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Woke up late because Pi's phone has auto-set it's timing to Phuket's. Argh! A lot of rushing around and the tour guide even called us. So embarrassing, a few westerners were waiting for us in the mini-bus.
The tour guide will go to a few hotels to fetch people who booked for the tour, so you will have to wait for a little before getting to the first destination.
Our first place was the Kata Viewpoint. The Thai name for this popular viewpoint is Kho saam haad which means 'Hill of the three beaches' because this hilltop looks down over Kata Noi and Karon beach, as well as Pu Island, off Kata Yai Beach.
It was drizzling a little, hence our hair are kind of messy.
The rain got heavier and our tour guide said, "Sorry, we cannot go Big Buddha for your safety because rain very heavy and the road to the top of the hill is very steep. Not long ago got tour group go up, then accident, all die."
It was very nice of the tour guide to stop at the roadside for us to take pictures of the Big Buddha.
There was a water buffalo near where we stopped, everybody started taking pictures of it instead. Haha!
Our second destination is the Wat Chalong Temple, the Grand Pagoda which dominates the temple contains a splinter of Lord Buddha's bone and is officially named Phramahathatchedi-Jomthaibarameepragat. The pagoda is decorated with wall paintings depicting the Buddha's life story and also features various Buddha images.
Puppies walking pass.
The sun is coming out and the weather getting hot.
There are actually some tombstones at the back of this picture but I didn't want to take pictures of them, it's like disrespectful to the dead.
All of these is what we see inside the temple, statues are made of gold plastic material.
Some interesting furnishings inside and outside the temple, they're beautiful.
On our way to the top of the temple, where the Lord Buddha's bone is.
Last flight of stairs! I'm getting breathless already.
That's where the bone is, in the middle of the glass container.
There are other smaller temples around for praying.
Down we go.
And to the other temple, I didn't take any pictures inside as the people praying inside may not like it.
This thing that looks like a bee hive, it is an oven where people hang strings of firecrackers and ignite them. People do this to show gratitude for prayers that have been answered.
I have no idea what this tree is for, there are a lot of coloured cloth strips tied around its branches.
Pi made a request to the tour guide and asked whether if we could go the Big Buddha since the rain has already stopped. The tour guide check with the driver and she said we will be going there next.
And so... here we are!
Big Buddha is one of Phuket's most important landmark, sitting on top of the Nakkerd Hills, it is at 45 metres high. The site offers the best 360-degree views of the island but we didn't manage to go up as it has started raining again. The whole body is layered with beautiful white Burmese marble that shines in the sun, making it a natural symbol of hope.
The Big Buddha is still under construction since 2006.
There's this Gong near the entrance and we saw a tourist doing some thing to it, the Gong went 'wengggggg~'. Pi and I tried doing the same thing but nothing came out. =(
Still getting donations to build the Big Buddha, we paid for a small piece of marble and it's going to be part of the Big Buddha.
All we could do is just stand at the entrance of the stairs and look at it due to the rain.
Different parts and mock ups of the Big Buddha.
That area looks cosy.
To the next destination and it's still raining.
We had a change of tour guide for a short while, the westerners booked a tour that was just a little different from ours. Their trip includes an elephant show, I kind of sick of elephant shows.
After a change of tour guide (a prettier one also), we went to Old Phuket Town. The driver could only stop for a while, as we were caught in a traffic jam. It's alright as there isn't much to shop at the place anyway.
I love love love this gate! It is painted in my favourite colour.
This picture is funny because Pi suddenly said, "Stop, don't move." and I really just stood there. He didn't tell me he was going to take a picture of us together. Haha!
The tiles are beautiful too.
There was a pushcart near where our minibus stop at, selling rice crackers and drinks. Our temporary tour guide treat us to a pack of rice crackers! It was really tasty and only cost like 20 baht, I think. We should have gotten more, ahhh~!
Next, to the fruit market and time for some refreshing coconut juice.
Tour guide left and the driver sent us to the Cashew Nut Factory, we will get to buy some confectioneries there.
Watch how they open the cashew nut.
Cashew nut drink, it's a little gassy with a tinge of cashew nut fragrance.
Last stop, Wang Talang Jewelry and Gift Shop.
Always get free drinks at places like these.
Had a good long rest back at out hotel and we went up to the hotel's rooftop where the restaurant and swimming pool is. Nice 360-degrees scenery from here and nothing is blocking our view. Look at that pretty sunset!
And of course we took a lot of pictures, how could we miss this chance? I'm trying hard not to post too many pictures but it's just so hard to resist which the scenery is soooooo good. I think I ended up posting every single one of them. *shrugs*
Just to show how strong the wind is.
Back to the room again.
We were a little hungry and decided to just order a side dish, Fried Fish with Garlic and Pepper, via room service. It was so good, we gobbled everything up while watching the television.
Last activity for the day, the weekend market! They have almost everything here from pets, clothes, food...
Cute little pets around!
We went to buy food first to replenish some energy. That's the satay stall, quite tasty and meat is a little more chewy, more feel to it I must say.
Sausages were so-so.
Tried the grilled squid too, it was 'blah!'. Tasteless.
Fried fish balls, a lot of people were queuing for it and so we thought we got to try it. The black sauce was sweet and spicy, too spicy for my liking. Pi managed to finish everything though and sweated it all out.
Sushi. Nah, we didn't get it. The size of the sushi was tiny, maybe half the size of what we have here in Singapore.
Yes! I got my favourite Thai crepe. =)
Some kind of milk pudding. Nope, I'm not going to try it.
Cakes. We were still looking for them the day before but found none to celebrate my birthday. Even though my birthday is not over yet, I told Pi not to get it, I would rather save my calories for other food. Haha!
*Gulp* These are insects. Pi bought some maggot like bugs and he put them into his mouth! Argh! He says it tastes quite nice but he doesn't like the after feel, which is powdery as described by him.
He even got an ang mo to try some too, his lady is pretty much in horror just like me.
Packed some supper back too. Fried sweet potato balls, pan fried dumplings and grilled chicken. OK, don't buy the dumplings, it's not very nice.
My loots for the day! Love them all. =)
Went to the beach for a stroll, since our hotel is only a 5 mins walk away.
There's crab! Nicely camouflaged by the sand.
See ya tomorrow!
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