Phuket, An Exciting Place To Be
Home to a 600-metre canopy walkway, Phuket Elephant Sanctuary offers an inspiring experience observing rescued elephants as they rehabilitate into the forest.
Phuket, Thailand Sunday March 8, 2015
LICENSED TO THRILL - PHUKET
Today we spent the day exploring some of Phuket's more popular attractions. From our tender boat, we hopped into Wooddy's van.
We drove through the island passing by rustic countryside, plunging at some breathtaking viewpoints. At times at our elevated perspective, the scenery is so pretty, it made us want to stay longer.
Beaches are the obvious reason so many people come to Phuket
The Andaman Sea is one of the most spectacular off the west coast of Thailand. The water blasted against the rocks below us. The sea opened up to an expansive landscape , beautiful, calm and emerald green.
We also wind our way into the temple called Wat Khao Rang, a colorful temple with a giant golden Buddha. Once inside the wat, it became an oasis of calm. Inside was a young monk with the saffron robe and shaved head One of the best ways to access Thai culture is through a 'Monk chat' session in a local wat (temple) in Chiang Mai, where you get the opportunity to quiz the dignified saffron-robed monks about anything you like. And in the early morning, all over the country, the monks leave the sanctuary of their wats to receive alms from the people, be it in a dusty village or on crowded city streets. Buddhism is a way of life here and the Thai’s are also strong supporters of their monarchy.
The Great Buddha in Phuket.
Outside was sound of scooters and Thai voices.
Despite being tourist mecca Phuket still retains a provincial feel. An hour after leaving the temple, we traversed a dirty road and we dove into the jungle.
This is an elephant reserve. In Thailand, elephants are sacred and their are intertwined with the Thailanders. They are symbol of fertility and power but also trained for work in the forest. This elephant sanctuary is a 30- acre preserve where there are elephants for riding.
This is and where we started our elephant safari. When the pachyderms ambled by our side, we have to climb a bamboo ladder of several rungs to climb into their backs. Our mahout sits up front, stick on hand. Some Thai men stared at us while the elephants snorts and trumpets. I tried to pet its back where thick hair sprouts and I was so amazed this gentle giant!.
A typical Thai lunch is curried chicken or stir -fried vegetables with rice, noodles or soup.
For lunch, we had authentic Thai food, thick with chilli and lemon grass that sizzle and pop with flavor and heat. I took a big mouthful of the green curry mixed with rice and soon there was fire in my mouth! It was hot but not exceedingly hot that I screamed “Water, please!”
Phuket is a sun -drenched jewel in the west coast of Andaman Sea. It is hot, exotic and over exploited. Yet its crystal water and pristine reefs still the radiates beauty. It filled our imagination for the day and made us look forward to more.
