Often called the “Pearl of the
Andaman Sea,” the Thai island of Phuket offers more than picturesque beaches
and sweeping vistas of sparkling azure water and emerald-green hills. The
island was long a major stop on trade routes between India and China, often
mentioned in ship logs of European sailors. Around 1545, one Portuguese
explorer called the island Junk Ceylon, and the name stuck for decades. Later,
the French, Dutch and English competed for the island’s tin trade. The French
East India Company won, following which the French played a major role in local
politics until they were expelled in 1688. Today, old Sino-Portuguese
shop-houses and monuments to Buddha dot the island.
Phuket
is Thailand’s biggest island, similar in size to Singapore. The Chinese came to
the island 200 years ago and marriage with the Thai and today they are called
Baba’s, and their religion is called Baba.
She
also told us that they love the white skin of the Europeans and Americans. They
do not know why they come to Phuket to grill themselves on the beach and then
go home. There is medicine from Australia, she said, that will turn their
yellow skin to white in just a few days.
Today we took a bus tour, included, and it was interesting.
We were here three years ago, but docked somewhere else and took a boat out to
James Bond Island. This time we are anchored and we took a tour of the area.
As we drove along the coast and then inland, we
saw a lot of the day to day goings on. Notice all the electrical wires. She
said they were like this because no one will work with anyone else and there is
no money to bury them. However, the positive side is that when there is a
problem, it is resolved quickly. We also
drove by some beautiful beaches and homes.
Since this area was hit by the 12/26/2004
tsunami, there has been a lot of rebuilding of homes, farther from the beach.
They have also put in a warning system for tsunamis, that gives them 45 minutes
to run the running route to higher ground. They hold a drill every three
months. Our guide told us that in the 2004 tsunami, they were calling each
other to go to the beach, as the tides had gone so far out, that they could
collect fish and things from the bottom. At that time, they knew nothing about tsunamis.
Our first stop was Chalong, Phuket’s largest
and most sacred temple. Inside its tall spire lies a splinter of bone believed
to belong to the Buddha, and around the complex are three gold-leaf-encrusted
statues of former abbots. Our guide, who is Buddhist explained how the Buddhist
worship their god. It was very interesting. We have been in many temples but
have not had the process shown to us.
Then they will
tell Buddha why they are coming to him. When they are finished the take this
jar of sticks, each with a number, and shake them till one falls out. They then
go to this desk with cubby holes and pull a paper out of the hole that
corresponds to their number. This contains the solution to their issue. They
need to come to temple four times in their lives. First when they are born,
when they marry, when they start a family, and when they die.
If the solution does resolve the problem, then
they will come back and bring orange lower to the Buddha to thank him. They can
also bring a piece of gold leaf and add it to the statue or they can leave an
offering of money. The gentleman in this picture has just wet the Buddha with
water from the spray bottle in front of the Buddhas and is putting his gold
leaf on the Buddha, as the solution he received to his issue worked for him.
Here are some other pictures of the temple.
There was also a larger temple across the way,
which we went through.
As we were driving to the next spot, we spotted
a large white marble Buddha up on the hill. It was created in honor of one of
the birthdays of their late king.
We also passed by Karon Beach, or Honeymoon Beach.
Our guide said two people come for their honeymoon and three go home.
The last stop was Promthep Cape in the
southern-most tip of the island, where you have spectacular views of the
Andaman Sea and picturesque Nai Harn Bay. To the north, you can see the
expansive panoramas along the length of the coast.
Promthep also boasts a shrine depicting the god
Brahma as a “Four Face Buddha,” surrounded by more than fifty colorful elephant
statues, each one draped with garlands of flowers.
Here is a picture of one of the food carts we
see all over, and one of the row of markets where we usually shop. You can see
it has started to rain.
Lastly, we drove back to where we could catch
our local tender back to the ship. This was Patong Beach.
We have now set sail for India, with two sea
days in between. So, it is back to bridge.
