Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival in Phuket

The Por Tor festival (also called the Hungry Ghost festival) was something that I'd not even heard of until a few years ago, and last year was the first time I went to see what it was about (see Por Tor Festival 2011). Phuket has a mixed population of Buddhists, Muslims and people who lean towards old Chinese beliefs die to their ancestry - about 30% of the Phuket population is Thai-Chinese, due to large scale immigration mostly in the 19th century....

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Khao Yam and Dim Sum for Breakfast

Not far from our house in Kathu, a few km outside Phuket Town, a small restaurant opened towards the end of last year. Nothing unusual there, small roadside restaurants are all over the place and are often the best place to find good local food (just try to pick a clean one). There are a number of small local places within 5 minutes drive of our house - it's good to live in a more local area rather than a tourist zone! This restaurant that opened...

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The Old Thavorn Hotel in Phuket Town

Phuket Town is where you'll find much of Phuket's history, and I like to spend time walking in the older parts of town, somehow always finding something new to photograph. I had meant for a long time to write about a couple of historic hotels in the town. There's the On On Hotel (on Phang Nga Road), which is currently (summer 2012) being renovated - I actually stayed 1 night in that hotel back in 1999 and I'd say the renovations are well overdue...

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