Sri Takua Pa - Old Takua Pa

Phuket is an island, but only just. Unlike other islands such as Phi Phi, Koh Samui or Koh Chang, you can drive to Phuket from the mainland, across the Sarasin Bridge which was first built in 1967. The old bridge has since been replaced and another new one is being built at the moment. So we are not "cut off" here! Phuket is a big island, but it's also very easy to head north over the bridge into Phang Nga province and beyond. Back in April we headed to Khao Sok national park and stayed a night at the Cliff and River Jungle Resort. To get there from Phuket you drive via Khao Lak and Takua Pa. Simple enough, but we took a wrong turn in Takua Pa town and followed a winding road to an old town which looked very similar to old Phuket. We didn't stick around, we wanted to get to Khao Sok, but thought it looked interesting.. We went to Khao Sok again at the end of September and on the way home we stopped again in the little town of Sri Takua Pa for a walk.

I know nothing of this towns history, so if any scholars are reading, please do leave a comment! Looks like much of the town was built in the early 20th century around the same time as Phuket Town, and the local people seem to be Thai-Chinese. When we stopped, the shrine in the center of town was being painted ready for the vegetarian festival due to start a week later.



The town was very quiet. Nearby Takua Pa is a busy place and a major junction where the road heads east to Surat Thani, south to Phuket and north to Ranong. Maybe Sri Takua Pa was once more important, but it seemed to me like the town that time forgot! There are only a couple of streets and we walked up the largest, passing another Chinese shrine and stopping at a little hardware store with a very friendly owner. The kids found a little steel tape measure which dad bought for them. My 5 year old boy likes to measure things and is always happy to "help" dad with odd jobs around the house :)



We loved this little place. So friendly and quiet. I reckon this used to be on the main road but when the new road came... Sri Takua Pa became a forgotten place. Some of the shops were like a timewarp. Tell me the photo below was not taken in 1960!



Another shop at the crossroads opposite the shrine had an almost empty display with some olde style toys - I am sure we'll pass through again and if the train is still there, I'll buy it for my boy!



You can see the covered walkway behind my son in the photo above, much like can be found along Thalang Road in Phuket. The old style shophouses had these covered walkways to allow people to pass from shop to shop out of the sun (or rain). Sri Takua Pa does look a bit faded, and there are a few newer buildings, but in parts, it's just as nice as the old part of Phuket Town and many houses had these little shrines outside like the one below:



Sri Takua Pa is definitely not a "happening" place, but IS a good place to get a taste of real life, and well worth a visit. It's not so far from Khao Lak, and certainly a worthwhile stop off on the way to Khao Sok.. if you can find it. We found the town by accident first time, and on this visit we couldn't remember which wrong turn we'd taken the first time, but eventually figured it out!

A couple more local shops...





• More Photos of Sri Takua Pa

It's for places like Sri Takua Pa that I like to explore the backroads, and proof that taking a wrong turn now and then can be a good thing! I mean, I know most people are happy to stay on the beach, take a few tours, eat some good food, but if you stick to the well beaten path in Phuket, you don't really see Thailand. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I ... I took the one less traveled by.

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360 Degree Coffee - Andaman Viewpoint

I do like to explore my environment and I am lucky that my wife is the same. Not everyone is the same of course - we have friends who have lived years in Phuket and have not been to half the places on this blog. Other friends here, as well as visitors, use my blog to find ideas of what to do. Starting the blog was a good excuse to take Saturday drives around the island looking for places of interest. We still do this, and if we see side roads that have yet to be explored we normally follow them. Phuket is big enough that there are still places I have not seen, and it's important to remember that "Phuket Island" is connected to the mainland by the Sarasin bridge - just 500 meters from Phuket and you are in Phang Nga province. From our house, it's about a 40 minute drive to the bridge, so Phang Nga is easily reached. Last month we had a little holiday, staying 2 nights at the Cliff and River Jungle Resort on the edge of Khao Sok national park. From home to there is about a 3 ½ hour drive via Khao Lak and Takua Pa. On the way back we stopped to explore a little town called Sri Takua Pa, and then just before Phuket we followed a sign to "Andaman Viewpoint", just a few km north of the bridge. We had seen the sign before and not thought there could be much of a view, but we were in exploring mood this time.



The sign at the road did not say there was a restaurant, just a viewpoint. The hill is maybe 100 feet high, but high enough to see the sea to the west (above). Finding a restaurant there was a bonus, as we were getting peckish and wondering what to east when we got home. The restaurant sits on the side of this not-very-high hill, but all the land north and east is flat, so there is quite a view actually...



We ordered some ice coffee and a "family plate" of fried rice, 120 Baht, big enough for 2 adults and 2 kids. My wife said she remembered seeing the place on the local cable channel, a few other people were there having coffee, I don't reckon they get many foreign customers, but promotion on the local cable TV is good for getting local business. I googled for more info on this place and only found one page on a Thai chat forum, but it has some very nice photos : 360 degree coffee - looks very nice in the evening, a good place for a sunset dinner one day I think.

Our daughter enjoyed using a telescope they had fixed to the floor through which you could see Sarasin bridge to the south.



Quite a unique place, hope they get enough business to stay open long enough for us to visit again! Certainly worth stopping if you are driving to Phang Nga or Khao Sok. A day trip might include Wat Suwan Kuha - the temple in a cave, lunch at Samchong Seafood and an afternoon on a boat to James Bond Island and Koh Panyee, then stop at this 360 view restaurant on the way home!

(Update 2011) - The 360 Degree restaurant and cafe is getting popular, especially at weekends. We were there again recently (October 2011) for coffee and cake, and they now have a crane on site to hoist people up in a viewing capsule - excellent!

NEW PHOTOS OCTOBER 2011

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A House for Sale in Phuket

Anyone reading this blog, or anyone who has been here to Phuket might be thinking that Phuket is pretty decent place to live, or at least a good place to have a holiday home (lucky you if you can afford 2 homes!). I agree! After many years of traveling, I came to Phuket in 1999 looking for dive instructor work. Did not take too long to start settling down. We bought a house in 2003 when our daughter was 2 years old and had decided that we would be here "a while" :)

I have already written about Buying a House in Phuket, and using the services of a real estate agent. The title of this page is "A House for Sale in Phuket".. well of course there are many houses for sale in Phuket, with prices all over the ballpark from "very affordable" to "OMFG!". I am referring in this case to a particular house which is for sale by my friend Roger, and it's a nice house, I have been there for BBQs and swam in the pool. He has the house listed with agents, but of course agents have lots of houses on their books, so I said I'd put his house for sale on my blog. I'd buy it myself if I could afford it :)

Roger's house is in the Rawai area of Phuket, about 300m from the beach on a quiet cul-de-sac (no through traffic, no traffic noise). There are several nice houses on this street, and the Rawai area in general is popular with expats. There are quite a number of bars and restaurants within 10 minutes drive that cater to foreign tastes including places like Nikitas Bar, right on the beach at Rawai, or Friendship Beach which is also right by the sea between Rawai and Chalong.

So here's the house:



The total land area is 960 square meters, you have 4 en suite bedrooms (master bedroom is 33 sq m, with extra big bathroom including not only a shower, but a bath too), a large outdoor pool, big garden, carport for 2 cars, big western style kitchen, spacious outdoor terrace. I like this house!.. or "villa".. yeh, can't say house in Phuket, has to be a "villa"!

Anyone wanting a home in Phuket, either a permanent residence or for holidays, you have a huge choice. Sometimes you can't be sure what you're seeing on real estate websites, but in this case I give a personal recommendation - nice house and Roger is a nice guy. The listed price for this house/villa/home is 15,900,000 Baht. If you want to know more, do contact me and I'll put you in touch with Roger. Leave a comment below with your contact details, email me - jjjjmonk @ yahoo DOT co DOT uk or send me a message on Facebook. And if you end up living in this house, please invite me for a BBQ!

• More real estate in Phuket

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Wat Tha Reua Temple

A few weeks ago I had some holidays while Mum and Dad were visiting from England. On one of their first days here, we went off exploring. Our family is not really into the very touristy things, preferring to find a bit of real local life and local culture. When I was a kid, we visited churches and cathedrals. Wherever we went, there had to be a church or cathedral. I was a kid. Mum still recalls me saying "Seen one stained glass window, seen them all". I am basically an atheist. I like the "be nice to people" aspect of religion, but not the "Praise the Almighty!" bit. I might write a book one day called "God is an egotist so praise Him or you're going to Hell", although I am sure it's been done already.

Anyway. I like temples. I am now a dad. And I have already blogged loads of Phuket Temples and Shrines. Wat Tha Reua is between Phuket Town and Thalang just south of the Heroines monument. The Tha Reua area is an older more rural part of Phuket with lots of rubber plantations and, to the east of the temple, large areas of shrimp farms. The name Tha Reua means "Port" - I am guessing that before Phuket Town became the main town that the coast on the east of Tha Reua was the main port of Phuket.

Tha Reua (pronounced Ta Roo-a) temple is not on the tourist trail. The entrance can be seen by the main road heading south from the airport, and I have driven past hundreds of times. This day with my parents was a chance to blog another temple.. or two actually as we also visited Sapam Chinese Shrine on the same day :)



You can only see the entrance from the main road, as the main temple is hidden away in the trees. We parked in the shade for a quick look around. No crowds here. No visitors at all. Spotted a monk or 2 sweeping up leaves. The main building seems rather uncared for though some building materials were piled up nearby.



Buddha. Worth reading a bit about Buddhism if you come to Thailand. Worth looking at the face of a statue of Buddha. The word is "serene". I like to look at the Buddha images. This one is under the trees at Wat Tha Reua with the 7 headed Naga snake over his head. Looks scary but the Naga is said to have raised its 7 heads to keep the rain off the Buddha when he was meditating.



A temple like this does not take long to look around. We were wandering aimlessly around the ground when a young monk started chatting (in Thai). OK, so my Thai is not great but enough to get by. We noticed a boat being built right there in the temple. Some of the wood in the boat looked old and some was obviously new. Our monk friend told me that the old wood was part of an old boat, he said 1000 years old. My Phuket history is not perfect but 1000 years old seems a bit much. Anyway, it was the remains of an old boat, now being made into a new boat for display at the temple.



If there are any temple fans out there, Phuket is a good place to come! Buddhist temples, Chinese shrines, Muslim mosques too and even a Catholic church can be found in Phuket. Maybe don't bring the kids though. Seen one temple, seen them all.

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The Phuket Butterfly Garden

We've been to the Phuket Butterfly Garden a few times, it's only a couple of miles from our house and keeps the kids entertained in an educational way. I have blogged about it before a couple of years ago, but I knew that the place had expanded, and indeed is still expanding, currently adding a section all about the life cycle of the silk worm/moth (educational, and with the added bonus of being able to sell silk souvenirs in the gift shop!). A perfect mornings entertainment for the family - we went again on a grey October day after some noodles at a nearby restaurant. Was not really a beach day, or a day for outdoor exploration, and who doesn't love butterflies?

Mum and Dad were visiting from the UK, and were armed with cameras. I wanted to get some new butterfly pictures, and my daughter brought her camera too. I think Mum and Dad could have stayed all day! Entrance is still 300 Baht for adults. There is a lower entry fee for locals, which I qualify for too. If you want to see lots and lots of butterflies, this is the place to come. There are also large numbers of insects and other creepie crawlies and lots of educational displays. When you enter, you pass through the insectarium first. And then through a door made of hanging chains into the butterfly garden. Umbrellas are provided in case the weather is not perfect. Despite the grey skies during our visit, there was no rain.

Butterflies!





We all wandered our separate paths around the garden. Many photos were taken. My first proper camera was a hand-me-down from my Dad who was always a keen photographer. My parents never go anywhere without cameras! And the Phuket Butterfly Garden is a photographers paradise. Although butterflies are hard to catch... some sit still longer than others.. some just don't stop moving.





Don't get the idea that the air is thick with flitting wings, but there are a lot of butterflies of all different colours. Mostly they flit and flut and land on flowers.. sometimes they find other places to land...





Our son couldn't get one to land on his head. Not for want of trying. He decided the best place to wait patiently was next to the butterfly feeding station where bits of fruit are placed for fruit loving butterflies...



We had an enjoyable hour or so, about half of which I spent trying to get a photo of one particular butterfly which seemed flittier and fluttier than the rest, no fancy colours, just black and white, but always on the move. Finally got it. Mum was after the same one.. in fact there were 2 the same. My favourite butterfly...



Phuket Butterfly Garden - Location Map


View Phuket Butterfly Garden in a larger map

Related pages:

• Phuket Botanic Garden
• Phuket Butterfly Release (July 2010)
• Phuket Butterfly Garden (Flickr Slideshow)

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Early Morning at Kathu Shrine

I always try to visit my "local" shrine in the morning when they are doing their street procession as part of the Phuket vegetarian festival. Kathu is (so the history books say) where the festival originated and the local community take a lot of pride in the festival and their history. I already blogged about our visit to the shrine on the 7th for the opening ceremonies of the festival. I also headed to Kathu a couple of times during the week for food, as I tried very hard to stick to the vegetarian diet for the duration of the festival. On Friday 15th the idea was to be at the shrine nice and early, but the morning looked so grey. I did not rush, got to there at about 6:30am, a bit late to watch face piercing. I had been earlier last year and had some piercing photos like this one. Last year the morning was bright and sunny.

Seemed to me that with approaching rain the participants in the procession were keen to get moving. They walk all the way from Kathu to Phuket Town, through town and end by the sea at Sapan Hin, a walk of about 8km. Barefoot. With sharp objects embedded in cheeks, or carrying statues of the emperor gods. Actually, maybe they were glad for a cooler, wetter morning. Easier walking compared to a hot sunny morning.



I had been shopping the day before and bought a 50mm f1.8 lens for my trusty Canon EOS 20D. Figured it would be good for portraits like the one above, and good in lower light. Using a fixed lens is rather odd when you are used to a zoom, the composition of the photo depends a lot more on where you stand, and varying the aperture can have a huge effect. And if you want to zoom out, walk backwards!



The shot above uses f2.8, as I wanted to blur the face and accentuate the piercing on the arm. Obviously the spikes in the cheeks and lips weren't enough for this guy - give me needles in the arms too! And the photo below, one of my favourites from the day, shows I think why I wanted that new lens.



The devotees started out of the shrine at about 7am. I had decided not to follow them to town due to the weather plus this blog is still just for fun - I have a dive shop to run! The guy below is a local policeman and a regular participant in the vegetarian festival.





The Ma Song (above) swings axes outside the shrine. Some of these Ma Song really do cut themselves such as this guy at the Bang Neow shrine procession on the 13th. Some seem rather more careful to swing without cutting too much!

The procession left the shrine led by the most important Ma Song who was carried along on a vehicle. Other Ma Song were on foot. Not all cut themselves. I am not sure of the hierarchy, but I think that the most important Ma Song, the ones who really seem possessed by spirits, are the ones who do not impale themselves. They leap about, or walk bent like old men, offer prayers, and I hear them speaking in strange voices. Can be a bit spooky. A lot of attention goes to those with pierced faces, but Ma Song like the one below are fascinating to watch.



The way they walk, talk and move, I defy anyone to tell me it's all an act. I am sure there is something quite real happening, even if it's sometimes hidden behind the showmen - the ones who stick unusual objects in their cheeks in the hope of getting their picture in the paper! Yes, I mean you, Mr "baseball bat"!



The rear of the procession is the loudest. While the odd firecracker may be thrown at the feet of the Ma Song, the majority are saved for the gods and those carrying them. As the emperor god images are paraded through Kathu village, I dashed around trying to avoid deafness and too much smoke inhalation and trying to get a photo. The guys carrying the god images are prepared - wearing sports shoes rather than sandals and certainly not barefoot like the pierced devotees. Barefoot would be asking for burns! Firecrackers are thrown and hoisted above the gods on bamboo poles. The noise and smoke are something to witness.





As the procession left the village that was pretty much the end of the festival for me. I did attend the fire walking event at Kathu shrine on the 16th (photos here) and very very almost lasted an entire 10 days on the vegetarian diet. By the evening of Saturday 16th I was ready for a big ol' burger and it happened that a friend's restaurant (The Lunch Room) had just been renovated and does burgers and they have big TVs to watch the English football! Farewell vegetarian festival 2010. Next year the festival starts earlier (date depends on Chinese lunar calendar), about September 27th. So, only 11 months to go!

• More photos from Vegetarian Festival at Kathu Shrine 15th October (Flickr)

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Bang Neow Shrine - Street Procession in Phuket Town

October 13th was the day for devotees from Bang Neow shrine to strut their stuff. Bang Neow and Jui Tui shrines have the 2 largest processions. I had been to the Jui Tui procession last year, which was huge, and very crowded around the shrine. The weather thus far in the festival had not been great. I'd been along to 2 shrines (see previous blog entry) in the morning of the 10th and 11th under grey skies, and when I woke at 6am on the 13th, the sky looked heavy. I almost headed straight back to bed, but after a coffee, I decided that fortune favours the bold (Latin lesson: fortuna audax iuvat). And, fortune did indeed smile on Phuket Town that morning. It turned out to be a sunny, hot morning. Great for photos, maybe not to great for walking 5 miles with swords in your face under a burning sun.

I was there before the procession hit the old town - they first walked south to Sapan Hin, then back up towards to old town. The procession route was shown on a map from the TAT office so I had some idea where might be the best places to stand for photos. On a sunny morning, the sun shines right along the East-West streets of the old town. I walked around past the market and began taking photos there as the procession started to pass.



These were the first in line (above) walking along the road between the market and Jui Tui shrine. The sunlight was very strong so I tried to find another place where the sun would shine on the faces of the people in the procession. It was one of those hot mornings where it's already roasting before 8am, especially if you're dashing around trying to keep up with entranced Ma Song! Standing in one place does not really work if you want to take photos. You need to walk along with the procession, walk backwards in front of devotees, hope your camera can focus on the move, keep out of the way of sharp spikes jutting from cheeks... sometimes those with pierced faces will stop for a second for a photo, some seem more entranced and keep moving, eyed fixed.



I walked and jogged along with my trusty Canon looking for both sides of the festival. There is deep tradition here, one has to be aware of this, I am acutely aware of not getting too much in the way when taking photos. The faces of the local people watching show the respect they have for the participants in the procession and the respect they have for the festival. The respect is passed down to the younger generation...



The Bang Neow procession is a big one. I was in town for over 2 hours and the procession was still going on. I actually ran out of memory, filled a 2 GB card on the camera. Too easy to do when shooting in RAW but I had not filled a whole card in a couple of hours before! Will be sure to have a 4 or 8 GB card next time. Of course some were all blurry or not all that great but I have distilled them down and put some of the good ones on Flickr.



Oops, sorry, should have warned you about that one. Too late now.





After seeing a few years worth of vegetarian festivals I have got used to seeing the pierced faces, a bit of blood and gore. The participants who suffer in this way are doing it for the good of their community. Their pain brings good luck to everyone. At the rear of the procession, statues of the emperor gods are paraded. It's considered an honour, maybe even a proof of manhood in the community to carry one of the statues. Nothing too hard about it except you're walking miles through a hail of firecrackers aimed at the statue (next to your head) or at your feet. You'll see from the photos below, these guys are not too macho - they wear shoes that cover the feet and cover heads and faces with towels or face masks to avoid too much smoke inhalation. Just walking along with the procession for a while, I was choking on smoke and my ears were ringing from the firecrackers. Quite a buzz really!





Unfortunately I ought to be at the dive shop by 9am, and so maybe the full memory card was a good thing or I may have lost track of time and followed the procession for another hour. The watching crowds were big by 9am. This festival is important here, although it is celebrated in other areas where there are Chinese-Thai communities (Bangkok, Trang). My wife was in Chumphon this week and they do it there too, but Phuket is where it's at! This is ground zero, this is the epicentre. Walking along with the procession and being surrounded by the tradition, the noise, the Ma Song and the endless firecrackers - love it.

To come - more from the vegetarian festival, morning of the 15th I was at my "local" shrine in Kathu.. and after that I can get back to blogging about the other, less bloody Phuket! I was on holiday before the festival started so have a few little things to write about.

• More photos from Bang Neow procession (on Flickr)

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