3-13 The Big Buddha

 Next on our agenda is the Big Buddha.  Our guide pointed out the site in the distance as we were leaving the Windmill Viewpoint.  But there were many uphill and downhills before we got there.  Luckily the whole site was flat when we got there.

Don't you want your own Buddha statue?

Some very interesting benches.  They were not extremely uncomfortable.

A view of all the hills.  They are not that high - there are just a lot of them!

The gold part is that color because of everyone who rubs it for good luck.

And there he is!

This site is not very old.  Work begin in 2004 after a group of locals talked about building a large symbol of peace and spirituality on the island.

And once again their are views.

As you can see there is room for a lot more tourists!  Thankfully it is not prime tourist season.

3-13 Busy Sightseeing day - Promthep Cape Viewpoint and Windmill Viewpoint.

 We have booked a car and driver to take us to several tourist sites near us.  We had set the time to be picked up for 3PM - the driver showed up at 2 - saying we would have more time to see stuff.  It was still crazy hot.  We have him for 7+ hours - we will not last that long!

The first stop was the Promthep Cape Viewpoint.  The first three photos were taken in the parking lot.  I missed taking a photo of the long stairways to get up to the top of the hill so we could enjoy the views.

Thailand is a monarchy now headed by Rama X and his wife.  You see their pictures all over Thailand

Now for the views.  It is only around 2:30 so the sun is still harsh.

Then we get to the very top level and see all these elephants.  Some workers seem to be removing elephants from the display.

All lined up waiting to be removed.

I did a little research to discover that the elephant statues at the Promthep Cape shrine in Phuket, Thailand, are offerings to the Hindu god Brahma, who represents the creator. Visitors and locals leave these figures—ranging in size—to request, or show thanks for, wishes granted, as elephants are revered symbols of longevity, prosperity, and wealth in Thai culture.

This building was built to honor the previous kings 50th birthday.  The large platform in front of it is a great place to see sunsets.

There are also some statues of other animals

Most of the flowers I have seen here are yellow - these have an orange center.

You can see the Windmill Viewpoint from the Promthep Cape viewpoint.  But it takes a little while to get there as there are many hills and valleys between.

Still at Promthep Cape.

On our way - over hill and dale.

From Windmill Viewpoint - a popular beach.  The water looks much clearer here and people are swimming in the water.

It is just a wind turbine!

A very weary tourist.  

3-13 Another Morning Walk - the other Direction

 Yesterday I walked up to the main street and turned right to explore that area.  I found a fisherman's market along with other stalls selling breakfast foods.  Today I turned left and headed in the direction we have taken to go to the airport.  

A little information about the region.  Phuket is surrounded by the Andamen Sea which is part of the Indian Ocean.  Our beach doesn't seem to be particularly clean.  People walk in the water to get to their boats, but I have not seen anyone swim in it.  The water at our beach seems to be very shallow for quite some ways out.  In contrast to our beach, which is very trashy, there are other beaches that are very beautiful and you can swim in the ocean.  We are not really beach people so most likely won't go.  But we do like our pool.

First - a few photos to show the amenities of our little development.  There is a little kiddie park a few blocks from us.

A coconut tree.

The nursery - always looks closed.

Most of the properties are managed by this company.  Some of the properties are also owned individually and rented out by them - as is ours.

Early morning along the waterfront.

I am not sure if they cloths tied to a tree mean anything, but they are colorful.

Note the scarecrow like being in the bottom right.

The tide was very high today.

Lots of boats for hire along the beach.

The local McDonalds.

You can get so many kinds of food.

This is the larger Tops grocery store we walked to the other day.  We have a smaller version at the top of our street.

My goal today is to walk to the end of the pier.

The Phuket Smart Bus.

You find shrines all over.

The fried chicken guy.  This looks more authentic than the person on the other side of the beach from yesterday.  I think his chicken was fried at a different location and was just sitting on display until someone bought it.  This guy is frying it fresh.

Many different breakfast options.  I have not looked closely, but other foods should be roti with curry, Moo Ping - grilled pork skewers, sticky rice, Patong Go - Thai donuts, rice porridge and fresh coconut cakes.  In May of 2024 while in Krabe, Thailand, we experienced the wonderfulness of the roti egg dish and the Thai donuts as well as the fried chicken with sticky rice and fried shallots.  In Krabe, they also served fried planktons and fried squash as well.  I haven't see that here.

A view of the road heading towards the airport.

A bakery that sells bread as well as other goodies.

Close up of a tourist bus.

And finally - the pier.

Someone fishing at the end of the pier.

Mending the fishing nets.

Looking back to shore.

When I first got to the pier this young man was doing some aggressive prayer poses towards the shrine.  I waited until my return to take the photo.

Need to exchange money?

The message place is not open this early - so why not set up food stands before?

More options to eat.

Strings of shells hanging from the trees and a swing.

I have seen a couple of these shops and was curious what they did.  These seem to be like "Planned Parenthood" in the U.S. but they also sell cannabis.

Another grocery store chain.