Phuket Life

I've been told there are 1,000 elephants at work in Phuket. I don't know if the stands on the side of the road where you can ride an elephant for an exorbant amount of money in Thai standards counts as an employed elephant, but if that's the case it's easy to believe. Phuket is roughly the size of Singapore, but much more rural. Tourism has taken it's toll, however, and elephant rides and snake shows are as common as hawkers roasting chickens at roadside stalls.

Don't be a wimp! Ride the elephant!

I wish I could say we got off the beaten path and spent some time learning how the locals lived. But we were tourists, lah! And we did what tourists do, which is eat, sleep, swim, and shop. Driving to the airport after a sudden rainstorm and seeing the fire-red sunset through a grove of rubber trees made me have my regrets though.

What we did do well was eat, however. Fresh fish and seafood was all around us, often whatever the fishermen brought home on that day. Tiger prawns weighing half a kilo each and lobster almost a metre long were common sights.

One of our favorites was the mysteriously named Restaurant 4. This gem was recommended in our guidebook and was not an easy place to find. For what it lacked in ambiance it more than made up for in the food. Huge portions of tasty seafood and other local specialties brought out family style.

We had prawns, crab, and Thai pineapple rice, among other delicious things. One of the special pleasures of Restaurant 4 were the walls, which were signed by hundreds of adoring customers raving about the food. They had recently repainted over the previous batch (guess the repaint everytime it fills up) so we had plenty of space to write. Can you see what Sarah wrote?

Another restaurant we ate at was Ka Jok See, recommended by one of our guides from Coralseekers. A quiet little restaurant hidden away in a Chinese shophouse, this place had everything we couldn't find in Patong: namely, great service and ambiance. When we asked for the dessert menu and found they didn't have any, they actually made us up a simple dessert to have with our Chinese tea, free of charge, of course.

If you're in Phuket and want to enjoy a restaurant with great food, service and ambiance (hard to find in the tourist areas), try Ka Jok See. And no, we don't get a commission from you visiting it.

Overall, we found Phuket a feast for all of our senses. Every day, worn out from all the fun we were having, we rejuvenated ourselves with a traditional Thai massage, a big treat especially for Jayne. It was the most relaxing five days we've ever spent on a vacation, and we are already considering other destinations in Thailand to escape Singapore again during Chinese New Year.

Thailand enjoys a relatively stable political situation and the economy is the first in the region to begin recovery, so tourism is still strong. If you're going to Phuket in 1999, book early!

The delicious cuisine of Ka Jok See.