3 Days in Phuket, Thailand

This is the 7th part in my Vietnam & Thailand 2019 series.

You can view my Thailand overview page, as well as my Vietnam overview page with links for all the cities I stopped at.

---

Day 22

On day 22 I left Vietnam after spending 3 weeks there, meeting some awesome people, and having an amazing time. The last city I visited in Vietnam was Saigon, after which I headed here, to Phuket, Thailand.

Fly from HCMC to Phuket

Phuket was actually an afterthought. I was originally only going to do 3 weeks in Vietnam, and then 4 or 5 days in Bangkok, before heading back home to Montreal. However, due to a miscalculation on my part, I ended up booking my return flight home later than I meant to. I ended up with like a day and a half extra, so I reworked my itinerary to include some time in Phuket.

I knew there was a cheap shuttle at the Phuket airport, but when I landed in Phuket, I had a heck of a time finding it. I did eventually find it, just about at the other end of the airport from where the arrivals is, which seems like pretty poor planning to me.

Shuttle fee: 100 THB

It also wasn’t really marked very well, and the map outside the bus was not clear. I had to ask the attendant to confirm it would stop near my hostel, and a bunch of other tourists were asking the same thing. I think they could probably do a better job of making it clear where the shuttle goes, and where it stops.

Check into Chino Town Hostel

I booked my stay in Phuket at Chino Town Hostel, which is in Phuket’s Old Town, and where I planned to hang around for my short time there.

I think it was one of the only hostels I found with private rooms and ensuite bathrooms, but as I later saw, it wasn’t the most lively - which I guess I prefer anyway? But there was another hostel about a 10 minute walk away that was a lot more active, albeit with only dorms and no private rooms. I’ll get to that a bit later.

The room wasn’t massive, but it was pretty nice, and seemed really clean. Certainly nothing like my dirty hostel room in Saigon!!

I quickly checked in, put my luggage down, and then went out to look for a shop selling local SIM cards. On the shuttle on the way into town, I met an Austrian-Italian guy named Marc who was staying at the other hostel I mentioned. We had agreed to text each other once we had secured SIM cards, so that we’d be able to meet up and look for something to eat.

Explore Phuket Old Town

The hostel told me where I could purchase a SIM card, and so after getting that done, I messaged Marc and started heading to his hostel.

Old Town is really quite nice by day, but night time is definitely when it livens up. As I was getting close to Marc’s hostel, I heard music playing and was seeing lots of people the closer I got to his hostel.

As it turns out, there’s a night market right in front of his hostel, and it was packed! There was even live music playing on a stage set up on one end of the market.

We checked out the night market quickly, but then headed out to see what else was going on in the town. We looked around for restaurants, but also checked out the souvenir shops, and the street vendors.

In the end, and after picking up some souvenirs, we headed back to the night market near his hostel to chill, have a few beers, and grab some food. I don’t recall what I ate, but as we were eating and drinking, it started to pour like crazy! We were under a tent that was setup in the eating area, but not all of the areas were covered. Some people took off into the various hostels, some left, and some came for shelter under the available tents.

We stayed there for a bit, chatting with other travellers and locals, waiting for the rain to lighten up a bit. When it did, we quickly darted into Marc’s hostel to check for some other travellers he’d met briefly before. We found his friends at the back of the hostel near the pool area, and had a few more beers with them. But as we were drinking and enjoying staying out of the continued rain, some loud, but good music started playing somewhere outside. The rain had almost stopped now, so we headed out to have a look.

Turns out there was another stage set up a bit off from the market, but basically right next to Marc’s hostel. The style was I guess rap? But it reminded me of Psy a bit, except in Thai. There was a growing crowd of people dancing and singing along, and so we joined in for a bit.

After that group was done, the music wasn’t as good, and it was getting a bit late for me, so I headed back to my hostel to get some sleep.

---

Day 23

Having never had Thai food for breakfast, and being in the mood for some eggs and toast, I decided to head out to look for a western cafe. I did some quick searching and found a place that had some really good reviews, and was only a few minutes walk from my hostel.

Gallery Cafe

The restaurant was quite cute and cosy inside, and they actually had quite a few options for breakfast.

I ordered the “Full Breakfast”, which comes with 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast, 1 sausage, 2 slices of bacon, some baked beans, grilled mushrooms, and a grilled tomato.

It was actually the first time I saw and ate bacon in Asia that actually tasted like the bacon we have in Montreal, which is otherwise known as streaky bacon. It was delicious!

After breakfast, I hailed a Grab bike and headed out to Chalong temple.

Just as a side note, Grab is much less prevalent in parts of Thailand than it is in Vietnam, and Phuket was one of those places. Grab also isn’t nearly as cheap in Thailand, but still not as expensive as taking a taxi.

Grab Bike Price: 121 THB

Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong (officially Wat Chaiyathararam), or Chalong Temple, is the largest temple in Phuket. It’s also the most important, as two of the monks that founded Wat Chalong, Luang Pho Cham and Luang Pho Chuang, helped the wounded citizens of the Chalong district during the Chinese tin miner rebellion in 1876.

Wat Chalong is a complex, with several temples within it. The most recent temple in Wat Chalong, the 60 metre-tall Phra Mahathat chedi (stupa) structure, was built in 2002 and apparently contains a splinter of bone from Buddha! The bone fragment itself is housed in a glass display on the 3rd floor.

I really love the architecture of Buddhist temples in general, and those in Thailand are no exception. They’re so vibrantly colourful, with incredible intricate details.

The 3 monk statues in the pic below look as if they are in a state of disrepair, but my understanding is buddhist pilgrims that come to pray will place pieces of gold leaf on the statues. So I’m not sure if some of the gold had worn off when I visited, or if they’re just not fully covered yet.

The following temple is the chedi that apparently contains Buddha’s bone fragment…

What an absolutely gorgeous structure.

Inside the temple, there are 3 floors, which visitors are encouraged to visit. Many statues of Buddha can be found throughout the temple in his various poses on the 1st and 2nd floors.

As I noted, Buddha’s bone fragment is housed in a glass display on the 3rd floor, which I believe is what the following glass globe is in the pic below (I could be wrong though)…

Also from the 3rd floor of the temple, you can get really nice views of the complex and surrounding area.

After exploring Chalong Temple for a bit, I wanted to go see Big Buddha, which is relatively close by. I think I wasn’t able to find a grab driver nearby, but there were tons of unofficial motorbike taxis around, so I decided to just take one of those. I didn’t bother bargaining the price for some odd reason, which was a big mistake, as I knew I could have gotten a much better price before I accepted. Meh, such is life.

Motorbike Taxi Price: 200 THB

Big Buddha

Big Buddha in Phuket is a 45 metre-tall, ~25.5 metre-wide, white marble statue of Buddha located on top of Nakkerd Hill, which is the highest point in Phuket. Construction began in 2004, and it’s now one of the most important and revered landmarks on the island. The base of the statue is concrete, upon which the Burmese white marble is placed.

Big Buddha’s official name is is Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Eknakakiri, which is a combination of native Thai, Sanskrit, and Pali words. You can actually see Big Buddha from Wat Chalong, although I don’t think I captured it in any of my pics.

When you make your initial way up, but before climbing up the steps to big Buddha, you come to a platform which over looks the city. The views are really fantastic, so it makes a great stop to rest for a bit if you walked up the hill instead of driving up.

There are ~100 steps up to Big Buddha, so it’s not a particularly tough climb, although it might be if you walked all the way up from the bottom of the hill … especially in Thailand’s heat!

Something to note is that the front steps here are for climbing up only! To make your way back down after you’re done, you need to use a different set of steps off to the side.

Note: There are toilets on-site, so don’t worry if the urge to go hits after you’ve arrived! 🤓

I’ve seen some sites saying the project was completed in 2018, but I can assure you that’s not the case as it was still unfinished when I was there, as can be seen in the below pic…

Around the base you find various statues of Buddha in different poses, as well as a few other statues of Buddha around the outside.

While I was walking up and looking around, I could hear some chanting coming from somewhere, although I couldn’t initially tell where. However, after I started making my way back down, I saw all the monks who were doing the chanting in a different section you pass on the way down.

There were quite a few monks on site, so I’m not sure if there was some special event going on or not.

I watched them for a bit while listening to some of the chanting, but then started to make my way back down the mountain, as it was time to grab something to eat.

I had a harder time finding a driver back this time, as I had no intention of over-paying again, and actually didn’t have much cash on me anyway. I found one motorcycle taxi driver who was trying to charge me more while driving me, despite me telling him I only had a certain amount of cash on hand, until he finally got pissed off and told me to get off his bike! lol - why is it taxi drivers the world over have such hard heads? 🙄
So I obliged, and started walking down the hill, until I eventually found another driver who was willing to take me for the price I had set.

Motorbike Taxi Price: 120 THB

One Chun Cafe & Restaurant

Once I was back in town, I came to One Chun Cafe for lunch after it was recommended by the hostel Marc was staying at. I wanted something authentic, delicious, and not too expensive, and apparently One Chun fit the bill. I later did some digging, and found that One Chun is actually quite well known, and has been featured in a number of publications, including the Michelin Guide!

I ordered a yellow curry with chicken, which didn’t come with any rice, so I had to order that separately. The curry was very nice and flavourful, with a very thin texture (more like a broth than a sauce). I generally prefer thicker curries, but this was still decent and somewhat hearty.

Price: 230 THB

I found the prices to be OK, although I wouldn’t consider them cheap. To be fair though, Phuket in general is quite expensive.

Considering this restaurant has such rave reviews though, I feel it fell a bit flat. I’d liked to have been able to return to try more dishes to get a better sense of their food, but time didn’t allow it. I would definitely eat there again, but I wasn’t really wow’ed by the dish I had, so I’d probably give different dishes a try.

After lunch, I headed back to my hostel. There’s an egg waffle ice cream place right in front, and I was hoping they were open cause I really wanted to try them. It made me think of the absolutely amazing egg waffle soft serve ice cream I had in Dublin earlier in the year.

Yo’s Egg Waffle Ice Cream

When I got back to my hostel, thankfully, the ice cream stand was open! Hurrah! 🎉😆

I went for a basic vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, and it was really good! The waffle was nice and soft, and the ice cream was good. It didn’t compare to the one I had in Dublin though, which to this day remains my favourite ice cream ever, but it was still really enjoyable.

Price: 74 THB

After finishing off the ice cream, I wanted to try to see if I could make it to the Khao Rang lookout point. So I started to make my way there, but the skies were looking heavy, and the wind was picking up. I made it to an area with a really large, awesome looking temple, but it was now starting to pour quite a bit, so I decided to come back to it the next day.

While I was making my way back to my hostel, the rain let up for a bit, and I stumbled upon a nice looking temple and decided to have a quick look - although I’m a bit confused as to what it’s official name is.

Wat Mongkol Nimit

Google has it listed as Wat Mongkhon Nimit, but a few sites have it listed as either Wat Mongkol Nimit, Wat Putta Mongkon, or even Wat Krang. I figure it might simply be a case of me not understanding the language, but I’m not sure.

In any case, it’s a very beautiful temple, and apparently incorporates some Sino-Portuguese styling.

Another interesting tidbit about this temple is that it’s also a school for young monks. When I visited, the temple and grounds were basically empty, so I didn’t see any of the young monks, but it’s an interesting thought.

Considering how restrictive the life of a monk is - no alcohol, no sex, no personal possessions - I wonder how many of them actually enjoy it, and how many had the decision forced on them by their parents. I feel like at such a young age, how can you possibly make such an important and critical life-long and life altering decision? But I digress …

At the back of the temple, on the outside, you’ll find an interesting looking chedi (stupa).

And that just about wrapped up my 2nd day in Phuket. I continued to walk around a bit, but just did the usual people and city watching, and then headed back to my hostel to get some rest.

---

Day 24

Day 24 was a day I hadn’t originally planned out. I had walked around the old town the previous day to get some inspiration, as well as did some searching online, and there were a few places I thought I could squeeze in before I had to head to the airport.

Shrine of the Serene Light

Sang (Saeng) Tham Shrine, or Shrine of the Serene Light in English, is a somewhat hidden Taoist shrine in Phuket Old Town. Well, ok, it’s not really hidden anymore, but it’s not exactly in a place you’d expect to find a shrine.

This shrine was once actually a bit of a secret at one point, although mostly to foreigners, not so much locals. It was founded by a Hokkien Chinese immigrant family in 1891, and was originally called Sin Jia Geng. It was built, possibly as a private shrine, to worship their ancestors, and the gods they were faithful to.

As you enter from the street, you walk through a small alleyway, which contains a granite plaque with some brief info about the shrine.

The English portion reads as follows:

Chronicle of Sang Tham Shrine (Teng Gong Tong)

The Sang Tham Shrine, which was initially named as “Sin Jia Geng”, was founded by the Hokkien Chinese descendants of the Tan Luan Jae family in 2434 B.E. (A.D. 1891) with the objective to provide a holy place for a consecrated worship to their ancestor gods and the gods to whom they were faithful. It is said that the success in the shrine establishment was contributed to the devotion as well as the sacrifice and financial support from Luang Amnart Nararak (Tan Kuad) who was the senior government official at that time and his descendants.

The architectural designs applied to the shrine derived from the traditional Hokkien Chinese influence as evidenced in the terracotta-tiled roof on the single-storey construction with various aesthetic molded figures of the propitious symbols elegantly decorated with traditional tiles. In the hall, the access floor was raised and paved with terracotta tiles and on both interior walls and series of the murals called “Si Yin Gui” was exhibited. The significant renovation was conducted in 2542 BE. (A.D. 1999)

One year later, in 2543 B.E. (A.D. 2000), it was an auspicious occasion in celebration of the 109th Anniversary of the shrine by the administrative committee of the shrine and is now widely open to the public.

As you continue down the alleyway, there is another gate, which leads to a courtyard and then to the actual shrine.

The shrine itself is quite small, but it’s definitely not lacking in intricate detail and beauty.

The shrine has been renovated over the years, with a major change to the street entrance in 2013. Originally, the street entrance was through a nondescript gate and narrow alleyway, which in 2013 was widened and made more grandiose. How exactly did they widen this path which passes between existing homes and businesses? That unfortunately, I couldn’t find an answer for. There was also a secret 2nd entrance behind the toilets in a Hokkien noodle shop, however that has since been closed off.

Despite no longer being a secret, it’s still a neat little shrine to check out if you’re in Phuket Old Town.

At this point I was starting to make my way to Khao Rang lookout point, which would be my final stop in Phuket before I had to head to the airport. I had seen another interesting looking temple when I was exploring near the area the day before, so I figured I’d make a quick stop there before the lookout point.

Wat Khao Rang & Golden Buddha

Wat Khao Rang, also known as Sumnak Song Khao Rang or Wat Khao Rang Samakkhitham, is a Buddhist temple located on the Khao Rang hillside, which is the highest hill in Phuket Town. The temple is also home to a large golden sitting Buddha statue.

The temple was founded by ‘The Living Monk’, Luang Pu Supha, and is partly why it attracts many visitors. Luang Pu Supha apparently began his monkhood at the age of 9, and dedicated a large portion of his time to building temples and monasteries around the country. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 118 years! 😳

The stairs pictured in the photo below lead up to a newer temple, which looked to be still under some construction when I visited.

The temple is really tall, and I had a hard time capturing it all with my limited cell phone camera!

The outside of the temple, as usual, is absolutely stunning. Inside, the temple is quite unique, with it’s painted murals on the walls.

The golden Buddha that sits atop the temple here used to be the tallest Buddha statue in Phuket, until the white “Big Buddha” on Nakkerd hill was built.

Wat Khao Rang is a temple that tourists don’t often visit, and as such is a great temple to visit if you want to avoid the crowds.

Up next, I made my way to the lookout point, to get a final look at Phuket before I had to leave.

Khao Rang Lookout Point

Khao Rang Lookout Point is a popular viewpoint in Phuket Town, and like Wat Khao Rang, is located on the Khao Rang hillside. The viewpoint offers amazing views of the city.

I was on foot, so I had to walk up the hill to get to the viewpoint. It’s not a significantly long walk, but it is a little steep. There is a road that leads up to the viewpoint, so if you’re not up for the walk, you can always take a taxi or tuk tuk.

I was using Google walking directions as usual, and while it wasn’t impossible to find the way up, it was a little tricky at first. I finally reached what looked like a platform, and indeed I was at the viewpoint.

There’s a gazebo-like structure, beyond which is a platform that overlooks the city.

I enjoyed the view for a bit, took a few pics, but then had to make my way back down to get back to my hostel. The heat was on that day, as usual, and I wanted to shower before having to check out, as I was pretty drenched in sweat after my walk to the temple and then lookout point!

---

And that wrapped up my time in Phuket. Phuket was a last minute add for this trip, but I really enjoyed my quick stay here. Phuket Old Town is nice to visit, and if you book a longer stay, you can also check out the other parts of Phuket, like the beaches and islands, which are a huge tourist draw.

Join me for the conclusion to my South-East Asia trip, in the infamous Bangkok!!