When the Moscow summer decided to end again, I would like to remember how I spent my time in a warm country from November to March. In Thailand, all this time there is a high season, beautiful weather and lots of entertainment for every taste and budget. The main thing is to choose the right place. We chose Phuket and, one might say, won an extraordinary adventure.
Already on the way from the airport, it seems that you have fallen into a fairy tale: there is a riot of greenery around, orchids hang from every pot, and along the road there are some almost toy–like colorful two-story houses with pointed roofs. It is absolutely impossible to imagine that half a century ago, all this beauty did not attract tourists at all. Tin has been mined here for centuries – so actively that the whole island was in ravines – and they completely ignored the beautiful views, the gentle emerald sea and endless beaches with fine sand creaking under their feet. By the way, the sand is still creaking, especially on Karon Beach. Locals call this beach “singing”. This creaking occurs due to the high content of the smallest quartz grains and is especially audible during low tide in dry weather.
Returning to tin, the boom in its production in the twentieth century began to decline, deposits were depleted, and world tin prices were declining. Finally, in 1992, the last tin mine in Phuket was closed. And then they finally noticed that this place is extremely beautiful. More precisely, they noticed it a little earlier – in 1974, when the legendary Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun” was shot on the shores of Phang Nga Bay. It was here that everyone saw the extraordinary rocks of bizarre shapes, as if floating above the water or floating in the water, snow–white sand and the purest water of the Andaman Sea – I repeat, but the color of the sea here is really emerald, day after day, month after month, I was surprised by this color. Now there are many excursions organized to these places, without which the Phuket vacation program seems to me unfulfilled. In 2000, interest in Phuket and Thailand in general was spurred by another film, the tropical thriller The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio. There is a lot of sun, sea, sand and beautiful tanned people on the island of Phi Phi, in Maya Bay, where this film was shot.
Boat trips to the islands are an obligatory part of the program of stay in Phuket, since there are plenty to choose from: there are 250 of them here. My favorites are the Similan Islands. Translated from the Java language, this name means “nine” – according to the number of islands. But there are actually 11 of them – at the end of the 20th century, a couple more were added to the national park. The best time to visit these islands is during the dry season, and they are closed to the public during the monsoon season (from mid–May to mid-October). It’s quite a long way to get there, the road will take 1.5–2 hours by sea, but it’s worth it. I have never seen such white sand and turquoise sea anywhere else in the world. And most importantly, there are huge turtles that are not afraid of people at all and swim so close that you can pet them. However, we were taught at one time in diving that turtles are very timid and they can have heart problems if they communicate too actively with them. But here on the Similan Islands, it seems to me that they are so used to crowds of tourists that they can, like in a cartoon about a lion cub – you remember: “Take me for a ride, big turtle!” Diving, by the way, is also available in Phuket, of course, the Similan Islands are considered one of the most picturesque places in the world for diving. But you can also admire the beauty of the Andaman Sea and the life of its many inhabitants while swimming with an ordinary mask.
A trip to the islands will take a whole day, and sometimes two, you will not go on such excursions every day. But staying in Phuket, you can significantly diversify your beach vacation by changing beaches. There are about three dozen of them here – there are plenty to choose from. There is the longest beach of Mai Khao, known as the “beach with airplanes” – the airport is very close here, and at some points you can take a spectacular photo with an airplane literally overhead. And if you move away from these very points of view, then this is one of the most sparsely populated beaches on the island: its length is more than 10 km, it is quite possible to feel alone with nature. There is a very small Yang Nui beach, which is only 500 meters long, but it is here that the best place for snorkeling (a type of water recreation in which a person swims on the surface of the water with a mask and a snorkel (snorkel) that allows them to breathe atmospheric air. – “NG”), you won’t always see such a large number of colorful fish, starfish, and corals on diving. There are beaches that are “densely populated” and deserted, equipped and not, with all kinds of water activities (from jet skis to parachutes) and quiet, hidden in coves from the waves and ideal for surfing. The very concept of “beach vacation” is changing its meaning here.
But Phuket is not just about the sea and beaches. There are also elephants, of course, as well as tigers, crocodiles, monkeys, and parrots.… But above all, elephants. They are considered a symbol of Thailand and its national treasure. All white elephants in Thailand have been elevated to the rank of royalty. They participate in the coronation ceremonies and birthday celebrations of the monarch. In Thai culture, the king’s status was determined by the number of white elephants he owned. The current king of Thailand owns about 10 elephants. Tourists also have enough gray ones (there are several thousand of them here). There are many parks and reserves (elephant farms, elephant villages, etc.) where you can look at these animals, feed them – elephants will never give up on this, everyone needs about 300 kg of food per day – or even swim with them. Elephant rides are also offered in many places, but I am categorically opposed to such entertainment. An elephant is not a riding animal, its spine is not designed to carry someone on horseback. Therefore, I would choose reserves where elephants live in natural conditions, and tourists’ communication with them is limited to observation, feeding and bathing.
In order for a trip to Thailand to remain in memory forever, you need, of course, not only to admire nature, but also to lie on the seashore, even on different beaches, swim in the sea itself, and ride local long–tailed boats. Another mandatory point of the program of stay in Thailand is Buddhist temples. It is here that you can get acquainted with the rich culture of the country.
The largest and most beautiful temple in Phuket is Chalong. Its history dates back about two centuries, during which time a small retreat for hermit monks has grown into a temple complex of a dozen buildings and gazebos, most of which are open to tourists, but there are also temples that only monks can enter and only during the service, as well as the building in which the cells of the abbot and The monks. While walking around Chalong, you may be startled by the sounds of gunfire – firecrackers explode in a special oven, as Thais thank good spirits for their prayers and scare away evil spirits.
In addition to Chalong, Phuket has many other interesting and unusual temples, including the temple of the seated black monk and the temple of the reclining Buddha in a cave.… Perhaps the most famous Buddha of Thailand is at the top of Mount Nakaked. In 2004, after the devastating tsunami that literally washed away a significant part of the buildings from the island, local residents donated donations to erect a huge 45-meter statue of Buddha, sitting facing the sea and guarding the island. Since then, there have been no destructive waves, but the statue itself and the entire complex around it were significantly damaged by a landslide in 2024, and so far access to the Big Buddha is closed – someone says that forever, but let’s hope that during the restoration work.
In addition to beaches and temples, you should visit the old town – look at historical buildings in Portuguese and Chinese style, go to the Chinpracha house – a wonderful museum of colonial life, drink coffee in one of the many cafes, and on Sunday evening stroll through the colorful market, taste the local traditional cuisine, buy souvenirs in memory of the land of a thousand smiles thousands of temples, thousands of elephants. And when leaving, take a traditional fruit basket with you and be sure to throw a coin into the sea to return to this heavenly place. I threw a coin because I definitely want to spend at least one more winter in Thailand.