai, there are many places listed in the Phuket Encounter guide that also feature here on Jamie's Phuket, and I am glad to say (rather chuffed in fact) that this blog is listed in the guidebook as a recommended website. I'd certainly recommend this book for visitors to Phuket, and you can be sure it's up to date as Adam was only here a few months ago, though prices can change of course.

The Amazon website lists the Phuket Encounter Guide and says it's not yet released, but can be pre ordered. When I checked the Lonely Planet website, I could not find the book. It's that new! So how the heck did the owner of the back street Phad Thai shop get a copy??!!

• Phuket Encounter Guide - Order from Amazon.com

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Kata Noi Beach

Kata Noi beach hardly seems to have changed in years. I took a ride over to Kata Noi recently to take some photos in the sunshine and have to say... Nice! Actually it has probably been a few years since I was last there. Kata Noi is not the kind of beach you pass through. The road is a dead end after crossing over from Kata beach (only takes a few minutes), so I suppose you really only go to Kata Noi if you stay there or out of curiosity.



The beach is clean and is framed by headlands at either end. I know that in the high season you can get some decent snorkeling off the beach. When I was there (a hot low season day) the sand was almost too hot to walk on. Small massage shacks were doing a good business and there were a fair number of people on the beach and a few surfers trying to catch a wave. I don't think Kata Noi ever gets crowded, though. The one road behind the beach is quiet, there are a few restaurants, a few small hotels such as Kata Noi Bay Inn and Kata Noi Club Bungalows.



The relative isolation is a good thing for the taxi drivers! You can't spend your whole vacation at Kata Noi Beach. Kata is just about walkable over the hill (I saw some people doing it), but the hot weather and general lazy I'm-on-holiday feeling is why taxi drivers do so well. I might walk to Kata, but then get a taxi back! It's a bit of a slog up the hill!



The beach really is very nice. But I have not yet mentioned the major feature of Kata Noi. This is the Kata Thani Beach Resort which takes up a large proportion of the beachfront. Yes, I reckon it must be a fine place to stay. You have (more or less) a private beach. The hotel gets great reviews on TripAdvisor and I reckon (if I was a rich man, la la la la la), I might stay at KataThani... or their new wing called The Shore!

• Kata Thani Resort - Booking at Agoda.com
• The Shore at Kata Thani - Booking at Agoda.com



Not sure if they own the beach... don't think so, but they do seem to own all the land! I saw signs like the one below several times, and there were staff around who looked like security to keep out undesirables. I guess the other hotels have an agreement as you do really have to cross Kata Thani territory to reach the sand. In low season things were not so busy. I reckon there might be more beach chairs in high season...





Kata Thani might be the most obvious resort at Kata Noi, but there is a "fancier" place to stay. Mom Tri's Villa Royale is set on the cliffs overlooking the bay. If you are at the north end of the beach you'll find some steps and a path heading a hundred meters or so around the headland to the Villa Royale, which is one of the Top 10 Hotels in Phuket.

• Villa Royale Booking at Agoda.com

As I was leaving and riding up the hill towards Kata Beach I noticed the top of the steps which lead down to Kata Noi beach. Easily missed. A small sign and a narrow, steep stairway. The main entrance to Mom Tri's Villa Royale is a bit further on.



Compared to the "main beaches" Kata Noi still seems to me like a sleepy backwater, albeit with a couple of 5 star resorts. You can have some peace and quiet, a bit of luxury, feel like you're far from the masses, and yet you can drive over to Kata in less than 5 minutes where you find plenty of restaurants and bars for the evening. I like Kata Noi, but it might be a while before I go again unless someone wants to pay me a few nights at the KataThani!

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The Big Chicken Restaurant

If you drive on the normal bus route between Patong and Phuket Town, after passing through the area called Tungtong, and passing the Phuket Country Club you'll see a restaurant that is also a local landmark. Everyone knows where the Big Chicken is! You can't miss it... (see location on Google Earth)



Now, we must have driven past a thousand times, on the way to nearby Bang Wad reservoir for example. We have been living in the Kathu area for 5 years. Our house is about 5 minutes drive from the big chicken, but we only ate there for the first time quite recently. We figured it was just another local place, and as the decor is quite decent (I mean wooden chairs instead of plastic!) and there always seem to be nice cars parked outside, we thought it might be a bit more expensive than some other local places.





Actually, although many of the customers do seem to be well-off locals, the restaurant is quite cheap. Basic Thai dishes go for 40 - 80 Baht. We can get things like fried rice or chicken fried with garlic for 35 Baht. It always seems to be busy, and with high turnover you can keep the prices down.

Aside from normal Thai food, they have a long list of Isarn food (northeast Thailand), and (they say) Vietnamese food. Having never been to Vietnam I can't say if this is authentic, but I had a "Vietnamese" noodle and sausage soup which was very tasty (and only 50 Baht!).

There's also a healthy supply of BBQ chicken - which I guess is the house specialty and is why you find a 30 foot chicken outside!



We've been back about 5 times in the last month. When eating out is this cheap, why cook at home?! Oh, the restaurant is actually called "Tungtong", but everyone calls it the Big Chicken. Well worth a nibble if you are passing by.

More of our favourite places to eat in Phuket...

• Dairy Hut
• Pak Nam Seafood
• Kan Eang Seafood
• Phuket Restaurants

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Exploring Phuket Town

I have always liked Phuket Town. Big enough to be interesting, small enough to be easily explored, busy but without crazy traffic (most of the traffic bypasses the town), lots of interesting areas, hills and views, parks, temples, local people who seem rather detached from the tourism that grips the main beaches. Phuket Town is where you can find local life a plenty, local festivals and a different nightlife scene to the tourist zones.

I realised today there is a lot of information relating to Phuket Town on this blog, so this post is a way to tie it all together. I still want to blog more about the town - the big fresh market for example and the Chinese shrines, and one day I must "blog" a ride on the local buses that run from town all over the island. There are also loads of little specialist shops that you just can't find anywhere else. As I say, I like Phuket Town, always something new to find.

 

Old Phuket Town

A few square blocks in the center is where to find the best of the "Sino-Portugese" architecture, old buildings and quiet cafes. I love walking around this area, could do it every day looking at this quiet area with an old fashioned feeling. There's always something interesting to find and photograph.

• Walking in Old Town (June 2011)
• Phuket Heritage Trails tour in Phuket Town
• Phuket Photo Walk 2010
• Phuket Photo Walk 2009
• A walk around Old Phuket Town
• Phuket Thai Hua Museum
• Old Phuket Street Festival
• Mongkhon Nimit Temple

Hills and Views

On the north side of Phuket Town you find a couple of hills where you can find views, monkeys, a couple of restaurants, temples and local folk getting some fresh air. Rang Hill is more popular, featuring a fitness park and a well known restaurant (Tunk-Ka). Further east is "Monkey Hill" (actually called Khao To Sae), where there are lots of monkeys near the top, some views (but its quite jungly) and a little monkey temple.

• Rang Hill
• Monkey Hill

Markets

Yes I will blog the main central market one day! It just opened in 2010 after a major rebuild. There's also a "new" fresh food market just outside town on Chao Fa road and more a couple of blocks south of the main market. At the weekend there's the weekend market just outside town at Naka Temple, well worth a visit.

• Weekend Market

 

Festivals

Phuket Town is the center for several festivals such as Chinese New year, the Old Phuket Festival, the Phuket Food Festival and the one and only Phuket vegetarian Festival. If you are in Phuket when a festival is on, make an effort to see something! The vegetarian festival in particular is quite incredible, with daily processions through town.

• Phuket Vegetarian Festival Introduction
• Phuket Vegetarian 2009 Photos
• Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2008 Photos
• Jui Tui Shrine (near the market)
• Phuket Food Festival
• Phuket Street Show Festival 2010

 

Around Phuket Town

Out of the center of town are various interesting areas as well as the large shopping centers like Central, Lotus and Big C. At Sapan Hin you find lots of open spaces for exercise, a sports center, a chinese shrine, sea views and a mangrove walkway (being renovated last time I went there). On the edge of town is Suan Luang Park, a large green space very popular at weekends, and every morning and evening you find locals jogging, walking and doing tai chi. Just to the east of town, past the Rasada ferry terminal (for boats to Krabi and Phi Phi) is Sirey Island, still quiet and home to sea gypsies.

• Sirey Island
• Suan Luang Park
• Sapan Hin
• Phuket Butterfly Garden



Eating out in Phuket Town

I am making an effort this year to try some Phuket Town restaurants. We've eaten recently at Natural restaurant, Rimtang and Uptown. Phuket Town is a good place to get "real" local food. Once I have a good long list of restaurants in town, there will be more information here. For now, check:

• Phuket Restaurants

There's plenty more to blog yet! Phuket Town is worth a bit of your time if you want a day off the beach and want to see a bit of local life. The contrast between the town and the beaches is quite something. More to come soon! I want to blog markets, buses, more temples, more restaurants...

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