Wat Kathu Temple

Kathu is "my" area of Phuket. We live in this area, which is between Patong and Phuket Town. Actually Patong is officially included in Kathu district, but .. Patong is a whole other world. Our Kathu is the more local area which you reach by heading over the hill from Patong towards Phuket Town. Some parts of Kathu are busy, some are quiet and large parts are residential. It's an interesting area to drive around on a scooter and see some actual local life not far from the main tourist beach. We visited Kathu temple (Wat Kathu) last week on a hot sunny day for our daughters birthday, to say a prayer.



Not the first time she's been here. The photo below was taken in 2007...



It's a quiet local temple, although it seems some tour minibuses pass this way, one arrived just as we were leaving and maybe there are one too many donation boxes! But the temple is very well looked after, the Monks here obviously take pride in their temple. The smaller local temples are often worth a visit.





I should point out - I'm not a Buddhist. The fact that my surname is "Monk" is a happy coincidence! We do visit temples for prayers now and then, I have no idea what exactly to do, other than follow by example, usually light some incense and put a flower somewhere and think happy thoughts related to health and happiness.

Kathu temple has quite a menagerie around the grounds. Must have been about 20 dogs, at least that number of cats, and plenty of chickens too. A foreign man was there feeding the dogs who obviously knew him and crowded around him. Cats are too cool to crowd around anyone, especially on a hot day ...







A very peaceful place. And just 10-15 minutes drive from the busiest place in Phuket - Patong! This visit was for a happy occasion. The last time I stopped at Kathu temple was for a funeral, RIP Ruedi.



Not too far from Kathu temple is Ket Ho temple, a bit closer to Phuket Town. There is also a Chinese shrine in Kathu village, only about 500m from the Buddhist temple. Kathu village shrine is one of the focal points of the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

Aside from the temples in Kathu, there is a large daily market in Kathu, just near the "Caltex" junction. You can also visit Kathu Waterfall or try the nearby Bungy Jump or Cableski. Oh and the Phuket Tin Mining Museum is only a couple of km away from the temple too.

There is a big festival coming up in Kathu next week - a cultural street show from 4th - 6th August. It's been running for the last 3 years - see a blog post about last year's event - Kathu Phuket Culture Festival. I keep telling people - Kathu is the heart of Phuket!

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Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Project

Up in the Northeast of Phuket in a heavily forested area is the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park and the Bang Pae waterfall. To get there, you head North on the airport road from Phuket Town and turn right at the Heroine's Monument, then drive around 10km - the entrance on the left side is easy to find... there's a map at the bottom of the page. We have been up this way many times, not just for the Gibbon Project and Bang Pae Waterfall which is found just past the Gibbon Project, but nearby is Bang Pae Seafood and also Bang Rong, where you find a floating restaurant and you can get a ferry to the island of Koh Yao Noi. There's a restaurant called Peang Prai just at the entrance gate to the waterfall.

As you drive up to the park entrance the roadside is lined with rubber trees as is much of this Northern area of Phuket. Rubber was once very important to the economy of Phuket and indeed it continues to be important. There are also fields of pineapples nearby, but once you hit the park entrance you are in the jungle, baby! At the entrance gate there is (normally) an entry fee to pay. Last time we visited there was nobody collecting entrance fees. It was mid afternoon, about 3:30pm. I have heard that after 4pm entry is always free, but can't 100% confirm this!



The Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) is based here - this organisation aims to protect gibbons and their habitat through rehabilitation and education. It's a sad fact that gibbons are caught and kept as pets in Thailand and even hawked round the streets in Phuket to have photos taken with tourists. This is illegal. The project takes in gibbons who have been rescued, taken away from their "owners" by the police or that have been handed in by owners who no longer wish to look after them. They then go through a long rehabilitation before often being released back into the forests. Not all can be released. Below is a video (from July 2012) of a gibbon called Tam who has one hand and one foot missing due to mistreatment by his "owner". He can't be released.



The Gibbons that are being kept here can be seen in large cages like the one above. Some are close together so the gibbons can be social, some gibbons are paired together. There are information boards with lots of details about the gibbons and the work of the GRP.



Gibbons swing around and sing their distinctive song. Some sit quietly. They all have names and have quite different personalities. The information boards tell you more about the individuals. It's not a place you can spend hours, unless you are a particular gibbon fan I guess .. but the volunteers there are always happy to talk and answer questions.





If you are in Phuket (the worst place is Bangla Road in Patong) or anywhere else in Thailand and see a gibbon being taken round the streets for tourists to take photos, please take a photo and email it to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project - grp@gibbonproject.org - tell them where and when the photo was taken. You can also email the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Division at forest@royalthaipolice.go.th. Please note that the project gets none of the National Park entry fee (200 Baht for foreigners), so any donation you can make is appreciated. They have a small shop (photo above) selling gibbon related souvenirs. For more about the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project see the web site www.gibbonproject.org.

Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (and Bang Pae Waterfall) - Location Map


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Khao Sok - Fun and Relaxation

If you live in a city and have a stressful job, it's nice to have a "getaway", a favourite place to relax and recharge your batteries for a couple of days, somewhere quiet and beautiful, not far from home but seemingly in another world. It may seem odd, but even living in Phuket it's nice to have a place nearby that suits us as a getaway. Sure, Phuket is beautiful anyway, but we're very lucky to have Khao Sok National Park on our doorstep. Over the years, we have enjoyed a number of short trips to Khao Sok, not for the hiking, kayaking, rafting and other adventure activities that are offered by tour companies, but just to relax. We have stayed at the same resort - Cliff and River Jungle Resort - many times and until our last trip, we ignored all tours and just relaxed by the amazing pool with the cliff towering overhead, enjoyed the good food in the restaurant and enjoyed listening to nature. Even enjoyed heavy afternoon rain showers!

This latest trip in early May 2012 was different. We had planned to stop in Khao Sok on the way back to Phuket from Chumphon, but the weather was wet and windy, so we headed straight home. No point checking in with the rain hammering down. From the Cliff and River it's about a 3 hour drive to our house. Just 2 days later the weather cleared up, and it just so happened that some friends were heading to Khao Sok on the same day. We had plans for relaxation, but also wanted to stay a night at some floating bungalows on the Chiew Lan reservoir, and our friends wanted to try some river-based activities. We were going to be kind of guinea pigs for some new Khao Sok tours which are now being offered by my friends at Easy Day Thailand.

We started at the reservoir. Chiew Lan is a huge man-made lake created by the building of the Rajaprapha Dam, which was completed in 1982. Probably looked a mess when it was being built. Looks beautiful now. The boat dock where you can hire boats and pay your national park fees is a busy place. No real need to book in advance if you have your own transport. You can just turn up and get a boat out onto the lake.



The plan was to cruise the lake for an hour or so, check out some of the floating bungalows and splash about in the water. The scenery in the lake is quite similar to Phang Nga Bay, only here you have fresh water. It's nice to have your "own boat" rather than be on a big group tour which dashes around on it's own schedule. We had no fixed schedule, I don't like to rush. The day was hot and sunny, and Khao Sok was looking great...





We stopped at some of the floating bungalows where a late breakfast was being prepared for our group (eggs and toast). We weren't planning to stay that night, but this quick stop gave us a chance to check out the accommodation. It's basic - bare rooms with a mattress on the floor and a cold shower. It was late morning and sunny, and the rooms were already hot inside. I wondered how they'd be for sleeping. But - ignoring the basic nature of the rooms .. here's the view:



And after a bite to eat, the kids were soon having fun in the water. Once you jump in, you can see the attraction of these bungalows. They had some kayaks too. As it turned out, we never did stay at the floating bungalows as the weather only stayed good for 2 days, so that means .. we'll be back! Boat rides and bungalows can be booked through Easy Day Thailand.





Oh, and the kids weren't the only ones jumping in the water. It was a hot day, so I jumped in too. Lovely. We splashed about in the sun with these great views long enough that the bungalow staff suggested we had lunch there too! They cooked up curry and fried fish and rice, and a couple of beers magically appeared :)

The boat took us back to the jetty, it was about a 30 minute ride back and then about a 45 minute drive from the reservoir to reach the Cliff and River resort to the west. The weather stayed great so we could have a splash about in the pool, a couple of beers and dinner in the restaurant. If you stay at the Cliff and River, and want to "eat out" the nearest alternative would be about 10km away to the west at the main national park entrance where there are many small bungalows and small restaurants. But we happen to like the restaurant at Cliff and River! We'd all had an early start at 6am, driving up from Phuket, plenty of sun, and an early night after a couple more beers was very welcome!

I like to wake up early in Khao Sok. Why? Here's why ...



The air is fresh and cool, the mist hangs over the hills, the insects chirp, the birds are not angry and the gibbons call through the jungle. This is our getaway! The mists slowly clear revealing the 1000 foot cliff that towers over the resort. We filled up on breakfast, the usual "Thai-American" breakfast with coffee, toast, eggs, ham .. or you can ask for Khao Tom (rice soup). The day ahead was to be a day of fun on the river. We drove out mid morning to the west (up river) - the Khao Sok river starts in the hills and winds it's way east joining up with a river that exits from the lake/reservoir and finally hits the ocean at Surat Thani. The section of river that runs near the Cliff and River resort is mostly tranquil with a few very small rapids. We had met our guide Tee the night before. He works for Easy Day Thailand, and lives just a few km from the resort - a real local! We'd been to his house for a few drinks, a BBQ and karaoke. A very nice guy, speaks excellent English, and his daughter and mine became instant friends!

I'll add a few more photos of the day later. We started with a little downhill walk to the river and climbed aboard our canoes. A box of beer was brought along for the ride. After an hour or so, my wife and I had the hang of canoeing and had stopped blaming each other for heading in the wrong direction or drifting sideways into overhanging trees. Fun for all the family, and our group had lots of kids in it, som as young as a year old.



The river was mostly very tranquil, with just a few very very small "rapids". There are places in Phang Nga with some more serious water, but this is suitable for everyone.



We stopped a few times on the river to jump in and swim in the cool water, and there was one spot with a rope swing too which many people enjoyed trying, and a few even managed not to look like a donkey :)



Tee's friends had prepared a "jungle lunch" at a secret riverside location (he knows every inch of this area). Just our group by the river with a little BBQ. And from there it was tubing downstream all the way to the Cliff and River. Tubing is fun, relaxing (except when you drift into overhanging branches) - next time I think I need a dry bag and a waterproof camera, and maybe a couple of cold beers :) I'm a pretty large person, so my tube seemed to be slower than some other people as most of it was under water! But there was no rush, no rush at all.



(above) Tubing in Khao Sok - that's me and my wife right in the background. Our kids loved it, a great family day and finishing the tubing right back at the resort was ideal, just a quick walk up to our room! Wanna do this again! Our friends left back to Phuket that afternoon, but we stayed another night at the Cliff and River. The weather had been so great for 2 days. Lots of red sunny faces in the family! We thought about heading back to the lake next day for an overnight stay, but the next morning was a little wet ....



Boo! Raining again! Well, it is rainforest. This area on average gets 40 - 50% more rain than Phuket. I like rain in the jungle, but it would not have been such a nice boat ride. So we headed back home instead. This trip was in early May 2012, and Easy Day Thailand now have regular Khao Sok tours including the resort, lake trip, river activities and/or staying on the lake - ask them! I'm often reminded how lucky we are to live in Phuket. Having Khao Sok on our doorstep is one of the many reasons we are happy to call Phuket home!

• You can contact Easy Day Thailand for Khao Sok Tours
• Hotels in the Khao Sok Area

Khao Sok National Park Map


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Wat Bang Riang

It may be clear from the blog that I like temples. Thankfully my wife does too, and the kids don't mind a bit of exploration and a temple now and then .. so long as it's an interesting temple with something different about it. I had seen photos online of Wat Bang Riang in Phang Nga province, and it certainly looked interesting. We'd meant to visit for ages, but ran out of time on our last trip exploring Phang Nga which is the province of Thailand just north of Phuket. Simply cross over the Sarasin Bridge and you're in Phang Nga which has a lot of beautiful places easily within reach of a day trip from Phuket.

Wat Bang Riang turned out to be further than I thought. I did not check a map before leaving home and had the idea that it was to be found in the hills just North of Phang Nga town. I remembered seeing a sign pointing to Wat Bang Riang before when we visited Sanang Manora Forest Park which is just a few km from the town. So, surely the temple would be close. We'd never taken this road before. North of Phang Nga town there are big hills, and the road wound up and up. No sign of the temple. The road was narrow and very quiet and I had neglected to fill up with gasoline. Where's the damn temple? After about 30km we saw signs to Thap Put, a small town at a road junction. You can reach Thap Put by another road from Phang Nga, a busier road. We figured maybe we'd missed Wat Bang Riang somehow. Filled up with gas at Thap Put and asked for directions. Wat Bang Riang is another 10km further on from Thap Put, so over 40km from Phang Nga! There's a map at the bottom of this page.

Found it eventually, after 10km on a small country road from Thap Put, and correctly assumed that even on a weekend it would not be very busy since it's miles from anywhere and hard to find! And very worthwhile visiting! We parked at the bottom of a slight hill leading up to the main temple building. Monks were busy cleaning.





Next to the temple is a wide open area from where you have views over the rest of the temple grounds, across some hills to a couple of impressive statues. The standing lady below is Guan Yin, who is the goddess of compassion (in Thai they call her Kuan Im).



And a little further away, a large golden seated Buddha statue looking over the hills. A wonderful sight. Phang Nga is very rural, there are no big towns, but lots of green hills. Phuket has plenty of greenery too, but driving into Phang Nga does take you to a much quieter place.





These views alone make the trip worth the effort. I was busy taking pictures as the rest of the family headed down a steep staircase down to the Kuan Im statue. Another Monk was on cleaning duty at the foot of the steps and my wife was saying her prayers to the goddess.





There's quite a lot of walking here! And plenty of stairs. Although we noticed that you can drive around from where we parked on a small road to reach Guan Yin / Kuan Im. I had a happy moment here when our daughter (hard to impress nearly-teen) let out a "Wow". Impressed by the statue and the sweeping views.



From the big Guan Yin statue, there was another few hundred meters to walk, mostly uphill, to reach the Big Buddha statue.





Despite being a Saturday afternoon, we saw only a few other visitors, small family groups mostly. Now we know exactly where to go, I think we'll visit again. We normally drive to Chumphon (my wife's home town) via Phang Nga and Thap Put, so Wat Bang Riang is almost on the route. From Phuket, depending where you start in Phuket, it's about a 2 hour drive.

A couple of details of the Big Buddha ...





We'd started the day quite late, thinking Wat Bang Riang to be closer! I had wanted to also stop at a couple of other places in Phang Nga, but this will have to wait for our next day out "over the bridge". Exploring Phuket does not need to be limited to the island, there's a lot to see in neighboring provinces and we've been doing Phang Nga trips quite a lot recently. Always more to find!


Wat Bang Riang - Location Map


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Sabai Corner Bar

Another sunny afternoon, looks like another golden sunset on the way.... I leave the dive shop at 5:30pm. Should I drive straight home? Normally yes, but now and then, a little detour is called for. From Karon Beach, it's only a 10 minute drive through Kata, then I head towards Naiharn beach. The road from Kata to Naiharn is steep and twisty. I was thinking of a sunset beer at the well known After Beach Bar, but then remembered seeing some friends photos on Facebook. A new place called Sabai Corner, not far from there. Just a few minutes further to the Karon Viewpoint, then turn off down a small road heading down towards to sea. Sabai Corner is not signposted, but I pass a small "Reggae Bar" .. did I get the location wrong? Ah, finally find it a bit further along the road, only a few people there, and I am happy to see there's parking space.



Got myself a small Chang beer and enjoyed the view.



The location is such that you are actually facing North, although on the West coast of Phuket. There's a headland jutting out to the West and the bar is on the North side. So the sun was setting away to the left and the view was along the West coast of Phuket towards Kata Noi, Kata and Karon beaches, though the only sand you can see is at Kata Noi. Phuket looks very green from this angle, and in fact the island is very green, just get out and explore away from the busy areas...





Not bad, right? Coming back here for sure! The actual sunset was not so great, there was cloud on the horizon. You can get very picky with sunsets when you live in Phuket :) But sometimes you get a great colour in the sky just after sunset, so I thought, maybe one more beer and we'll see ...



I had a chat with Chaini, the owner. He also runs the Kok Chang elephant trekking company which is not far away from here on the road back towards Kata. He's building a few bungalows here at Sabai Corner which should be ready for high season. He also tries to keep Sabai Corner reggae-free! And quiet. This is a great spot for a few drinks, a sunset, maybe a few more drinks, but you don't want to be riding a scooter back in the dark on these roads. Dark, twisty, hilly and every now and then people get robbed in the area. Always late in the night. Car = safer, or get the staff to call you a taxi back home. Oh, at the moment they don't do any food at Sabai Corner, that might change, but it's meant to be a "Sabai" place for a few drinks. Sabai means happy, relaxed, comfortable, easy going and more. And the sunset was pretty good really!



Sabai Corner - Location Map


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