|
|
In October 1999 we moved back to Phuket, where we had lived before.
The island of Phuket encompasses the province of Phuket, the smallest province of Thailand but also one of the most prosperous. Phuket's wealth used to derive from tin and rubber, but today it is the tourist dollar which keeps it humming.
The island is about 50 km long and 20 km wide and is connected to the mainland by two highway bridges. It lies on the West coast of Thailand on the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean).Two mountain ranges (600 m high) traverse the island from North to South, and it is on the Westerly slopes of the Westerly one where the famous beaches lie, the main reason for tourists flocking to Phuket in ever increasing numbers. With a population of about 400,000 Phuket entertains some 2 to 3 million tourists each year. And still, while the Southerly beaches, Patong, Karon, Kata, Nai Harn, Kamala, Surin are crowded with tourists, the Northerly ones, Bangtao, Nai Thon, Nai Yang and Mai Kao are still largely in their pristine state. There are still stretches of several kilometres of fine sandy beach with crystal clear waters virtually empty of bathers and sightseers.
Three of the famous beaches, Kata Noi, Kata,
Karon Beach several years ago
and Karon
Laem Sing Beach
To the East of Phuket Island lies Pang Nga Bay, made famous by the James Bond movie The man with the Golden Gun.Its spectacular limestone formations are another of the many attractions of the Phuket area.
Pang Nga Bay
The spectacular rock where the movie was made
The island of Phi Phi in Pang Nga Bay
Have a look at our new house in Phuket