“Hailed as the “Pearl of the Andaman Sea,” this island off Thailand’s long southern coast boasts a colorful history. A crossroads for trade, Phuket has been a melting pot of Thai, Malay, Chinese and Western influences. Its importance over the past 500 years stemmed from the island’s natural resources, which include tin, hardwoods and rubber. In the past half-century, Phuket has enjoyed wide popularity as one of the premier travel destinations in Southeast Asia. Travelers are drawn to the island’s beaches, crystalline waters, and dramatic, forested hills.” – Princess Patter
Phuket (pronounced Poo-ket) is on the Western coast of Thailand and on the Andaman Sea. Thailand was previously known as Siam but the name was changed in 1939 to Thailand which translates to “Land of the Free”. This was to signify that Thailand was the only kingdom in Southeast Asia that had never been colonized. Thailand is currently in extended mourning for the death of their longest reigning king, Rama IX, who died last October.
So, we began our exploration of Phuket with a drive through Phuket Town (Phuket City) which is strewn with incredible webs of electrical wires and cable. We drove past the quaint shops and houses with there ‘spirit houses’ out in front.
Our first destination was Promthep Cape which is the Southern most point of Phuket Island and considered to be the most beautiful spot on the island. The Cape boasts a Hindu temple dedicated to Brahma, a lighthouse and incredible views of the Phuket shoreline and the Andaman Sea.
Next we visited Wat Chalong, the biggest and most ornate of Phuket’s Buddhist Monasteries.
We ended our visit with a Thai buffet and then reboarded Pacific Princess.