The Best of Jamie's Phuket 2007

Happy New Year to everyone. Thanks for reading Jamie's Phuket. This blog started in April 2006, and is still getting bigger. The idea? To show the "real" Phuket as opposed to the more popular tourist attractions. This is my Phuket, I tend to write about the places we go as a family, and places that interest me. Thanks for people who have written emails or sent donations, I hope that during 2008 this blog can continue to grow - plenty more temples to blog - sorry if you don't like temples... I do and this is my blog. Among other things, I want to write more about Phuket Town, get some photos from Chinese New Year festivities and I have said to my wife that we need to try some new restaurants as we have become rather middle aged and keep going to the same places.

The Best of Jamie's Phuket 2007

January was when we found The Beach Bar, a small local restaurant on the beach at Cape Panwa. We have been back many times in the last 12 months. Also in January, I had a look at Patong temple, a real haven of peace near the busiest tourist zone in Thailand!



In February, I finally blogged the Kata Viewpoint, probably the most famous view in Phuket. We must have been here 30 times - any time someone comes to visit we say "hey, want to see a great view?"... We also visited local temples around the Kathu / Ket Ho area where we live.

In March, my mother came to visit, I had a small holiday and we did as much as possible! Mother is in hospital at home right now, I like to see the photos of the happy times we had in March.

We visited Naithon beach - one of Phukets many quiet beaches, we visited temples and we took a longtail boat ride around Phang Nga Bay - an unmissable sight if you are coming to this part of Thailand





In April I took a long walk around old Phuket Town and must do it again one day! I still want to blog the Chinese Shrines and the market area. April 13th is of course Songkran day - waterfights, turtle releases, and a lot of fun! Same again in 2008!



In May, we stopped for a look at Boat Lagoon - step into another world.. Compare this to Rawai beach... same planet? Yes, it's all Phuket, it's all right here.





June 2007... as the summer started, which is "low season" in Phuket, we went to Paradise Beach a few times. Just along the road from Patong, but another world.



Also in June, Koh Sirey featured on the blog, a quiet part of Phuket to the east of Phuket Town with small restaurants, sea gypsies and a hilltop temple.



July 2007 featured (among other things) the best milkshake in Phuket at Mama Noi, Buddha Mountain, where a 45m high Buddha is nearing completion, and an early morning visit to Chalong Temple, Phuket's largest temple.

 

In August we visited Phuket Zoo (again). The kids love it. I am not a zoo fan, but cannot deny my kids the chance to see a tiger, elephants, monkeys, crocodiles, a "Twocan Toucan", deer, camels...



As the low season dragged on in September, we took a visit to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and Bang Pae Waterfall, and I also took some time to write about Karon Beach and some information on Buying a House in Phuket.



October is the month when the seasons change.. the high season and low season fight a battle and the high season wins, though the low season always has a few last minute surprises (see my Phuket Weather Blog for more).... In October we tried the Dino Park Mini Golf.. yes it's a bit touristy but hey.

October was the highlight of the year for me - the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. I took photos on 2 mornings of the street processions in Phuket Town. You have to see it to believe it. This is real. This is something special.





In November, we finally went back to Layan Beach, a lovely quiet spot in the north of the island, and we also made our Krathong for the Loy Krathong Festival, one of Thailand's most important traditional events - you float your Krathong for good luck, happiness and to give thanks to the goddess of the water.





As the year rolled to a close, in December I tried to introduce a bit of tradition with an article about our Buddha Shelf, I added a thingy about LateStays - a great place to find Phuket Hotels at the last minute, and the year ended as it began with a visit to The Beach Bar which had been closed for half a year and I am very happy to have it back!

Happy New Year, I hope 2008 (or 2551 in the Buddhist calendar) brings you happiness and success. Please do keep reading Jamie's Phuket!