PHUKET PHOTOS

Monday, April 8th

Photos taken when in Phuket, Thailand.

                                                   Sailing into the port for Phuket.

                                                               Long tail boat

                                                       Morning sun off water

                                             Shopping stalls set up next to our ship

     Our tour yesterday was to see Phang Nga Bay which was a 1 1/2 bus ride north across the island and over the bridge that links the island to mainland Thailand.  Once there we boarded a motor boat that held the 30 of us on our bus for a 2 hour boat tour of the National Park.  There are over 80 islands created over 300 million years ago when two tectonic plates pushed and rotated forcing limestone above the surface.  These small islands rise vertically and have steep faces.  Vegetation on them has evolved to withstand long periods of dryness and an almost complete lack of soil.  The Koa Ping-Gan island is where they did filming of the James Bond movie, "The Man With the Golden Gun".  It is now more commonly called, "James Bond Island" by the Thai people and is a popular tourist attraction.

                                                          Taken on our bus ride

            Motor bike and SUV accident.  Appears to be a woman lying on pavement.

                                   We drove by several plantations.  This is palm oil plantation.

                                                           Rubber plantation

                                                            Pineapple plantation

                                   One of the two bridges that cross from Phuket island to the mainland.

                                            Our tour boat for the Phang Nga Natioal Park.

      Benches on it were not attached but it was fast and cool with nice breeze when moving.

     Coming up on the mostly Muslin fishing village built on pilings out from the island of Koh Panyee.  It is basically a small city in middle of the bay.  Fresh water is piped in from mainland 3 miles away.  There is a school for the children, market, restaurants, and homes all on stilts.  It has a huge market that caters to tourists as does the restaurants.

                                             The red roof area is seafood restaurants.

                                                                 School area

                                                        Some of the homes

                            Wife of the boat driver pouring something on drive shaft every once in a while.

See how vegetation grows out of the limestone

 Kayakers

                                               Our boat went through here too.

                                  Not stalagtites but formed by water erosion of the limestone.

                                            Island where "Man With The Golden Gun" was filmed, James Bond Island.

                                  Big tourist attraction now.  We did not get off our boat here.

Check out the truck engine on this long tail boat.

                                                   Poor man's long tail boat???

                           We had lunch at local hotel after the boat tour.  This is my lunch.  OINK!!

                                                               Shrimp farm

     Our next stop was at a rubber plantation for a demonstration on how the trees are tapped and the latex is processed.  After planting the rubber trees it takes 7 years before they are ready to be tapped.  The trees will produce the latex for around 25 years.  During the 7 years while waiting to be productive they plant pineapples between the rows of trees and derives some money from pineapple production.  The trees can be tapped just once a day.  They start tapping about 5 feet up the tree from ground.  A worker takes a sharp knife-like instrument and cuts in downward angle from left to right.  One cut is made and the sap (latex) runs down in the black pot.  Each tree will produce about half a pot per day.  The workers start making the cuts at 3am before the heat of the day.  They wear a light on their hats so they can see, long shirts so mosquitoes cannot eat them, and rubber boots because Thailand has a lot of poisonous snakes.  One worker can tap about 400 to 450 trees in the 3 hours before sun up.  They then have breakfast (rice) and tea before going back out to collect the latex in the black pots.  They are emptied into a galvanized bucket, brought back and poured though strainer to get any leaves or foreign materials out.  Then a type of acid is added to aid in making the latex set up.  The set up latex is then run through a roller twice to squeeze the excess water out before hung to dry in the sun.  Typically the plantation owner gets 60% of the revenue and the workers get 40%.  Thailand is #1 in the world in rubber production.

                                                      Pan has latex in it before it is set up

                                            Presses used to squeeze excess water out

                                                Sheets of rubber latex from press

                                                             Hung up to dry

                 You could take an elephant ride.  Elephants typically used in logging industry.

                                                         Two year old baby elephant.

                                     Fish farm as we cross bridge to go back on Phuket island.

Brurmese workers who come here to do construction work.  They will work for $5 a day which is twice what they would earn in their country.  The Myanmar (old Burma) border is few miles from Thailand.  Thai workers minimum wage is $10 per day.

                            The migrant workers built temporary homes near the construction site.

                                                      More workers homes

                           Pineapple plants between the young rubber trees during first 7 years.

                                                  Had to show you a temple

 Last stop was at upscale handicraft shopping place.  We did not go in but took shuttle directly back to the ship.  Wanted to get back so we could take showers before everyone returned.  Water pressure is nil when everyone is taking showers at same time.

Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas anchored.  It is too big for the dock.  So passengers have to take small tender boats ashore.

https://goo.gl/photos/c4XuniXWtcaTkyYE8

PHUKET, THAILAND

Sunday, April 7th
     Phuket is an island about the same size as was Singapore and is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges.  As Malaysia, it once derived its wealth from tin and rubber.  Phuket is the largest of Thailand's islands and is mostly mountainous however the coast suffered extensive damage during the 2004 tsunami that killed 250 locals and tourists on the island.  Forest, rubber, and palm oil plantations cover 60% of the island.  Today rubber and tourism is basis for their economy.  Population of the island is a half million but there are 10 million tourists visiting here anually.  Fortune Magazine in 2005 voted Phuket as one of the world's top 5 retirement destinations.  There are thousands of expatriates living in Phuket, many of them retirees.  Will be checking it out.  Can you see Rebecca living in Thailand????
     Some bumps in the ocean last night.  Nice morning with haze but sun coming though.  We had room service at 6:30 this morning as our tour departs ship at 8am.  OOPS, lost my little camera AGAIN last night.
     Ok, now about 5pm, back from our 8 hours of touring, showered, and getting ready for this evening's activities.  Martin, our friend who we sat with at the show last night, picked up my camera and gave it to me this morning.  We had planned on going on same tour bus today.  Long day but nice tour.  Just wish it had not been so hazy as will mess up my photos.  Not going to have time to get them on this post but will put them on tomorrow as next two days are sea days.  I will try to get up early and do it before everyone else gets on internet.  Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas was also in Phuket today.  It is 5pm now and we are pulling out of the dock.  Heading across the Indian Ocean next two days for Sri Lanka.
     At 6pm we are having another "block party".  Bell will ring from bridge and everyone will take their wine glass into hall and meet their neighbors.  The cabin stewards will supply the bottles of wine.  Regent is only cruise line to do this and I think it is fun.  The Captain, General Manager, and Cruise Director will race up and down the halls greeting everyone.
     We have been invited to dine with Ray, the Cruise Director, tonight in Compass Rose restaurant.  The evening's entertainment is "Liars Club" at 9:30.  That is fun but may come back and work on the photos I took today.  I took 131 photos but will delete some.  I promise I won't put them all on the blog.
   
 

PENANG, MALAYSIA

Saturday, April 6th

     We are docked today in Georgetown the capital for the state of Penang on northwest side of the Malaysian peninsula just south of Thailand.  Hopefully you can see that on the maps above.  Penang is one of the 13 states in Malaysia and as you see part is on Penang Island.  You can either take a ferry or the 8.5 mile long bridge to get to the island and Georgetown, where we are today.  Penang is one of the most developed and economically important states in the country and has a thriving tourist industry.  Because of its shape and location on the strategic trading route of the Strait of Malacca, it is often referred to as the "Pearl of the Orient".  Manufacturing leads the economy here but tourism, shipping, finance, and other services are also important.  As far a agriculture, palm oil, rice, rubber, fruits, coconut, vegetables, cocoa, and spices are harvested.  1.5 million people live in the state, half of which live on the island.  Georgetown, where we are docked, is named after Britian's King George III and has deep British roots and customs.  
     Woke up to a monsoon rain that has lasted all morning.  Now noon and has quit raining but still very hazy, overcast and threatening more rain.  Temperature is 88 degrees and very humid.  Done with our workout and going to lunch now. Our tour is at 1:25 and is scheduled for 3 hours.  It is pouring rain again so have decided not to go.  Basically just ride in back of a bike (covered however) with stop at Chinese clan house, museum, and restaurant for refreshments.  Just does not sound too interesting.  I have some photos from our stop here 3 years ago.  As you see, the weather was much nicer then.

                           Fake smile as who could genuinely smile with snakes around there neck?

                                              Coconuts and yellow one is a jack fruit

                                                               Nutmeg trees

                     Older house built on stilts as snakes could not climb poles-how comforting!

                            Lemon grass is grown around house as it is good mosquito repellent.

Batik

Design is drawn with pencil then traced over with hot wax.  Ink will not penetrate the wax. 

                                              Then the paint the cloth.  This is cotton.

                                                                Nice beaches

      This is the trishaw we were suppose to be riding in today.  Still monsooning outside however.  We will be sailing at 5pm for our next port, Phuket, Thailand, where we will be arriving at 8am.  Tonight is "Le Cirque Voyager" production show.  We saw all the production shows on the first segment but love them so will probably be seeing them all 4 more times.
     Got an email today from our Aussie friend, Peter.  Really miss Maureen & Peter who were on our South America cruise last year.  He was my bar buddy and lots of fun.