The Pizzazzy

An interesting thing that we noticed during our visit to Phuket was traces of Ramayana, the Indian mythological epic. In Fanta Sea there was a sign which read Hanuman’s Lair, we got a pamphlet which described Hanuman as the most powerful, which perfectly fit the description of the cute and powerful character of the celebrated indian mythology.

This intrigued me more as I sometimes love to dwell into mythology. I am also sincerely following the popular TV serial Ravana, the main antagonist of Ramayana.  When we were kids mom used to read many books by various authors and tell us the various adaptations of Ramayana and Mahabharata. So, I thought of looking up Ramayana and its relation with Thai culture.

Interestingly, Ramayana was adapted into Thai culture with some changes here and there to suit the Thai culture and is popularly known as Ramakein and its the first epic of Thailand. Among the other countries to have adapted Ramayana are Cambodia, Indonesia, China. To know more just do a Wiki on Ramayana.

That makes even Ramayana a gift of India to the world.

I promised to write a post about it. So here it is.

Wat Chalong is the biggest Buddhist temple in Phuket. The only one that allows visitors to take snaps everywhere in the temples, campus. As soon as we entered the temple premises a sense of calm and peacefulness enveloped us. I immediately got some shots of the temple buildings, there are four temples. We then entered the main temple.

I went inside and offered my prayers kneeling down and joining both my hands just as I would do in any Hindu temple. I noticed there were a few bamboo caskets and some wooden blocks. Others were shaking the bamboo casket and throwing out a bamboo stick which had a number printed on it. Then they also threw the two wooden blocks for a few times.

I just thought I will try the numbers, so I shook the casket to remove a number and asked Anand to do the same. Then around the corner on the wall there was a wooden cabinet which had some printed papers categorized by numbers. I instantly connected these with the numbers that we got and knew that this was some kind of forecast. So, I removed a paper for each of our numbers but they were in Thai and Chinese. Anyways I pocketed them thinking may be I’ll find some one knowing Thai. I could have tried the Hotel but we had checked out and we were already on our way to airport.

Once we came out of the temple building I saw a Thai lady standing outside. On impulse I walked up to her and asked her if she could read the papers. She said yes, and she read the papers of both the numbers. Sadly both the numbers were unlucky. Then she introduced herself and told us that she was the guide who took daily tours to Wat Chalong but that day was her off day. How lucky for us that even then we found her there, she explained that she came to show the temple to her friends.

She told us everything about the temple and also explained how to perform the prayers. Very interesting! She said that the two wooden blocks are for a yes no type of questions that you want God to answer. So first you pray then you take the two blocks in your palm close it, ask the question in your head and throw the blocks, till you get the blocks as one up and the other down. But this can be tried only for three times. If within this three chances you get the opposites then it’s a yes otherwise the answer is no.

She also told the correct way to shake out the lucky number and since we had got bad numbers she said that we can throw it or return them to the cabinet. Only good numbers should be carried home. Some people also tie the bad numbers on the huge tamarind tree and the tamarind are black color as it is taking all the evil from the bad numbers.

I am quite broad minded, and at the same time superstitious about some things. I simply believe that if it does not harm anyone then superstitions are okay.

After this we went to other buildings but since it was already 5 the buildings were closed. So if you are visiting Wat Chalong make it way before 5 p.m. And click lots of pictures which probably you will not get to do at most temples.

To truly feel the essence of Phuket one can just drive around the Phuket town and along the Patong beach area, the laid back life in Phuket welcomes everyone with open skies and lovely beaches. Being an avid lover of Greens and Blooms I immediately noticed that most of the houses have flower pots with beautiful orchids blooming. The two wheelers are a common site, with people cutting lanes from all sides. Some areas remind you of Goa. People are not very good with English but then they can sort of talk the tourist talk and give you enough information to help you locate your destination. Here are some highlights of things to do while in Phuket, compiled from our experience there:

Fanta Sea: A Thai cultural extravaganza, with an area of 140 acres beautifully done up with lights. It has a live show featuring elephants, hen, cows, tiger, birds. This show depicts the Thai culture with great performance by elephants, some magical illusion, 4D effect, acrobatics and special effects. A must see for all visiting Phuket, this must have been the best thing that we did in Phuket. The show begins at 9:30 and the theme park opens at 5:30 but no need to be early here as theres nothing much to do except for having a grand buffet at the Kinnaree.

Simon Cabaret: This is a good show worth seeing and very famous. Every night they have two shows @ 7:30 and @9:30 and both the shows run to a packed hall. This show is performed by ladyboys and transvestites. The show also has some good setup and performances. Some of the sequences are outrageously suggestive. The beautiful and extravagant setup, bright lights, good sound system and stunning dresses are the pluses of the show.

Jungceylon: A big shopping mall just at the end of the Patong Beach is a beautiful pace to hang out. Most of the international brands and some local art and crafts collection can be found here. I picked up a few souvenirs and some novels from here. The bonus is they have this 15 minutes musical fountain show at 1, 3, 5 and 7.

Wat Chalong: A beautiful Buddhist temple. You feel amazingly calm and peaceful here. There are around 4-5 temples here. One of them is completely made out of Teakwood which is very costly and since 18th century when it was built it is rebuilt many times to retain the beauty. This was the main house of the three monks that one can see in the main temple. This is the only Thai temple where one can take pictures anywhere in the temples. Am thinking of dedicating a post to Wat Chalong. So watch out for my next post.

Elephant Safari: It’s a jungle ride on an elephant, and offers some spectacular beach views from hill tracks. Although we did take an hour long ride, I will not recommend this. And surely not buying the pictures that they click for you on the way.

World’s biggest Jewelry Showroom: All ladies don’t forget to visit this showroom. I wasn’t lucky enough as we had planned this on our last day and when we reached there at 7 it was closing down. So set some 2 hours aside exclusively for this.

Phi Phi Island tour: Good to enjoy snorkeling and swimming. If you are planning Phi Phi island tour take the speed boats which can reach the shores and caves where the big ships cannot. Dress properly for this tour. Better to have our swim suit on under some lose fitting clothes. So that you can simply gear up and dive for snorkeling. Not recommended for people with sea sickness like me. I was sleeping throughout the tour only staying awake while at Phi Phi island. From here you get a beautiful view of James Bond island.

Central Festival: Big Shopping mall with many international brands and good Thai Sovenirs. Good eating joints and nice interiors.

Beaches: Nice beaches, the most commercial is Patong beach and the whole strip along the beach has many eating joints offering both authentic Thai and European food. Some joints face the beach so you can simply enjoy a drink with spectacular beach view. You can rent a car or bike and beach hop the whole day. Just a few minutes away are the Kamala beach, Kata beach and Karon beach.

Swimming, Water Sports: All sorts of water sports like canoeing, snorkeling, para sailing can be experienced around Phuket. Due to rain the sea was very wild and turbulent, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying getting drenched in the rain and sea.

Thai Cooking class: This is something unique that Phuket offers. A 3-6 hours cooking session costing anywhere between 1000 THB to 3000 THB is good enough to understand the basics of Thai cooking. We took a 3 hours session at Ramada only. And in this three hour session we cooked three very tasty and mouth watering dishes: Red Curry with Roasted Chicken, Stir Fried crab with Curry Powder and Stir Fried Prawns with Vegetables.

Thai Food: I can’t stop talking about Thai food. As already mentioned in my earlier posts, Thai cuisine is the closest to Indian and being a seafood lover I simply freak out on Thai food. All the days that we were in Phuket we ate only Thai.

There are many other things to do in Phuket, visit www.phuket.com to get good deals and tips.

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