A Hint of Thailand

The next day we visited Phuket, Thailand.  Michael and I rented a taxi for a few hours and visited the Big Buddha, under construction on a (relatively) high mountain..  Phuket is a resort island off the southern coast of Thailand.  Twenty years ago, it was remote with pristine beaches frequented by mostly Australian tourists.  Today there are resort hotels and condominiums all along the west coast.  The streets are lined with open-air restaurants and souvenir shops.  There are hordes of Chinese tourists.  The Thai population is almost all Buddhist leading to a mellow pace of life, although our driver did insist we visit the high priced jewelry store that gave him a kickback for providing shoppers.  He was honest about it so we agreed. We stayed five minutes.  Michael reported that it had a clean, Western style restroom.

Phuket Town

Silver Wind’s stop at Phuket was short, from 7 Am to 2 PM.  It was too early to enjoy the beach as Michael did on his two previous visits.  We explored a bit of the interior of the island instead. All the signs in Thai looked to me like random squiggles. It was strange not to understand anything. At least Malay uses the Roman alphabet and one can figure out the words for exit and toilet.  Thai writing is a total mystery.

 

Tourists Going on an Elephant Ride

 We saw elephant rides at various spots on our drive into the mountains.  I felt sorry for the poor beasts kept in captivity, not an attitude shared by the locals or even by ship’s passengers who had opted for elephant rides as a half day excursion..  The Big Buddha was really big.  It was difficult to get the whole statue into one picture.  We admired the associated small Buddhas and statues of Buddhist sages that were around the base of the Big Buddha. Michael and I looked out over the bay at the east end of the island.  It was too hazy to see much in the distance.  The Big Buddha has a ways to go before it becomes a “must see” tourist attraction but the builders are working on it.

A Different Buddha Pose for Each Day of the Week

The Big Buddha Himself

We drove through southern Phuket Town and south along the shore to a scenic overlook, crowded with Chinese tourists taking selfies. On the way back, we drove by a beach with long tailed boats that were very picturesque.  The driver told us that they were ferries to a nearby islet. He said that the beach was not as clean as the tourist beaches.

Long Tailed Boats

 

Scenic Overlook With Elephant Shrine and Lighthouse

Silver Wind had arrived at Phuket Town before dawn so Michael and I appreciated the scenic mid afternoon departure. 

 

Tourists taking Selfies at Suburb View

From the Taxi on Our Return to Silver Wind

About all I can conclude about Thailand from seeing this beach resort is that the writing is very weird and the people we met are warm and friendly. The Thai natives on the island didn’t appear to be wealthy.  Pickup trucks and motor bikes seemed to be the principal means of transportation.  I imagine most people work in the service industry or other tourism related occupations. The local homes seemed to be one and two story simple buildings.  As we did not visit the beaches, we didn’t see the condominium complexes or the high end hotels that most tourists wee when they visit Phuket.

Captain Palmieri, Master of the Silver Wind

Crack Line Handler- Notice his
Hard Hat and Safety Shoes

Leaving Phuket

Michael and I had been looking forward to a warm weather cruise, especially since this past Colorado winter was exceptionally cold and snowy.  The outside temperature, since we arrived in Singapore was above ninety degrees Fahrenheit every day.  Every once in a while we looked at each other and one of us said, “Well, we wanted this!”