NEW PHUKET MAGAZINE

Living on Phuket I'm always on the lookout for reading material about our island, particularly about it's history and culture.  Unfortunately, apart from the weekly Phuket Gazette newspaper, English-language material is fairly scarce.

So I was delighted to stumble across the premier issue of Phuketscape, a quarterly magazine published by the Old Phuket Foundation.  The Foundation's mission statement gives a good indication about the scope of this publication:

• To develop, restore, revitalize, and preserve the way of life, the art, and the architecture of the old buildings in the historical conservation area under the Designated Area and Environment Act of 1997, from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment.
• To create an awareness of the importance of Old Town preservation to residents living in the historic conservation area and to the people of Phuket.
• To promote culture affairs.
• To promote democratic administration with the Kind as head of state, without financially or nonfinancially supporting any politicians or political parties.

Among the articles in Vol. 1 No. 1 (March-May 2007) are reports of the Poontay Fair and Old Phuket Town Festival (both of which helped raise awareness of the early Phuket way of life), information about the port of Jungcylon (the first name Westerners gave to the island), and the story of The Sharks — a local group popular in the mid-1960's.

Many of the articles are bilingual, Thai and English, and well-illustrated with color and black & white photos.  It's really nicely done and I look forward to future issues.  My only real complaint is that not ALL of the articles are translated into English.  It's a bit frustrating at being "denied" a few interesting-appearing stories given my inability to read the Thai language (I am beginning to learn, however).

GETTING OUR SUPER BOWL 'FIX' IN PHUKET

Yes, I did get up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 this morning in order to catch the Super Bowl live on ESPN at a local bar — the Enigma in Rawai.  It was a bit surreal watching kickoff in the early morning darkness and emerging in bright sunshine but Doug and I were happy to find a decent place to watch the game.  We had primo seats on a nice cushy sofa right in front of the big screen.  A traditional English breakfast was served (the owner is from the U.K.) which was okay except for the tomatoes and the hockey-puck shaped "mystery item"; I opted for coffee rather than beer.  Although I had no particular attachment to either team, I picked Chicago to win but wasn't too disappointed with the final score (Indianapolis won 29-17).  It was (mostly) a good game... (And now, I plan to sleep the rest of the afternoon.)

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT JUNGCEYLON

After some debate, we decided to check out the New Year's celebrations at Jungceylon in Patong.  Tim had been given some tickets for a Thai-style celebration (typically this is a bunch of Thais in a karaoke bar getting drunk on whiskey) but I vetoed that with the reasoning that such a party was no place to take her son.  We didn't know what to expect with Jungceylon's "Countdown Phuket 2007" but we were pleasantly surprised and had loads of fun despite the very heavy security (mostly a reaction to the Bangkok bombings).

We arrived in Patong a bit before 10:00 in time to see the start of the huge light-and-sound spectacular at the new shopping center's "Port" area (the centerpiece of which is a full-sized Chinese junk admidst water fountains).  It was quite a show and led into a demonstration of traditional Thai dancing, ugly men in drag singing songs such as Tina Turner's version of "Proud Mary", and an excellent Luk Thung-style band from Bangkok.  It was all capped off by slightly late (as evidenced by fireworks going off towards the beach, Bangla Road, and up on the hill behind Nanai before Jungceylon's) countdown and spectacular fireworks show.

Enjoy a few photos and video clips from our New Year's Eve on Phuket...

SEA TURTLE ON PHUKET

From the Phuket Gazette:

KARON: A giant leatherback turtle on December 25 laid a nest of 103 eggs on Karon Beach, where a sea turtle has not been sighted laying eggs for more than 10 years.

Karon Municipality officials had the task of recovering the eggs as local villagers had taken them all in hopes of selling them as a delicacy. All but two broken eggs were recovered and taken to incubate at the Phuket Marine Biology Center (PMBC).

Karon Deputy Mayor Ittipol Sangkaew explained that the eggs sell for about 60 baht each. “But after we explained to the villagers that we should let the eggs hatch so that the next generation can see real, live sea turtles – not just pictures of them – they agreed to give them back,” he said.

“I haven’t seen this kind of turtle for 10 years,” K. Ittipol said.

“The turtle will likely return within the next 10 days to lay another clutch of eggs.

“Female turtles lay 500 to 600 eggs at different times over the breeding season, so we have posted security guards along the beachfront to protect the eggs and the turtle, and to allow people to watch from a safe distance as she lays her eggs,” he added.

PMBC Biologist Kanjana Adulyanukosol said that the eggs should hatch in about 60 days.

“After the eggs hatch we will take care of the hatchlings for about a month before we release them back to sea, which should be at Karon Beach because it is near the open sea,” she said.

“I’m not sure if all of these eggs are healthy, however, because they were moved by people and may not hatch,” she added. K. Kanjana said that turtles are known to lay eggs at only three beaches in Phuket: Mai Khao Beach, Nai Harn Beach and Karon Beach.

By Sangkhae Leelanapaporn

PHUKET'S YEAR OF BOUNCHING BACK

From the Phuket Gazette:

Despite being a year marked with intense political turmoil and almost daily acts of violence in the Deep South, 2006 marked the resurgence of Phuket’s all-important tourism industry, with the number of tourist arrivals reaching pre-tsunami levels – about 4.7 million visitors were expected by year’s end.

By far the year’s top story was the bloodless military coup in Bangkok on September 19. Combined with the six coordinated bombings of tourist destinations in Haad Yai just three days earlier, this appeared to be a double-whammy for tourism in Phuket. With just six weeks to go before the start of the tourist high season, industry leaders were left thinking, “Oh no, here we go again!”

As it turned out, neither the coup, continuing violence in the Deep South nor travel alerts issued by some foreign governments seemed to have any impact on tourism here. In fact, there was little discernible difference to life in post-coup Phuket, apart from gas stations and shopping centers being allowed to stay open later.

While the words “military coup” might conjure up images of deserted streets after dark, that certainly wasn’t the case this time around, especially in Phuket. Police on the island actually seemed to lighten up on the early closing times imposed on bars during the previous government’s “better social order” campaign.

In fact, despite the official imposition of martial law in the province after the coup, the only place in Phuket with any discernible military presence was at the airport, where some soldiers were briefly stationed immediately after the coup.

But now at the airport, the only disturbance seems to be from the hordes of irritable foreign tourists, who on arrival are forced to queue up and suffer lengthy delays waiting to clear Immigration.

The near-complete recovery was due in part to successful efforts by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) and Phuket Provincial Administration Organization in tapping new markets, most notably “green season” arrivals from the Middle East.

Tourists from that arid part of the world find nothing more exotic than a torrential downpour or pushing a stroller up Soi Bangla, dodging flamboyant ladyboys festooned in fake peacock feathers and high heels. And why not? You don’t get that in Dubai or Damascus.

Another important factor was that it became easier for tourists to get here as 2006 progressed. The year began with tourism industry representatives begging the TAT to do something about the lack of direct flights to Phuket, many of which were canceled due to lack of demand after the tsunami.

Also cut back during those dark days were the number of flights from Bangkok by national carrier Thai Airways International (THAI). But by the end of 2006, the number of carriers using Phuket Airport had increased to a new high of 39. These included newcomers such as Australia’s Jetstar as well as a resumption of direct flights from Hong Kong by DragonAir. With the arrival of high season, so many charter flights began to arrive that finding parking for them all became a problem.

To ensure this year’s high season got off with a bang, the PTA dumped some three million baht into this year’s Phuket Carnival, which was better than ever with a “bikini runway” featuring more than 100 slinky models traipsing along the beach road and great entertainment, including a concert by Modern Dog.

Other high-profile events in 2006 included jet-ski racing in Patong, an FIVB women’s beach volleyball tournament in Karon and the Rubson Raid Turquoise, as well as the usual big annual events, such as the King’s Cup Regatta and the Laguna Triathlon, which was unfortunately marred this year by the death of one competitor from a heart attack.

In Patong, a 195-million-baht project overseen by the TAT to redevelop the beachfront was finally finished, as was a similar project in Kamala, where a tsunami memorial sculpture was dedicated. In another tsunami-related development, the island’s system of warning towers was completed and the first tsunami detection buoy was deployed in the Indian Ocean, courtesy of the US government.

Entering 2007, the Patong beachfront looks better than it did before the tsunami, with lots of smart new establishments along the beach road north of Sawatdirak Rd.

But all of these shopping facilities put together are still dwarfed by Jungceylon, which finally opened in full on December 20, after lengthy delays and legal battles.

Jungceylon is expected to finally transform central Patong, between Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd and Nanai Rd, into a family-friendly tourist attraction rather than the muddy, garbage strewn wasteland much of the project has replaced.

Other positive developments in Patong included the continued success of Soi Bangla’s nightly transformation into a pedestrian’s thoroughfare.

The idea started on a trial basis in 2005 out of concerns that Bangla might be a nice target for terrorists, especially when the US Navy is in town.

But the result has been that with a much wider walking space on Soi Bangla, all the annoying touts operating there are easier to avoid.

Unfortunately, 2006 marked yet another year of no discernible progress on ridding the island of foreign touts. While almost all the touts work illegally, their in-your-face antics somehow continue to go unnoticed by local police, immigration and the labor department – though not by annoyed tourists, who consistently name them as one of the main reasons they won’t be returning to Phuket.

However, 2006 was a miserable year for their low-income earning brethren: foreign laborers working in Phuket, registered and otherwise.

After a year full of news stories chronicling the fate of poor Burmese eking out a living here, a tell-tale report came out near year’s end; when the province announced its intention to impose an 8 pm curfew on their movements and restrict them from such activities as riding motorbikes and visiting shopping malls.

Another major development for Patong came in November, with the announcement that a one-way traffic system will go into effect on a three-month trial basis, starting January 15.

Proponents of the one-way system say it will bring some order to the traffic chaos that prevails in the area. Opponents say it will transform the town’s streets into impossible-to-cross drag strips, forcing all northbound traffic into an unenviable choice between Nanai Rd or the beach road.

Meanwhile, the new Phang Muang Rd, intended to serve as a new north-south artery, remains unfinished.

Unfortunately, there has also been no progress in cleaning up the huge, illegal dump site in the wasteland at the end of Patong’s Soi Nanai 2. In fact, 2006 marked the year when the Gazette began inviting readers to send in photos of illegal garbage dumping in a section of the paper known as “Trashing Phuket”.

While there has been no lack of contributions, not many of the sites have been cleaned up as a result of the exposure. Unfortunately, plans to add a second burner at the island’s only incinerator at Saphan Hin remain on hold, although a glimmer of hope emerged with the opening of a small factory in Tambon Thepkrasatti to transform organic waste into fertilizer.

Also on a positive environmental note, Patong saw the the opening in October of a new 13-million-baht “natural” wastewater treatment plant. Officials hope the facility, which relies on terrestrial plant life to absorb organic waste, will help keep Patong free of the seaweed that has plagued it the past few high seasons.

Buoyed by its resurgent tourism economy, fears that post-tsunami Phuket would fall off the global tourism map began to fade in 2006. As such, all the post-tsunami “lure-them-back-at-all-cost” promotions have faded into memory; it is back to business as usual, which in Phuket sometimes means price gouging.

No part of the Phuket economy is better at it than the transport sector. In late November, a Welshman ended up in the hospital after he refused to pay 200 baht for a ride in a tuk-tuk from Soi Bangla to a hotel on Nanai Rd, just a few kilometers distance. The tuk-tuk driver stabbed him before heading back to Soi Bangla to look for another fare.

Despite altercations between tuk-tuk drivers and passengers being common in Patong, the local municipality has continued to pass over the chance to introduce a public transport system of any kind in 2006, thus demonstrating its continued commitment to the needs of local taxi syndicates over those of visiting tourists.

Among many government officers departed in 2006 was former Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, who must still be scratching his head about the fate of over 2 million baht in tsunami aid money stolen by persons unknown from Phuket Provincial Hall back in February 2005 – a matter over which he is still being held nominally responsible, at least by some accounts.

The investigation into that case joins the long list of murder investigations that seem to have been consigned to the “cold case files” in 2006.

The onset of the high season saw the cost of renting a plastic beach chair and umbrella at most island beaches double, from 50 baht to 100 baht. The government has also been jacking up prices, doubling entrance fees at national parks.

For Thais, this entails an increase from 20 baht to 40 baht, but for foreigners the jump is from 200 baht to 400 baht.

While the TAT still hopes to attract 20 million foreign tourists to Thailand by 2008, doubling the 2003 figure, foreigners already living here found 2006 to be yet another year of baffling changes to immigration policy, work permit application procedures and the overall business investment climate.

Resident expats who had been making monthly runs learned that as of October 1 Immigration would begin limiting to 90 days over any 180-day period the length of time foreigners could spend in the country on free “visas-on-arrival”.

After fears that families would be broken up and the Earth would stop spinning as a result of the new policy, it was later clarified that once one’s 180 days were up, all that was needed was to make a trip to a Thai consulate or embassy abroad to apply for a regular tourist visa, for which a fee is charged.

At about the same time, however, most Thai embassies and consulates in the region stopped issuing multiple-entry non-immigrant visas to most applicants.

This made life yet a bit more difficult for foreign residents who want to live here long-term, but can’t afford to become members of the Thailand Elite Card, which offers a five-year, multiple-entry visa and other privileges for bargain price of one million baht.

Also introduced in 2006 at some consulates were new requirements that non-immigrant visa applicants submit WP-3 forms from the Labor Department and letters from the Royal Thai Police confirming they are free of any Thai criminal charges.

Foreigners seeking a lucrative career in the teaching industry also faced increased obstacles in 2006 with the announcement by the Education Ministry that all foreign teachers would be required to hold a minimum bachelor’s degree and undergo strict background checks before they are allowed to enter the classroom.

2006 saw a dramatic decrease in the amount of forest cover in Phuket, much of it replaced with concrete. Work on two new “icons” is still underway. The first is the 45-meter-high Mingkongkol Buddha image atop the Nakkerd Hills in Karon, funded by charitable donations under the “Enhance your merit value in your mind” slogan.

Work on the second project, the OrBorJor’s controversial 46.7 million baht “Gateway,” at the island’s northern tip, is scheduled to open sometime in the first half of 2007.

Other fanciful projects, such as a massive sports complex and a monorail from Phuket City to the airport, remain in the theoretical realm, as does the Phuket Bay Development project and the decades-old plan to build a large international convention center somewhere on the island.

Going into 2007, the island continues to grapple with keeping infrastructure apace with development and the rising population, both of humans and cars.

A desalination plant is almost finished in Karon to turn seawater into potable water, but its operation will likely be delayed for lack of a permit to release the briny wastewater back into the sea.

Along with ever-rising demand for water and slow progress on building two new reservoirs in the province, this increases the likelihood of widespread water shortages in 2007.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ON PHUKET

Last evening, we took a ride into Patong.  It was our first trip up there in a couple of weeks (and I can't remember the last time we went after dark) and I was surprised at the amount of Christmas decorations we encountered en route (plus the sheer number of people — it is high season, after all).  The prettiest lights were along Karon Beach while Patong only had a scattering mainly along the beach-front road and Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road as well as some strung over Bangla; we didn't get as far as Nanai Road.

Anyway, here's a selection of my photos of Christmas lights on the west coast of Phuket.  Please bear in mind that most of these were taken from a moving motorbike...

entrance to Klong Bangla Park, Karon Beach




I was very surprised to find a number of lighted figures along the beach in Karon; they were mostly standard Christmas fare such as trees and reindeer but I'm still scratching my head over the kangaroo...

reindeer on Karon Beach; Gaow and Tim are also in the shot but you can't see them very well (I took another photo using flash but then you can't see the reindeer...)

a decorated coconut palm on the southern end of Patong (before the hill that eventually leads to Paradise Beach; note the Thai and King 60th flags

along the beach-front road in Patong

at Ocean Shopping Center on Patong's beach road; it was in the basement minimart that a dozen people were trapped during the tsunami (second anniversary coming up on Tuesday)

on Patong Beach north (getting close to Kalim)

lights at the entrance to the OTOP market plaza on Rat-U-Thit, Patong

I believe this is outside of Wildfire restaurant in Karon (the place usually has all sorts of lit torches outside)

And, finally, here's a bit of (very shaky) video I shot while on the motorbike going back south along Karon Beach (the beach is to the right of the shot).  It's rather dark, and the sound is mostly the wind blowing into the mic, but it gives a nice representation of the decorations (plus the chaos of the tuk-tuk's). Enjoy...

CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS

When I moved to Thailand I really didn't expect there to be much in the way of a Christmas celebration.  Afterall, it's a predomoniately Buddhist country and even the Muslims outnumber the Christians.  I do remember some cursory decorations along Bangla Road when I was here last year (the odd tree in front of a shop) but most of the shiny banners advertised "Happy New Year" as this is the big holiday.  Businesses and schools operate as normal on December 25th.

A couple of weeks ago, we went on a search for proper Christmas wrapping paper and greeting cards so I could send gifts to my family back in the States.  The paper we found was fairly generic and limited.  Although we did find a (very) few Christmas-specific cards, these were fairly generic as well offering no sign of a Thai origin.  The majority of cards in the shops are for the New Year with inscriptions along the lines of "May great prosperity and happiness be yours throughout the year and forever".  Best of all, these displayed images of what I consider very Thai-oriented.  Here's a sample of the cards I bought:





While we were in Bangkok last week, I was pleased to see many Christmas decorations scattered around the city.  Many of the major roads (at least in the shopping districts) had some sort of decorations as did a couple of the megamalls we wandered into.  We even stumbled across the self-proclaimed "Biggest Christmas Tree in Southeast Asia" at Central Festival.  Some photos:





Just a couple of days ago we were shopping at Phuket's Big C and suddenly it really felt like Christmas with several styles of artificial trees, plenty of decorations, stockings, Santa hats, etc.  (Tim had knitted one of the latter for me a week or so ago; it looks like a big red sock with a white toe — she did add a multicolored tassel on the end, however).

Anyway, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here — minus the snow, of course (the only White Christmas on Phuket will be from beach sand).  I've even already sent a (very big) box full of presents back to my family in Kansas (which cost a small fortune in shipping charges but DEFINITELY worth every baht!).  I'm planning to buy a tree and some decorations today so we can decorate in time for whatever "surprise party" Tim and Nadia have brewing for my birthday tomorrow...

VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL PHOTOS

Early this morning, Tim, Nadia, and I made our way over to Saphan Hin to watch the Vegetarian Festival prosession by Kathu Shrine.  It was unlike anything I've ever experienced — plenty of devotees in trances with all manner of objects protruding through their cheeks and other parts of their bodies.  Not only were there the expected knives and swords but items such as umbrellas, large spring-coils, etc. were dangling from their mouths.  Definitely not for the faint-of-heart!

In all, the parade lasted almost two hours and was quite a spectacle with many participants, clanging Chinese drums, and plenty of fireworks (with no regard to the safety of any humans or animals in the vicinity).  I took almost 200 photos and shot about 40 minutes of video.  Here's a small selection from the still pictures (I've included 12 photos; please allow time for them all to load):

PHUKET VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL

One of the biggest annual events on Phuket is the Vegetarian Festival.  From the official website:

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.  It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite.  During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making.  Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".

Indeed, the biggest attraction for observers — Thai and farang alike — are the prossessions featuring people in trances, often with swords and other sharp objects protruding through their cheeks.

Tim and I, and several friends of ours, attended the grand parade on Monday which celebrated HM the King's 60th anniversary of his reign and marked the official beginning of this year's festival.  The prossession travelled from Queen Sirikit Park on Thalang Road down to Saphan Hin at the bottom of Phuket Town.  It ended with a mass prayer for the King (featuring kneeling in silence for 60 minutes!) and a large fireworks display (which we missed due to a desire to return home before it began to rain).  We were somewhat disappointed by the absence of trance-devotees but plan to attend a demonstration of the facial spearing tomorrow morning and fire-walking tomorrow night.

Here are a few photos from this past Monday's kickoff event:

FUN AT BANG PAE

Last Friday, Tim and I returned to Bang Pae Waterfall (see An Attempt To Catch Up) with Nadee, Jiab, and a new friend — Mary from Chicago — in tow.  This time, I had to pay the National Park fee for farangs (100 baht; avoidable if I had a Thai driving license) but it was well worth it since we had the upper pools beneath the falls virtually to ourselves.  Tim didn't swim as much as the rest of us, opting to take photos from the shore.  She actually shot almost a hundred photos but very few of them are in focus (I've selected the "best of the bunch" to display here); a little more instruction on how to use my camera is in order, I'm afraid...

Mary was actually someone that Jiab met at local market a few days ago and invited along at the last minute so I'd have a native English-speaker to converse with (I'm actually very happy being trying to talk in Thaiglish on these excursions).  It turns out that she had recently graduated from one of the other TEFL courses on Phuket and had spent the previous six years living in Japan.  She was a nice addition to our little group, if a bit reserved because we'd all just met.

I spent most of the time playing pranks with Nadee and Jiab and trying to coax them ever closer to the main waterfall.  It was difficult to get under it because the waterflow was extremely strong and the spray stung our eyes.  After some trial-and-error, I managed to perch on a few rocks at the base but the girls only made it to a large boulder about 20 feet away.

We left Bang Pae after a couple of hours of swimming and made our way to Surin Beach on the west coast.  The surf was almost non-existent and Tim even swam out rather far from the shore.  It was pleasant but I missed the excited of Laem Sing with it's massive waves.  I tried to teach Jiab and Tim how to float on their backs but without much success; I, on the other hand, float TOO easily and can fall asleep gliding on the water's surface...

Here are the best of Tim's photos (and one by Jiab) from the falls at Bang Pae: