Thursday March 9th

 Today we are in Malaysia on the island of Phuket ( pronounced POO Ket). The city rests near the Bay of Phuket and the island is in the Andaman Sea . The population is around half a million. Originally it was settled because of the presence of tin. Tin miners were the original inhabitants.

The climate is warm year round with temperatures ranging from 77 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. It seemed a lot hotter yesterday . Fortunately the bus and the shops were air conditioned.

The language is Thai, some English was spoken. The written language does not use the same symbols that we do .

The day began with a very rough sea. Looking out from the balcony we watched one of the tenders bounce around like a cork. Much to my relief another larger vessel appeared. It resembled a passenger ferry. I decided to take a Gravol just in case I ended up on the tender. To shorten the story... it was 2 hours before we were able to get off of the ship. The ferry had strange seats, on the back of the seats were directions for what to do at take off and landing. Apparently these were airplane seats . But the ride was quite smooth regardless of the seats. The ride was about 20 minutes . When we arrived the directions to the buses were clear, and well marked. The bus was another beauty with excellent air conditioning.

Our guide was named POP. He spoke English with a very heavy accent. You could understand his information and instructions only if you listened carefully. He was very eager to make certain that everyone was clear on what was happening. We were about 2 hours later beginning our tour but we were pleased to know that we would get all of the tour and that sail away would not be until around seven instead of the planned five o'clock.

Our first stop was at Promthep Cape on the southern most tip of Phuket. Here was a shrine to the Hindu deity Brahma. To see it was had to climb a long staircase. The stairs were wide and flat and had a railing on one side. The heat was an issue, it was VERY Hot. At this shrine the elephant is very special. If a person has a wish answered they often leave a statue of an elephant. As a result there were hundreds of elephants of all shapes and sizes.

There was a lighthouse and museum here much to our surprise. It was quite an ornate structure. Ken peaked inside but as with all of these tours time was limited. 

This was also the site of breathtaking sunsets and views.

 

On my way back to the bus I stopped in a small shop and here I found a decoration which will be a suitable ornament for our "Around the World Cruise Xmas Tree"

Our next stop was a visit to the Wat Chalong Buddhist temple. Wat Chalong is the biggest and most ornate of Buddhist monasteries. To enter here you had to remove your shoes. I removed mine but I put them in my bag, I did not want to leave them outside in the sun. Stepping from where I removed my shoes to the shaded entrance meant walking on VERY HOT tiles. I hurried to be sure. Inside was amazing, there were three Buddha statues covered with gold leaf. You could see where the bits of leaf were attached to the statue by rubbing. 

There was much to see here but as usual time was an issue and for us heat was also an issue. We bought a coconut and the sales lady cut it and poured the coconut water in a glass and then added some of the pulp to the water. I was amused because when I first asked the cost the younger lady said one US dollar and the older lady quickly corrected her and said it was 2 dollars.  With an exchange of 30 to one that coconut was 60 Thai Bahts

Next we drove around Old Phuket to see some of the old Colonial Phuket's architecture. These buildings are elegant and beautiful when restored. A lot of them have been restored to their original beauty.

Our next stop was what was said to be a souvenir shop. It was not what we would call a souvenir shop. There was not one tee shirt or key chain or magnet to be seen. It was a high end shop that specialized in jewelry and hand bags and golden trinkets. We were not allowed to take photos and the path you took was strictly curtailed. The clerks wore very formal uniforms and it was in every aspect a surprise. 

Our last stop was at a local shopping mall. It was different that the malls we are accustomed to. The bottom level is mainly a food court. You cannot use cash or credit cards here. You must purchase a special card and put an amount of money on it and then you use this card to pay for your food. So if we as tourists bought a 50 dollar card and our lunch was only 40 dollars there was no way to get your money back. There was a grocery store that took credit cards but they did not have a deli. 

Finally we did find an eatery that took credit cards.Since we had not eaten since breakfast and it was now after three we decided we should get something. At this point we were not sure of the exchange and the value of their funds. They took US funds NOWHERE. So we went into this lovely air conditioned establishment and we ordered a meal. At this point we had no idea what the cost was. We believed the exchange was 3 to 1 . When the bill arrived the total was 680 somethings. Just how much had we paid for a pat tie and a rice dish and a beer and a fruit drink?? What ever it was it was. When we got back to the ship I asked Mr Google. Their currency is the Thai Baht , so 680 Thai Bhats was equal to $26.69 Cdn or $19.37 US. We got a bargain!! Who knew??  The fruit drink that was part of my meal was absolutely delicious. The noodles and shrimp were tasty enough but I would not order them again. Ken had a rice dish and he enjoyed it . The cold beer was a great finishing touch.

Our tour had come to an end and the bus returned us to the ship. By now the sea had calmed down and we were taken back to the ship using the regular tender.  Again we were late for dinner and we had eaten only recently so we skipped dinner.

My scientist husband was completely amazed by their system of electrical wiring. There were dozens of wires at every power pole. He asked our guide about them and he seemed to be sure that they were still being used. But how do they find a specific wire when a repair must be made??

Another unusual thing for us was the presence of household shrines. They were in the front of both homes and businesses. Some were simple and small , some were large and ornate . They were common but not universal.

The streets were narrow and only an expert driver could maneuver those sharp turns with the big bus. Our driver was definitely up to the task.

We really enjoyed our day but both of us are finding that the heat really takes its toll on us.  We were so tired that we skipped the show and called it a night around eight. This was Wednesday and the duck did not get hidden ... that would have to wait until tomorrow. We have 2 sea days coming up. 

The duck was hidden this morning and I just checked, it has not been found.

The next port is Columbo and the city of Sri Lanka,