Thursday, March 29, 2018, Phuket (Patong Beach), Thailand

Clad in lush jungles and skirted by endless sand shores, Phuket is Thailand’s original island resort. Often called the “Pearl of the Andaman Sea,” Phuket was a major stop on medieval trade routes.  The Thai island was long a major stop on trade routes between India and China, often mentioned in ship logs of European sailors.  Around 1545, one Portuguese explorer called the island Junk Ceylon, and the name stuck for decades.  Later, the French, Dutch, and English competed for the island’s tin trade.  The French East India Company won, following which the French played a major role in local politics until they were expelled in 1688.  Today, old Sino-Portuguese shop-houses and monuments to Buddha dot the island.

Views from our cruise ship upon our arrival at Phuket; Phuket is an island off the west coast of Thailand.

On our way for the day's shore excursion via bus.

Wat Chalong, Phuket’s largest and most sacred temple.  Inside its tall spire lies a splinter of bone believed to belong to the Buddha, and around the complex are three gold-leaf-encrusted statues of former abbots.

Buddha on a hill top several miles from the temple.

We stopped at Promthep Cape in the southernmost tip of the island to enjoy spectacular views of the Andaman Sea and picturesque Nai Harn Bay.  To the north were expansive panoramas along the length of the coast.  Promthep also boasts a shrine depicting the god Brahma as a “Four Face Buddha,” surrounded by more than fifty colorful elephant statues, each one draped with garlands of flowers.

Lighthouse a few feet from the shrine.

Coral Island in the background; our tour guide told us the swarm of Chinese visitors call it Happy Island.

Buddha on the nearby island.

Vendors near the hilltop and shrine.

Views along the way back to cruise ship.

Lotsa boats for taking tourists to Coral Island.

Statues in the middle of a round-about.

Beautiful sand beaches on Phuket; a very popular tourist island.

Workmen repairing electric lines; note transformer ten feet overhead.  The smaller wires are for Internet, phone, and TV.

More "stinger" boats as in Bangkok.

Really large car engines used to power the propeller at the end of the shaft.

Can you tell Larry enjoys mechanical "things?"

Another picture of an end to the island.

We will soon be on our way westerly on the Andaman Sea toward Chennai; the trip will take us 2 1/2 days.