Visiting Thailand

April 4, 2023
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April 4, 2023

We visited diverse areas of Thailand over the course of several days. The visits included time spent in an outdoor museum that replicates part of Bangkok called the Ancient City; a training camp for monkeys where they learn to collect coconuts for processing, a giant Buddha and the island of Phuket. What follows are some photos from those visits; then some notes and photos from our visit to the island of Phuket. 

Bangkok, Thaliand — March 25, 2023. A wide angle photo of a temple compound in the Ancient City in Thailand.
Photo of a giant Buddha at the top of a long outdoor stairway
Phuket, Thailand–April 3, 2023. Photo of tourists on the grounds of Chalong Temple.
Bangkok, Thaliand — March 27, 2023. Photo of a monkey trained to collect coconuts with his trainer at a monkey training camp.

The Island of Phuket

Located in the Andaman Sea, Phuket is a mountainous Thai island that is home pristine beaches and lots of high end restaurants and resort hotels. It was devastated by a tsunami the day after Christmas in 2004, but seems to have fully recovered since then.  

A bit smaller than Singapore, Phuket is the second smallest island in Thailand. Over the centuries Phuket has been a trading destination for various powers including India and China. The Dutch, Portuguese, French  and English also visited the island. But Thailand has never conquered or colonized.

We took a short tour around the island. Among other things we visited Chalong Temple, an Elephant Camp and a Cashew factory.  Of course there are temples everywhere. Elephants are a symbol of Thailand. Monkeys are big in Thailand as well. And for some reason or other, Thailand is a major producer of cashews. So there you have it: a quick tourist view of Thailand. 

JFB

Phuket, Thailand–April 3, 2023. Photo of tourists on the grounds of Chalong Temple.
Phuket, Thailand–April 3, 2023. Photo of a worker minding an Elephant in a waterimng hole .
Phuket, Thailand–April 3, 2023. Photo of a Thai woman at work in a cashew factory in Phuket.