Khao
Phra Thaer National Park
This is
Phuket's last significant stand of virgin rain forest. Spend a
morning or evening taking a leisurely walk up along the waterfall,
or, if you want to spend the day walking in the quiet majesty of a
tropical forest, there's an eight-kilometre hike which wends right
through the park. Guides are available, and there is a small
museum and information centre located near the bottom of the
falls. Much of the forest's wildlife tends to stay out of sight,
but hunker down and stay still for a while and you'll soon hear
the telltale sounds of all sorts of animal activity. If you're
lucky, you may even be treated to the sight of one or more of the
forest's unusual creatures
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Butterfly
Garden and Aquarium
This large
open-air enclosure, landscaped with waterfalls, houses thousands
of vivid butterflies amid lush greenery. Explanations of the
fascinating life cycle of butterflies and tours of butterfly
breeding rooms are included in the display. The tropical aquarium
is among the finest anywhere, the tanks "landscaped"
with live coral gardens. Follow the signs from the intersection of
Patong Road and the airport bypass road. Open Daily 9.00am-5.00pm.
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Thai Temples
Wat Chalong, one of the biggest temples on the
islands, is an important part of Phuket history. In Thalang,
Phuket's first capital, Wat Phra Thong (Golden Buddha Temple) and
Wat Phranangsang (Built-by-a-Royal-Lady Temple) are worth a visit.
Wat Phra Thong has a large Buddha image protruding from its chest
up from the temple floor. According to legend, those who try to
dig it up will die. An English guidebook is available. Wat
Phranangsang is Phuket's second oldest temple and figures in
Phuket's early history as the rallying point for the island's two
heroines in the war against the Burmese. It's also called the
"Temple of the White Blood" -- find out why from amulet
seller, Khun Santi.
Old Chinatown
The inner heart of Phuket Town is for the most
part a "Chinatown". Walking is the only way to
appreciate fully outstanding examples of the local Chinese
heritage Look for the fine latticework, colourful ceramic
tiles and other traditional design elements in the rowhouse
facades along Krabi-Thalang Road and Dibuk. Sino-Portuguese
mansions can also be found throughout the town. One fine
example stands diagonally opposite the Merlin Hotel on the Mae
Luan-Yaowaraj intersection. Also look for the mansions in the Lord
Mayor's compound on Thepkatsatree Road (not open to the public).
Naga Pearl Farm
This well-known island pearl farm welcomes
visitors with a daily pearl culturing demonstration and pleasant
bungalows for overnight stays. They offer a restaurant,
windsurfing, sailboats, swimming and simple relaxation on a
pleasant tropical beach. Open 9.00am-3.30pm daily.
Pearl-extraction show at 11.00am. Tel: 213 723.
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Sea
Gypsy Village ( Rawai)
It
is better to give this "attraction" a miss.
Unfortunately, what might have been a healthy community of Chao
Le, or sea nomads, has been largely turned into a squalid human
zoo. Don't contribute to the degradation of these once-proud
people. (If you go a couple of hundreds miles to the north, among
the islands off the coast of Burma, long closed to visitors, you
can still find unspoiled sea nomad communities living in the old
way).
