Monthly Archives: June 2009

Phuket Shopping Guide

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Phuket Shopping

Phuket Shopping

Phuket has plenty to offer its visitors including some outstanding shopping venues. Phuket is well known for its beautiful white sandy beaches and exiting nightlife however during the last decade a large number of world class shopping venues have opened in Phuket.

When people think about going shopping in Phuket they will often think about counterfeit software, DVD movies and fake brand name clothing. If this is the type of goods that you want to purchase during your holiday on Phuket then there are plenty of small stores where you can find these types of products.

If however you would like to purchase high quality products and designer clothing then there are a number of world class Phuket shopping malls where you can go buy these items.

Travelers planning a trip to Phuket and who would like to do some shopping during their holiday should definitely plan a visit to some of the outstanding Phuket shopping venues listed down below.

Jungceylon Shopping Mall

The Jungceylon shopping mall is the newest shopping mall on Phuket and is located in the Patong beach resort area. There are hundreds of stores at this mall as well as plenty of restaurants and other types of entertainment venues. If you feel like catching a movie then you should definitely check out the multi screen movie theatre which is located on the top floor.

Phuket Central Festival

The Phuket Central Festival mall is located along the bypass road of Phuket and is home to some of the finest shops and boutiques found anywhere on the island. If you plan to do some shopping in Phuket then be sure to visit the excellent Central department store which is located inside of this large and modern shopping mall. The Phuket Central Festival mall is also home to a multi screen cinema and there are plenty of food and beverage outlets from which shoppers can choose.

Big C Mall

The Big C mall in Phuket is where most of the local Thai residents seem to enjoy doing their shopping. The main retailer at this Phuket shopping mall is the Thai Big C department store however there are also a number of other restaurants and stores at this shopping venue. The Big C mall is located close by to the Phuket Central Festival shopping mall and is as well located along the Phuket Bypass road.

Ocean Plaza Patong

Another popular shopping destination in Patong is the Ocean Plaza mall. There are dozens of small boutiques which together form the Ocean department store. There is also an excellent supermarket located in the basement of this Phuket shopping mall. If you enjoy bowling then be sure to visit the modern bowling alley which is located on the top floor of the Ocean Plaza mall in Patong.

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The Leatherback Turtle on Phuket Island

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The Leatherback Turtle on Phuket Island

The Leatherback Turtle on Phuket Island

Only two marine reptiles remain in today’s oceans: sea snakes and sea turtles. The sea turtles have been around for a while – about 150 million years – and have not changed much in their evolutionary history, closely resembling their fossil ancestors.

The leatherback turtle is one of seven species found in the world’s oceans, including the Andaman Sea, and is quite easy to distinguish, resembling as it does a small Volkswagen beetle. A nesting female may have a carapace two meters in length and weigh half a ton. It lacks the hard shell characteristic of other turtles; instead, it has smooth leathery carapace marked by seven longitudinal ridges.

While the male is never seen on land, some females use the northwestern beaches of Phuket for a nesting site from October through April. Egg-laying seasons are found to differ throughout the world, and sea currents may have some influence on this. Beaches with a deep-water approach, surf and a steep slope are preferred, since these features require the nesting turtle to crawl shorter distances.

The leatherback is normally a solitary animal. But during the nesting season, an offshore orgy takes place. Groups of 40-100 have been seen swimming together. The female may mate and nest up to nine times in one season, at intervals of 9-14 days.

The egg-laden female prefers to haul herself out to the ocean during the night at high tide. If there’s no disturbance, she crawls up to dry sand above the high water mark, selecting a nest site free from vegetation. She excavates a shollow body pit, her rear flippers scooping out a nest cavity with the accuracy of a precision instrument. (A turtle will abandon the nest and look for a new site if sand falls back into the cavity after it has been dug.) The neck of the vase-shaped nest is much narrower than the base. The flipper gently curves as it enters the cavity and withdraws the sand. This operation alternates from flipper to flipper until the cavity is about 50-60 centimeters deep. Such a deep nest both foils predators and protects the eggs from excessive heat and desiccation. by Terence Dillon Morin

Popularity: 1% [?]

Phuket Nightlife Still Changing

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Phuket Nightlife Still Changing

Phuket Nightlife Still Changing

Phuket nightlife takes on many different forms. Phuket is one of Thailand’s top destinations and as such there is a diverse range of nightspots on the island. Although Phuket nightlife is not quite on the same level as in Bangkok, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find somewhere to have fun.

Phuket nightlife is at its most lively in Patong. You’ll either love Patong or you’ll hate it. The bars are loud, the clubs are obnoxious and the streets are crowded. That being said, Patong is cheap and the bars and clubs stay open later than in other parts of Phuket.

Patong is famous for its nightlife. The center of the action is found on Soi Bangla, which is a hive of go-go bars, discos and stage shows. This is Phuket nightlife at its most seedy, but it can be a lot of fun if you go in the right frame of mind.

Generally speaking, the bars and clubs in Patong churn out hip hop and dance music hits. It can all be a bit predictable so don’t go expecting something special.

Patong is also known for its girls. Yes, it’s true, there are countless bar girls and sex shows in Patong, but the people of Patong make no effort to conceal these facts. Patong is what it is and it’s best not to take the whole place too seriously.

Perhaps the most fun that can be had in Thailand is at some of the local clubs. Phuket nightlife is at its most authentic in the small Thai clubs, where you can check out some of the local bands. Phuket Town is probably the best place to sample some Thai-style clubbing.

Also in Phuket Town there are lots of pubs and beer bars and much less of the seedy side of Phuket nightlife.

There are plenty of other areas where you can go and party, but usually they aren’t as busy and entertaining as in Patong or Phuket Town. There are a few exceptions scattered around the island in places such as Surin, Kata-Karon and Nai Harn.

The only area that Phuket really lacks anything in in terms of nightlife is serious clubbing. There are a few Phuket clubs where you can hear cutting-edge music, but these are few and far between. However, it is possible to catch electro, techno, breaks, house and more in some Phuket clubs and bars.

Phuket could be a major clubbing destination in Southeast Asia, but the island has a long way to go before it can start competing with the likes of Singapore and KL.

For now, Phuket nightlife has enough depth to keep people entertained, but you feel as if there is more to come. The shining beacon of Phuket nightlife is that there is a great live-music scene around the island. There are lots of bands who can rattle out everything from rock and indie to jazz and blues. If you can get into it, there is a top indie scene in Phuket. Pick up some CDs in a local store to get a feel for the music.

Popularity: 22% [?]