Phuket Vegetarian Festival at Bang Niaw Shrine
ShareBang Niaw Shrine is with its 108 years one of the oldest Chinese Shrines in Phuket Town; due to its size and central location, it is also one of the most steeped in tradition and the parade of the Bang Niaw Shrine during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a must-see. Even though today was not
Phuket Villa Rentals
ShareOn Phuket, the tourist high season reaches from around end of November into late February. But already now, hotels and other available accommodation starts to fill up quickly due to advance bookings through the internet. Especially for the time over Christmas and New Year, it can already now be virtually impossible to find a room
Vegtarian Festival Worshippers at Samkorng Shrine in Phuket Town
ShareThe Phuket Vegetarian Festival has officially started today; one of the smaller, but nonetheless important Chinese shrines is Samkorng Shrine not far from the Lotus intersection entering Phuket Town. Many Chinese-Thai flock to the shrines all over Phuket to worship and pray, clad in the traditional white garments. Even though many of the happenings do
Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2012 (15. – 23. October)
ShareTomorrow is the official begin of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2012, a world-wide known event which attracts large numbers of visitors, mostly of Chinese descent. The official committee has created a very nice booklet in PDF format, containing some interesting background on the festival itself, but more important, the calendar of all the processions and
Crab Fishing in Patong Beach Phuket
ShareWho would have thought, that it is possible to go crab fishing right on the tourist beach of Patong, even during the begin of the busy season — and not only catch a few crabs, but actually so much, that we had to give 15-20 kilogram of them away to all kinds of friends and
Giant Phuket Spiders — are really harmless!
ShareJust last month I wrote a blog post detailing examples of a small and a large Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda). I pre-ambled it with the following paragraph: Phuket is home to some really scary looking spiders of sometimes amazing size. Whenever seeing one, it is well worth to remember: there is NO spider species in Thailand
Phi Phi Island Birdseye View
ShareFrom time to time you see pictures that are so unbelievably breathtaking, that you cannot forget them for a long time. One of those, without doubt, is the birdseye view of Phi Phi Island. A place, where it is just necessary that you visit it at least once in your lifetime! More Information: Phi
Four-lined Tree Frog (Polypedates leucomystax) on Phuket Thailand
ShareI am making regular walks around Bangwad Dam in Kathu, on Phuket. This is located just over the mountain from Patong and a very nice 5-6 kilometer walk right around a big lake — incidentally the drinking water reservoir for most of the western tourist beaches of Phuket, so water quality is fairly good here.
Kanom Na Daek – Black Sesame Cookies
ShareBlack Sesame Cookies or ‘Kanom Na Daek’ are a well-known local speciality in Southern Thailand. The cookies are sprinkled with black sesame seeds, to give them their special flavor. For more Thai Food and Recipes, click here.
Crab-eating Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) at the Phuket Big Buddha
ShareThe mountain-side towards Kata Beach is home to a small band of Crab-eating Macaques (Macaca fascicularis). They count between 20-30, at least as I could see on several visits. So far, they seem not yet have grasped, what a great source of lazy food the hordes of tourists could be, that visit the temple. However,
Whale Sharks at Chumphon Pinnacle in October 2012
ShareEvery year, on their annual migration, whale sharks pass all the major dive sites of Thailand. Often, however, this happens in the so-called low season, when the weather is not necessarily perfect for lounging around on the beach. A good example is the sighting of at least one, possibly two whale sharks cruising along at
Multi-Coloured St Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope versicolor) on Phuket
ShareEven tohugh scary for some, many species of spiders are undoubtedly very pretty: colorful and often with intricate designs; on top of that, they fascinate with their ability to create webs from fine spider silk. One of the more colorful of the spider species on Phuket is the Multi-Coloured St Andrew’s Cross Spider (Argiope versicolor)
Phuket Big Buddha in September 2012
ShareThe famous Phuket Big Buddha becomes another lift-over in September 2012, before the tourist high season starts: Seemingly fearless workers balance heigh up in the flimsy-looking bamboo scaffolding in over 45 meters height to repair some of the tiles on the head of the giant Buddha statue.
Weather Change — will the rain finally stop?
SharePhuket has been lashed quite a bit by the usual, seasonal monsoon rains over the last month, leading to flooding and mud avalanches several times. Even a piece of the road between Patong and Phuket Town broke down, to be repaired at “some future date”, when the rain has stopped. Maybe, just maybe, this time
Phuket Insect Delights
ShareMuch is made of the habit of Thais to utilize everything effectively in their cuisine — and not stopping short of anything that is able to move. In this regard, Thais are actually much more conservative than some of their neighbors like the Vietnamese or some Chinese cuisines; still, tourists coming to Phuket are often
Lovely Thai Girls – Facebook Page
ShareWithout doubt and discussion, Thai girls are among the most beautiful on the whole of planet earth. There is an undeniable aesthetic and grace to them, which can hardly be matched by most other peoples. No wonder does Thailand attract a large number of visitors, coming here for the “Thai food’ or the ‘beautiful beaches’,
Egg-laying time for the Huntsman Spiders of Phuket
SharePhuket is home to some really scary looking spiders of sometimes amazing size. Whenever seeing one, it is well worth to remember: there is NO spider species in Thailand where the bite can be fatal. Some are poisonous, but at most only mildly so; manhandling a spider, even a a large one, and being bitten,
Titan Trigger Fish (Balistoides viridescens) at Racha Noi dive site near Phuket
ShareRacha Noi is a dive site not far from Phuket, well known for its great biodiversity. One of the larger fish that can be encountered there is the Titan Trigger Fish (Balistoides viridescens), a large species of trigger fish found in lagoons and at reefs in most of the Indo-Pacific. With a length of up
Spotted Short-Horned Grasshopper (Caelifera sp.) on Phuket
ShareThere is something deeply satisfying for the nature photographer in the small things in the world; and in a tropical destinati0n like Phuket, Thailand, there are motives aplenty, if somebody is just willing to look around and maybe stand still for a few minutes at the wayside. From all the insects, grasshoppers are maybe the
Evening Light at Bangwad Lake in Kathu Phuket
ShareEven one of the wettest months on average in Thailand can bring peaceful and colorful sunsets. This one was seen at a peaceful walk around Bangwad lake in Kathu, Phuket. For those who want to exercise themselves a little bit, it is quite a leisurely walk of not much more than 5 kilometers all around
Caterpillars of September in Thailand
ShareSeasons have changed, the Northeast monsoon is bringing its fair share of rainfall and moisture to Thailand. This is the absolutely perfect weather for flowers to bloom and caterpillars to feed on them. As such, a whole lot of different caterpillars can be seen (this one as yet unidentified by me):
Afternoon on Patong Beach in early September 2012
ShareEarly September can have its beautiful moments in Patong; s. So today, as I was with family and friends on the beach of Patong. Beautiful blue skies, calm and warm water… What did I do? Have a nap during nearly all of daylight and not even strolling along the beach or having a swim once.
Koh Panyee in Phang Nga Bay
ShareKoh Panyee in Phang Nga Bayis a very famous destination for day trips from both Phuket and Krabi; often they are combined with snorkeling and sea kayaking, so you will have a fun-filled day. Koh Panyee itself is actually originally a village built by Sea Gypsies; currently around 350 people life there permanently in the
Karon Sunset from the Karon Phunaka Resort and Spa
ShareThe fact, that all important beaches are located on the western coast of Phuket, makes them the perfect place to enjoy the daily sunset. Some are more colorful and spectacular than others, but this one as seen from the Karon Phunaka Resort is certainly worth the visit alone:
Patong Beach in August as I will always remember it
ShareAs I came for my first time to Thailand, spending two weeks on Phuket, it was the mid of August. Curiously, I do not seem to remember more than a few days of rain, and most of that only for very short stretches of time. Me lazing in a beach chair was never impeded once,
