BEYOND THE beaches and the islands and all that hedonism they excite, Phuket – like the rest of Thailand – is deep in spirituality too.
Atop the Nakkerd Hills sits a 45-meter Big Buddha of white Burmese marble, shimmering in the sun under azure skies, awakening some sense of serenity in the least of the beholders, some fullness of being in the firmest of believers. What with nothing to hear there but the whisper of the wind and the tingling of small chimes and bells.
Still a work-in-progress, the base of the statue offers a spectacular sweeping vista of Chalong Bay, the beaches of Kata and Karon and Phuket town below. At Phuket Old Town, Thalang Road and its arteries of sois (small streets) is a walk back in time with the rows of vintage Sino-Portuguese shophouses restored – still selling variety of goods from textiles to roti, bicycles to herbs, and repurposed – to guesthouses, cafes, bars, even clinics.
Soi Romanee, the area’s former red light district – its name readily translates to “naughty with the ladies” – is now a must for prenup location shoots. Already taking its own niche in Phuket’s tourism map, just five or so months after its opening, is the eponymous Trickeye Museum with its 3D paintings and murals ranging from the masters, read:
Michelangelo, Renoir, Matisse and Van Gogh, to contemporary landscapes and local scenes, comics, sports and movies too. Being incorporated in the artwork itself is second to none in interactive fun. Tickets to the museum cost 500 baht for adults, 300 for kids. It’s well worth it.
It’s not all sun, sea and sand in Phuket. It’s art, heritage, culture and some mindfulness of being too. (Cebu Pacific flies Manila- Phuket-Manila four times weekly. For the fi nest tours, touch base with the Tourism Authority of Thailand)
