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What’s on Phuket P4

Fun in one day P5

Chakri Memorial Day P7

Phuket never sleeps P8

Island weddings P9

Irish Times bar P11

Phuket map P13

Naka market P14

Thailand Q&A P19

Do’s & Don’ts P20

Hot spots P21

CONTENTS

Time for Songkran P3

Phuket Bike WeekIf burnouts, tattoos, and

fast paced celebrations are your thing, then you are

set for a treat with the Phuket Bike Week 2011 happening in Patong this April 8 to 11.

Turn up the heat, and view some of the finest custom bikes around in this year’s lead-up to the Songkran New Year Festivities.

Patong football field, and Loma Park, Patong beach, are the two main venues for the four day bike festival, but you can expect to see loud bikes and colourful riders all over Phuket Island during the week.

The festival has become a motorcycle institution on the island, with riders from all over Asia, and the rest of the world, converging on Phuket to show their prized machines and take part in the open-air concerts, exhibi-tions, and events, including beauty pageants, prize give-aways, Thai dance perfor-mances, and gala dinners.

You do not have to be a bike fanatic to enjoy the festivi-ties, as the electric atmosphere and live music are more than enough for most.

The first three days are the main exhibition and show days, while the fourth day is Ride and Easy day, where the bikers visit many Phuket beaches and sur-rounding islands.

Phuket Bike Week 2011•Friday 8 April

3pm – Midnight: Motorcycle Exhibi-tion at Patong Football field.

•Beach Party & Music festival & Bikes contest at Loma Park Patong Beach: 4pm – 6pm: 17th Phuket Bike Week Beach Party with live music and biker games. 6pm – 7pm: Body Paint (Tattoo Show) and Bike Contest, Round 1. 7pm – 8pm: Fire Dance Show, games and give-aways. 8pm – 9pm: Thai Dance and welcom-ing party organizers of Heroesend MC Club and Phuket Riders Club and all clubs in Phuket. 9pm - 10pm: Rock City Band and Miss Phuket Bike Week 2011 Con-test, Round 1.

10pm - 11pm: Top Live Musical - Jazz and Blue Music festival. 11pm – Midnight: Lucky draw winner selected. Cowboy/Indian/Rake shows. Midnight - 2am: Local live band from Phuket.

•Saturday 9 April 3pm – Midnight: Motorcycle Exhibi-tion at Patong Football field.

•Beach Party and Music festival and Bikes contest at Loma Park Patong Beach. 4pm – 6pm: 17th Phuket Bike Week Beach Party with live music and biker games. 6pm – 7pm: Registration for Phuket Bike Week 2011 Grand Dinner Open-ing Party. 7pm – 8pm: Opening Ceremony Phuket Bike Week 2011 and start dinner with all riders VIP.

8pm – 9pm: President’s Club MC official opening ceremony. 9pm – 10pm: Bike Contest Final and Miss Phuket Bike Week 2011 Contest, Round 2. 10pm – 11pm: Rock Music with Pe, Pong, Jeap, Leam, and Kitti. 11pm – Midnight: Lucky draw winner selected. Midnight – 2am: Live Rock and Roll Music.

•Sunday 10 April 3pm – Midnight: Motorcycle Exhibition at Patong Football field. 3pm - 4pm: Tree planting campaign to reduce Global warming at the roadside from Patong Beach to Kamala Beach.

•Beach Party and Music festival and Bikes contest at Loma Park Patong Beach 4pm - 6pm: “Ride for Peace” convoy

starts from Patong Beach Road to Karon - Kata - NaiHaan - Phomthep Cape (a round trip of 30km). 6pm - 7pm: Tattoo contest final. 7pm – 8pm: Cowboy/Indian/Rake shows and live music. 8pm – 9pm: Rider Club President giveaway to attendees. 9pm – 10pm: Live music from the famous “Bao Vee”. 10pm – 11pm: Miss Phuket Bike Week 2011 Contest final. 11pm – Midnight: Grand Prize draw, live music and thanks to all riders by event organizers.

•Monday and Tuesday 11-12 April Ride and easy day.

Bike Week sees hundreds of riders and their machines come to Phuket.

revs into top gear for April

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Little Ireland in PatongOutside of Christ-

mas and New Years, St Pat-r ick’s Day i s

probably the most widely observed celebration in the world.

The day is synonymous with drinking, and anything green. In Chicago they even dye the river green.

Irish Times, in Jungcelyon, Patong, is the perfect place to celebrate this quintessentially Irish holiday.

The bar is owned and man-aged by Irishman, Tommy Corley, and his father Ronald. The two first came to Thai-land to see what they could take back to Europe.

Instead, they ended up bringing a piece of Ireland to Thailand, and have been open here for the last three years.

Irish Times is the only Irish owned and managed bar of its size in Thailand, and the pair have worked hard to create the atmosphere of a traditional Irish bar. Most of the fittings, including a solid brass bar rail, were brought over from Ire-land by Tommy and his father.

At Irish Times, traditional booths with seats of a deep green leather line wood-pan-elled walls.

Antique brass taps, cork-screws, soda bottles, and ce-ramics are displayed along-side vintage advertising posters for Guinness.

The bar, the centrepiece of any Irish establishment, is a broad, high affair, perfect to prop-up against and have a drink. Murphy’s, Guinness, Fosters, Singha, and Chang are all on tap.

But Irish Times is not just about drinking. I have come to see what traditional Irish cuisine is like in Phuket.

The Bar’s Head Chef is Daniel Ryan, who came to them from Floyd’s, one of celebrity chef Keith Floyd’s restaurants.

His menu is a compre-hensive selection of typical Irish dishes, a decent range of burgers, quality Austra-lian steaks; and a suitable selection of Thai dishes that Tommy assures me are pre-

pared just right, not too spicy. I almost settle on a mixed

grill that includes black pud-ding, but in the end decide to go for barbecue back ribs while my friend selects the chicken brochette.

The ribs arrive marinated and baked in a special bar-becue sauce that chef Ryan prepares himself.

It is not a sophisticated dish baked potato and cole-slaw accompany but the ribs have been baked to perfec-tion; the meat comes easily off the bone and is devastat-ingly tender. The coleslaw is the perfect comfort-food

accompaniment.The chicken brochette is

similarly simple, while being executed delightfully: a slight charcoal flavour and, like the ribs, satisfyingly tender.

The portions are extremely generous, and when com-bined with heavy Irish beer, stasis seems wisest .

Later that night I ask Ron-ald the question I have always wanted to ask the owner of an Irish pub: “why are you certain to find an Irish bar

wherever you travel? Why do they succeed, and not other bars?”

“Because people know that we’re open,” Ronald answers.

“It’s the comfort of know-ing what to expect.”

Anyone can walk into an Irish bar anywhere in the world and feel comfortable and welcome, and know what to expect:

Beer, solid food, a whole lot of green.

– Joshua Hoey

Staff and a reveller at this year’s St Patrick’s Day festivities. From the left: Cindy, Gordey, and Yoyo.

Geoff and Celia Frodsham celebrating St Patrick’s day at Irish Times pub in Jungcelyon, Patong.

Barbecue back ribsChicken Brochette


Thailand bouncing backDon’t you think

it’s amazing how Thailand always manages to re-

group in the face of all the setbacks it has to deal with? How many countries do you know that can sidestep politi-cal infighting turmoil, natural disasters such as floods and the tsunami and global fi-nancial crashes for which we have experienced during the past 18 months?

It seems that people can-not keep away from the Land of Smiles, no matter what hardships and obstacles happen to pop up at every turn. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Surapol Svetasreni reported that tourist arrival figures in Thailand have hit 15.7-15.8 million this year, even in the face of several ongoing problems.

From January to Novem-ber 2010, the governor said

14.03 million tourists visited Thailand with a further 1.68 million expected over the remaining part of the year. With the tourist revenue pro-jected to be in the region of B580-600 billion ($19.29-9.95 billion) it has to be said, what problems?

The Chinese topped the list of nationalities to visit Thailand in 2010 once again, with Scandinavians holding second spot, although they stay longer in the country due to their high spending prowess.

The main reasons cited for tourists still visiting Thailand in high numbers are the world-famous Thai hospitality and the great ser-vice, alongside the country’s natural resources and beauti-ful landscapes. For sure, the country has a magnetic pull that keeps people coming back no matter what obsta-cles appear.

The projected visitor fig-ures for next year are already doing the rounds, with an ex-pected number in the region of 15.5 million, generating somewhere around B600 million in revenue. Thailand is back on the map for visi-tors – but we should ask the question, has it really been away?

Crowds of tourists still flock to Thailand’s famous Patong beach despite all the recent troubles the country has faced.

Phuket Airport is still one of the busiest in the country.


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14 Your FREE guide to Travelling and Living in Phuket

HELPFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERTourist Police, National Hotline 1155Phuket Hotline 1699Police & Emergencies 191Phuket Police 076 212 046, 076 212 115Marine Police 076 211 883Ambulance 076 254 425, 076 210 935, 076 212 297Fire Department 076 211 111Decompression Chamber 076 342 518

LOST OR STOLEN CREDIT CARDSAmerican express 02 273 0022-44Master Card 02 299 1990-2Visa 02 299 1990-29

GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONSCustoms 076 211 105Immigration 076 221 905, 076 212 018Post Office 076 211 020

TRAVELPhuket International Airport 076 327 230-237Tourism Authority of Thailand (Phuket) 076 212 213, 076 211 036

CONSULATES IN PHUKETAustria 076 248 334-6Denmark 076 378 251Finland 076 530 530-4France 076 288 828Germany 076 354 119Italy 076 323 028Norway 076 380 000 ext.257Sweden 076 380 000

Don’t dive into dangerous watersPHUKET’S beaches are amongst

the best in the world, but they also have a dangerous, killer side to them.

Dozens of tourists drown ev-ery year in Phuket after becoming caught in the death-dealing riptides, and it is important that all visitors understand and respect the local beach warning flag system.

If the flags on the beach are red, it means the beach is unsafe, so DON’T swim there.

Don’t even wade into the water for a paddle because the rips and undercurrents can be very strong, even a few meters from shore, and are powerful enough to sweep you off your feet and into deeper water.

The undercurrents are particu-larly dangerous during the summer months, from May until November, when the seas are stirred up by the

monsoon winds and become even wilder than usual.

Even good swimmers, includ-ing former lifeguards, have ended up dead after ignoring the warning flags and being caught in the rips.

There are lifeguards on duty at most Phuket beaches, but they are usually poorly trained and ill-equipped to handle difficult rescue operations.

The best defence against an ac-cidental drowning is to be aware of the beach flags, and obey any instructions or advice offered by the lifeguards on duty.

They may be poorly trained, but they know more about their own beach than anyone else.

Stay safe and don’t become an-other statistic.

We need all the tourist we have and we can’t afford to lose any.

Stay alive:

Our weekend marketBangkok has the vast Chatujak weekend market,

where you can buy just about anything under the sun. Phuket has its weekend market too at the Naka

Market on Wirat Hong Yok Road, on a much smaller scale of course, which is open on Saturday and Sunday evenings.

Many tourists have already discovered that they can join the locals for some bargain prices for handicrafts, clothes and decorative knick-knacks. The range of the variety of food being served there alone will ensure that you will not go home hungry, or much out of pocket. A great place just to go to look at people as well.


Great April Fool’s Day HoaxesNewspaper, radio, and

television have al-ways been the prime

vehicles for playing April Fool’s hoaxes on an unsus-pecting public, who, for the most part, have fallen for them hook, line, and sinker.

April Fool’s Day is be-lieved to have originated as long ago as 1392 via Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Over the years, hundreds of pranks have been played on the general public, with one of the best coming from the United Kingdom in 1976 when astronomer Patrick Moore explained to his wide-reaching audience that a special galactic alignment of two planets would effect the upward gravitational pull on the earth, making people lighter.

Moore went into detail, announcing that at precisely 9:47am, people would expe-rience a “strange floating sen-sation” for a brief moment.

What was so funny about the prank was that Moore re-ceived numerous phone calls from his listeners who said they actually felt weightless.

One woman went so far as to say that she and 11 friends were seated around a table which began to float dur-ing this cosmic time period. Another woman claimed the release of the gravitational pull was so large that she hit her head on the ceiling.

Online travel giants, Ex-pedia, played another famous prank on an unsuspecting public when they began ad-vertising flights to Mars. The company’s sales pitch: “take advantage of Expedia’s No Booking Fees promotion to save big money on flights to Mars, starting from only $99.” That’s right, people actually fell for that one!

In 1996, fast food com-pany, Taco Bell, took out a full-page advertisement in a major North American news-

paper, stating that they had purchased the Liberty Bell from the American govern-ment and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell.

Unsurprisingly, many were outraged and the com-pany received numerous complaints from the public.

One of the greatest April Fool’s scams has to be Burg-er King’s announcement that they had created a left-hand-ed Whopper burger, claiming that the specially developed burger held condiments in

just the right place for left-handed Americans.

A full-page advert in USA Today on April Fool’s Day, 1998, launched the new left-handed Whopper in fine style. Not only did Burger king have left-handed people queuing up for the new burg-er, but right-handed diners began asking for a standard right-handed Whopper.

Another famous April Fool’s Day hoax was insti-gated by the much respected British news show, Pan-orama, who aired a three-minute news segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in Switzerland that was the result of a mild winter and the “virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil.”

They finished off the seg-ment by stating, “for those who love this dish, there’s nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti.”

Following the segment, Panorama was inundated

with phone calls from view-ers who wanted to know how to grow their own spaghetti tree. The show answered the question by suggesting you should “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce, and hope for the best.”

In today’s modern society, people tend to take the world so seriously, which is why days such as April Fool’s provide that welcome break from the norm.

You don’t have to go the great lengths of taking out full-page ads in newspapers, but why not think up some-thing on a smaller scale to trick your family and friends.

Burger King’s left-handed Whopper.

The “Taco Liberty Bell.”


As we fly through the high season period for Phuket, the question I keep receiving is “when would be the best time to book Phuket villa rentals?” This really is a subjective question, and I would answer – any time. It depends what you see as “the best time.” With the ever changing world climate, the seasons have be-come very unstable and un-predictable.

High season – December to April

Just a year ago, you could bet your house on Phuket re-ceiving the minimum amount of rainfall from December to April, and in most cases no rain at all during those high-season months. This has been turned on its head at the end of last year moving into 2011. If you want that excit-

One of the best kept secrets on Phuket is the Friendship

Beach Resort and Restau-rant on Visit Road, between Chalong and Rawai. Nestled idyllically on a scenic beach within viewing distance of Chalong Pier and Bay, Friendship Beach is a restau-rant come resort that typifies that paradise island feel.

The establishment is fun-damentally a resort with holiday bungalows, but the restaurant is one of the few places that only the local expatriate community knows about. The restaurant is open in nature, allowing the ocean breeze to gently refresh you while you dine.

The amazing ocean views are the stuff of dreams, while the picturesque outlaying is-lands not only provide sanc-tuary for Chalong Bay, but are also breathtaking.

The restaurant is open-style, with a main bar area

Anytime is right in Phuket

Have you heard of Friendship Beach?

ing party atmosphere, this is definitely the best time of the year. There is also something special about relaxing on the beach on Christmas Day in subtropical temperatures while your friends in Europe are freezing to death.

surrounded by pagodas, which can make your dining experience quite private if you wish.

The menu has gained a solid reputation with locals over the years, with a range of high quality European, American, Mexican, and Thai cuisines, there is more than enough for everyone to enjoy.

Only fresh and healthy in-gredients are used when pre-paring meals, which makes it some of the tastiest food found on the south side of the island. The delicious vegetarian menu provides guests with a myriad of options you can’t find any-where else in Phuket.

One of the major draw cards of Friendship Beach is the live music on Friday eve-nings and Sunday afternoons. Over the years, these two nights have become popular with those in the know. Friday nights is when some of the island’s favorite musicians take the stage and perform

There is no doubt high sea-son is one of the best times to visit Phuket, although the price of accommodation skyrockets.

Low season – May to November

Although Phuket is at its best during the high season

some blues music classics for eager customers.

Local musicians from bands such as the Groove Doctors usually form the majority of the house band, and play well into the night. Sunday afternoons, from 4pm until late, you can enjoy the soulful delights of the tal-ented jazz band that make for

months, you could alterna-tively book later in the year, because the Phuket villa rent-als rates are much lower, and you can still enjoy high temperatures.

You can get some great Phuket villa rentals deals

a soothing melodic afternoon. The female Filipina vocal-

ist mirrors the great Shirley Bassey, quite a compliment in itself.

Friendship Beach really is a place you should visit during your time in Phuket. It’s the sort of establishment that will bring you back time and time again. Now you

have the opportunity to see the place for yourself, don’t miss out!

Open Daily, 8am-11pm.Friendship Beach Res-

taurant, 27/1 Soi Mittrapap, Friendship Beach, Rawai Phone: 076 288 996Fax : 076 289 139Mobile: 089 727 2296 (Starr) 089 471 9908 (Pee)

after April, all the way to November. This is what we call “low season,” although it now seems you could have as much chance of getting a perfect three week sunshine spell at any time of the year. If you really want to explore the island without sharing the same space with hordes of tourists, the low season months will be the best.

This brings me back to my original point about the question of “best time” being very subjective. For prices and peace and quiet, low season is the only choice. However, if you want to get away from the freezing cold temperatures of Northern Europe over the Christmas and New Year periods or fan-cy a party-like atmosphere when on holiday in Phuket, you need to choose the high season months of December to April.

With shifting seasons, even the so called “low season” has become a great time to holiday in Phuket.

One of Phuket’s best kept secrets: the Friendship Beach Resort and Restaurant.

Best time of the year to rent a Phuket Villa


Scandinavian Holidays in PhuketWhen you live or holiday in Phuket, you will no doubt find that Scandinavians seem to be everywhere. Not only are they big spenders, they are also generally nice people with a great attitude and even greater English language skills.

Scandinavian holidays in Phuket are an extremely lu-crative business venture. The market is now at the point where direct flights to Phuket from Norway, Denmark and Sweden are available.

Scandinavian communi-ties, bars and restaurants are prevalent on the island every-where you look. One of the things I have noticed during my half a decade in Phuket is that not so many Scandi-navians seem to rent holiday villas in Phuket. We person-ally believe that more of our Scandinavian brothers and sisters would benefit greatly from a Phuket holiday villa.

The high standard of liv-ing in northern Europe, and

the quality Scandinavians expect means that holiday villas would be ideally geared towards them. Rent-ing a holiday villa would revolutionise Scandinavian holidays in Phuket.

With private swimming

pools, secure properties, and private surroundings, there is no better holiday experience than within a rental villa. The days of booking hotels are behind us, as a group of peo-ple travelling together would have to pay for individual ho-

tel rooms, so the best option is to pool your funds, and get that personal holiday experi-ence you deserve.

Hotels are fine enough, but they simply cannot offer you the same personal touch and privacy of a Phuket villa. If

you would rather spend your precious holiday time with hundreds of other people and their screaming kids – the choice is yours. However, Scandinavian holidays in Phuket are an entirely differ-ent ball game.

We welcome our Scandi-navian friends with open arms and assure you that we will give you the Thailand holiday experience of your dreams. Scandinavian holidays in Phuket will never be the same again when you switch your allegiance from hotels to pri-vate rental villa. Once you have made that move, you will be wondering why you decided to stay in a hotel in-stead of a villa.

For more information re-garding the best holiday rental villas in Phuket and the whole of Thailand, you can check out our website here. Please feel free to inquire and ask questions and we will get back to you with a rapid response.

Phuket has always been a popular destination for Scandinavians, but whereas other tourists rent villas, the majority of Scandinavians still book hotel rooms.


At the end of 2010, the Phuket Tourist Association released

figures showing that hotel occupan-cy levels were down by 25 per cent compaired to the same time in 2009.

This appears to be a significant drop, but without a more in depth view of the overall tourist demo-graphics, such a figure can be quite misleading.

The Association’s Vice President, Bhuritt Maswongsa, released the figure himself, and it is most likely accurate, but other factors should be understood before adopting a the-sky-is-falling-down mentality.

Take into consideration that in early March this year, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Gov-ernor, Surapol Svetasreni, stated that arrivals for 2010 were almost 16 million, a very healthy number of visitors.

Indications from the property market are that the number of holi-day home rentals in Phuket and other major tourist destinations in Thailand are on the rise each year.

The high numbers of return visitors to Thailand already understand and know what they want from their holiday. More and more now pre-fer the privacy and luxury a rental home can offer them, especially if they are travelling with family or friends. Such a shift in accommo-dation preferences could account for the drop in hotel occupancy figures.

Mr Bhuritt’s figures are not trying to mislead as they are a cal-culated guess at the real figures. No one is doubting that there are fewer tourists in Phuket this year. What is misleading is that people may read the article and make assumptions that the overall tourist figures for Phuket are down 25-30 per cent.

One should remember that there are many things to factor in before we start to prophesise the end of the world. The major thing is that holiday villa rentals are rapidly growing and this will no doubt af-fect hotel occupancy levels over the coming years.

Q: What is the voltage of electricity? A: The voltage in Thailand is 220 volts, 50 cycles per second. Generally speak-ing, Thailand’s plug sockets are two-pronged, so bringing along a converter is a good idea, although you can actually purchase a converter in Thailand.

Q: Can I drink water directly from the tap in Thailand?A: Nobody would recommend you to drink tap water in Thailand. Bottled water is so cheap, and is the best thing to drink in Thailand if you want to avoid an upset stomach. Even brushing your teeth with tap water is a no no.

Q: Are the dental services in Thailand of a high standard?A: Yes! If you need any dental work done, we would advise that you take advantage of the excellent dental services in the kingdom. In most cases, they have the innovative technology that you would see in top quality dental practices in the western world, for a quarter of the price.

Q: What are the opening hours of banks and currency exchange services?A: Commercial Banks Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday (9:30am-3:30pm, except bank holi-days), Currency Exchange Services, Hours of Operation: 7 Days (8:30am-10:00pm), Authorised Money Changers in hotels, Hours of Operation: 24 hour service

Q: Is every item I want to purchase in Thailand open to the bartering and haggling system?A: The vast majority of goods you want to buy from the non-food markets are definitely open to bartering. Items that are on display in shopping cen-tres and high-street stalls have fixed prices, so bartering isn’t needed.

Q: Can I use my credit cards when holidaying in Thailand?A: Credit card usage is accepted in most upscale restaurants and in depart-ment stalls. Tailors will also accept credit cards. Restaurants at the cheap end of the scale normally only accept cash payment.

THAILAND Q&A Phuket hotel occupancy stats misleading?


Thailand Etiquette

IN THAILAND

DO’S & DON’TSIt is important to remember that Thai social nuances are different to those in the western world. Whereas we reserve the rights in our own countries to speak out against how country affairs are conducted, Thailand is a little different.

DON’T Speak Out Negatively About The Thai Royal FamilyThe Thai Royal Family is revered across the nation and must be treated with the utmost respect at all times. DO NOT publicly criticize the King of Thailand or any member of the Royal Family. You may find yourself with a lengthy prison sentence or at best a large fine. It has happened before to unknowing visitors and it will happen again. Beware!

DO Keep Your Feet On The GroundIn Thai culture, the feet are the lowest part of the body, which is a negative thing. DO NOT use your feet to point at things or show the soles of your feet to other people. Keep the soles of your feet firmly on the ground at all times and everything will fine.

DO Not Cause a Thai to Lose FaceThais are a non-confrontational nation who would rather smile than argue. Never ridicule a Thai in private or public, because this will make them lose face. This is an important aspect of Thai culture and should always be remembered.

DO Exercise Tolerance It is the norm in the western world to become visibly agitated when things don’t go our way. Communication breakdowns in Thailand can lead to heated disagreements. DO NOT lose your temper in the heat of the moment, even if it’s a dispute over a restaurant or bar bill. Just smile, do the right thing, and you will find things work out just fine.

DO NOT Stop at a Roadside IncidentSadly enough, if you see a roadside incident such as a motorbike crash, DO NOT stop to help. Maybe this goes against your human nature and instincts, but you could find yourself being blamed for the incident. You might find yourself paying a hefty fine even though you did nothing wrong. Be warned!

DO Not Wear Skimpy Clothing in a Temple When visiting a Buddhist Temple, wear the appropriate clothing. Skimpy clothing should be reserved for the beach and the discotheques. It is especially important that women DO NOT wear short skirts, low-cut shirts or reveling shorts when visiting a place of worship in Thailand.

DO Check Your Laundry When ReturnedThis is not a life or death Do or Don’t, but Thai laundry services are famous for returning the wrong items back to you. If you do not check the contents of your laundry, you might find your expensive Lacoste Polo Shirt has miraculously shape shifted into a pair of 1980s dungarees or an 18th century corset.

Do Treat Thailand with RespectThis one is common sense, as visitors to another country should always remember where they are. Do treat Thailand with respect, which could mean throwing your garbage in a bin, or just showing common courtesy to those around you. Just because we spend copious amounts of money in Thailand when on holiday, we must always remember we do not own this country.

Do Leave Tips in Restaurants and Bars where WarrantedIt is custom to leave a tip after paying your bill, especially in upscale and international restaurants. Although, you don’t necessarily have to tip the smaller Thai restaurants perched on the side of the road, but it would still be a nice gesture. It is not mandatory to tip in bars, but if the service was good, then give them what they deserve.


Phuket is famous for its sprawling stretches of

fluffy, sandy beaches and an idyllic atmosphere. The Phuketian have listed a selec-tion of Feet in the Sand loca-tions where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the ocean views within this tropical paradise.

White Box Restaurant – KalimWhite Box Restaurant at Ka-lim Bay is an ideal feet in the sand location where you can enjoy tasty food and idyllic sunsets while the waves crash against the rocks just metres from your dining table.

Friendship Beach - RawaiThis excellent bar is still an unknown quantity where tourists are concerned. Sit-uated on the southeastern coast of the island within two kilometres of Rawai Beach, this vibrant ocean-front bar and restaurant overlooks Chalong Bay and scenic outlaying landmasses

Feet in the Sand Phuket Hotspotssuch as Lon Island. With a friendly atmosphere within a quintessential feet in the sand location, you can enjoy the great tasting Thai and International cuisine within a place you will return to again and again. Friday nights and Saturday afternoons enjoy a sprinkling of live blues and jazz music respectively.

Nakitas Bar – Rawai BeachEnjoy the scenic delights of the famous Nakita’s Bar at Rawai Beach. You can sit directly oceanside with your feet in the sand while enjoying a tipple from the extensive drinks list or a great tasting meal from the diverse menu. The location is the hallmark of this restau-rant, allowing you to feel the waves crashing against the shoreline just metres away.

Rawai Seafood Restau-rants – Rawai BeachWithin close proximity to Nakita’s Bar, a cluster of val-ue for money seafood restau-

rants are strewn along Rawai Beach Road. Some of the restaurants allow you to sit directly on the beach while enjoying some of the tastiest and cheapest seafood Phuket can muster. The restaurants are highly recommended.

Catch Beach Club – Surin BeachDirectly on the beach at Su-rin, the Catch Beach Club is a classy establishment that serves good tasting food and an extensive drinks menu with the sand between your toes. Surin’s location on the west coast of the island en-sures you can view the fa-mous Phuket sunset without moving an inch.

The Beach Bar – Cape PanwaThe Beach Bar at Cape Pan-wa is situated within a short distance from Khao Khad Viewpoint and 100 metres from the Novotel Beach Re-sort. If you are looking for a quiet place to spend an

afternoon or evening, the Beach Bar provides cheap but tasty Thai and Interna-tional food directly on the beach. This is an ideal re-treat for those travelling with children. You can let the kid-dies enjoy the beach while you treat your palette. Cape Panwa is a stretch of land situated on the southeastern coast of Phuket. Although fundamentally very peaceful, this is one of the best tranquil retreats in Phuket.

Babylon Beach Club – Bang Tao BeachVisitors to Phuket very sel-dom learn about places such as the Babylon Beach Club at Bang Tao Beach. Being essentially off the normal tourist route, this stylish res-taurant sits directly on Bang Tao Beach on the northwest of Phuket. Enjoy a selection of Italian cuisine with your feet firmly embedded in the sand. This is also a great place to enjoy the Phuket sunset.

The terrace at White Box Restaurant in Kalim is the perfect place to take in ocean views while dinning.


Different tourists are comingFor many years Europe

has been the continent where most of Thai-

land’s tourism influx comes from. For sure, Europe and America have been going through 20 years of economic growth creating a high stan-dard of living that encouraged consumerism and travel in equal amounts.

The Brits were right at the top of the global travel chart until the bubble burst and re-ality decided to rear its ugly head with the economy col-lapse during the final quarter of 2008.

The world has become a different place, with consum-ers opting to keep their money in their pockets thus creating a recession. Not only did this affect tourism in Thailand, but also with the strengthening of the baht, this dramatically reshaped the landscaped.

Although this was stark news for the Thailand tour-ism market, the world is also

The GFC, along with shifting currency values has meant a changing tourist demographic for Thailand.

evolving with other nations becoming much stronger than before.

At the beginning of 2011, the Australian dollar was at its highest point at 30.91775 against the Thai baht since mid-2008. This is great news, as the Australian people love to visit Thailand. What better incentive to book your Thai holidays right away while the iron is still hot.

Another slice of good fortune is that the British pound has also showed re-covery signs during the past two weeks against the baht. Although the rise is minor, sterling has been dipping dan-gerously low at around 46 to the baht for several months.

Over the past week, the pound has risen to 49, which is great news for British holi-daymakers who should also be considering their summertime holidays to Thailand.

The world economic demo-graphics are changing, with

even the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) stating their intensions to explore new and potential countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and Argen-tina. TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said, “Indonesia is a very interesting market with huge opportunities.

We strongly believe Indo-nesian tourists are looking for new destinations after visit-

ing Singapore and Malaysia. Therefore, Thailand should grab this opportunity to pro-mote itself.”

In regards to European tourists, Mr Svetasreni reck-ons, “Tourists from Europe will travel less due to their economic problems and the stronger baht making trips here more costly for them.” TAT have projected that by

both 2011 the end of 2012, the Indonesian arrival figures will rise by 35 per cent.

When you take into con-sideration that 240 million people live in Indonesia – which is the fourth most pop-ulous country in the world – there is massive potential there.

Surprising tourist figures include those of Brazil – that rose 13.7 per cent to 16,010 in the first 10 months of 2010, and those of Argen-tina, which rose 35 per cent to 8,161 during the same period. They show that the world economic status is evolving.

Other interesting markets include India and China, whose arrivals in Thailand grew 22.3 and 49 per cent in the first 10 months of 2010 respectively.

Although many parts of the world are suffering heav-ily from the world economy, other nations are rising and will hopefully fill the void.

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Time for Songkran’s cooling splash

Getting wet is the name of the game during the Songkran Festival from April 13 to 15, at the hottest time of year.

If you happen to be vis-iting Thailand during April 13-15, you might

be in for a big surprise. It’s that time of the year again. Get ready to be drenched in water and covered in pow-dery substances, all in the name of celebration.

The Songkran Festival is the name for the Thai New Year, one of the most important dates on the Thai calendar.

Fundamentally a water festival, Songkran, depend-ing on where you are situated in Thailand, could last more than one week from April 13 onwards.

If you are frightened of getting wet, you are advised to stay indoors because the streets will turn into one of the largest water fights ever.

Up until 1888, April was the official start of the Thai New Year, which was then change to the standardised new year of the western world on January 1 for business

reasons. Songkran has been celebrated as New Year for hundreds of years and is be-lieved to have been adapted from the ancient Indian Holi Festival, which is also funda-mentally a water festival.

The festivities are cele-brated nationwide and usu-ally last for just a couple of days, although in Chiang Mai and other parts it can last more than a week long, becoming an endurance test of epic proportions.

During this colourful cel-ebration, the throwing of water is the key element of the fun.

At every turn, you will be running the gauntlet as people line the streets with machine gun-styled water guns and buckets of icy cold water. This is a war you can-not win.

Driving your motorbike during Songkran is also haz-ardous, as convoys of pick-up trucks with entire SWAT teams on the back swarm the

roads, performing drive-byes where nobody is safe. Please take part in the festivities and don’t get annoyed when you get drenched, because it’s in-evitable, so take it all in good humour, or stay at your hotel.

The Songkran Water Fes-tival traditionally symbolised cleansing, as “blessed” wa-ter would be poured into the palms of Buddhist monks as a mark of respect and to give good fortune to elders.

Songkran is also a time

to make New Years’ resolu-tions, which is also in line with the cleansing ethos be-hind the whole festival.

The water is used as a sym-bolic gesture to wash away the old and bring in the new.

Whatever your reason for taking part in the Songkran festivities, the New Year cel-ebrations in this day and age focus more on fun and a water fight to end all water fights than anything religious.

Keep anything valuable

and non-waterproof back in your room, don’t wear that lat-est little Lacoste number you just purchased, arm yourself to the teeth and take no prisoners.

Fortunately for those holi-daying in Phuket, the water festival only lasts for roughly 24 hours.

There is no special place where the water fights take place – it is literally all around you, so be warned, and have a great Thai New Year.

Continued on page 6


What’s on in PhuketApril 1 - Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal Indian Restaurant – Karon Sea-Sand ResortCurry lovers will be in their element with the all you can eat Indian curry buffet at the Navrang Mahal Restaurant in the Karon Sea-Sand Resort. With draft beer for B50 per glass and a great choice of Indian cuisine, this event, which takes place every second Friday, simply cannot be missed.

April 6 - Chakri Memorial Day – Public HolidayThis is a public holiday across Thailand and a special day for the nation. Chakri Memorial Day is to commemorate King Rama I, who was the first Thai King under the Chakri Dynasty. King Rama I was a famous mon-arch who pushed the Burmese out of Thailand and founded Bangkok as Thailand’s capital city.

April 8-11 - Phuket Bike Week 2011We would like to invite you to join and participate in the 17th Annual Phuket Bike Week 2011. On April 8-11 (official event) Patong beach, Phuket island, Thailand. We are very excited to hold this years event, which we believe will be an event not to be missed.

We hope to see you all In Phuket this year to help us celebrate and enjoy our mutual love of Big Bikes. Details of the program of events can be found at www.phuketbikeweek.com.

April 8 - IBAP - International Business Association of Phuket. Monthly networking meeting held at Thai Naan Restaurant, opposite Central Festival. Doors open 6:15pm, all welcome. http://ibap-phuket.org.

April 13 - Songkran Festival – Thai New YearIf you want to experience the mother of all water fights, the Songkran Fes-tival is not only great fun but also a celebration of Thai New Year. It will be a wet one for sure, and if you are lucky enough to be in Thailand within its duration, you will be in for a special treat – one you won’t forget in a hurry!

April 15-17 - Phuket Oilfield Classic 2011 @ Blue Canyon and Red Mountain golf coursesThis four-day golf event is in its third year at Blue Canyon and Red Mountain golf courses. Have your chance to see some of the finest golfers in the region at first hand. For more information visit: www.phuketoilfieldclassic.com.

April 15 - Curry Fridays at Navrang Mahal Indian Restaurant – Karon Sea-Sand ResortCurry lovers will be in their element with the all you can eat Indian curry buffet at the Navrang Mahal Restaurant in the Karon Sea-Sand Resort. With draft beer for B50 per glass and a great choice of Indian cuisine, this event, which takes place every second Friday, simply cannot be missed.

April 20 - The Phuket Punchline Comedy @ Holiday Inn Resort Phuket This popular stand-up comedy night is rapidly becoming one of Phuket best events. This month’s line-up includes comic geniuses such as David Morgan, Dan Evans and the Scottish comedian Vladimir McTavish. Make sure you don’t miss out on a great night entertainment at this monthly comedy club hosted at the Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, Patong.

April 23 - PIASLC IronKids Phuket Triathlon @ Phuket International Academy This event will be great fun for kids aged six to eight years, nine to 11, and 12 to 15 who can compete in a triathlon geared towards children. For more information on entering the event or the specifics of the event, you can visit www.phuketinternationalacademy.com.


1 10am: Brunch and a stroll around Royal Phuket MarinaThe Royal Phuket Marina is one of Phuket’s most exclu-sive areas, owning a luxurious marina, residential properties and a selection of restaurants and health facilities all un-der one roof. Take a leisurely stroll around the fabulous ma-rina and across the boardwalk. With fabulous restaurants such as Skippers, Les Anges and Mom Tri’s Regatta, you can have an unparalleled choice of eateries at your fingertips. Les Anges is a great place to try out homemade pastries, courtesy of their onsite bakery.

2 11:30am: Retail Therapy at the commercial park on By Pass RoadIf you are seeking a spot of retail therapy, visiting the commercial park on the By Pass Road on the outskirts

The Phuketian is detailing daytrip schedules that allow you to visit nearby attractions on the island in a single journey. This month’s offerings allow you to enjoy the mid east coast of the island in a single day.

Eastside - Fun in one day

of Phuket Town is a must. With shopping centres from the likes of Central Festival, Big C, the Outlet Mall, Index, Tesco Lotus and the DIY cen-tre Homeworks, you will be spoilt for choice.

3 1pm: Phuket Butterfly & Insect WorldIf you are a fan of colourful wildlife, a jaunt to the Phuket Butterfly & Insect World will provide you with a fascinating hour of entertainment. With 15 year’s experience, the centre is noted as one of the best butter-fly gardens in the world.

4 2:30pm: The Phuket Aquarium – Cape PanwaWhen visiting the quaint Cape Panwa area of the island, a pilgrimage to the Phuket Aquarium is essential. Here you will find a host of exotic fish and marine life within the purpose built aquarium.

5 4:30pm: Phuket Zoo - ChalongAlthough Phuket Zoo is not the largest zoo in the world, a one hour excursion to see the elephants, snakes, monkey shows and the vast array of other wildlife will top off your day perfectly.6 6:30pm: Seafood Restau-rants at PalaiTo finish off your action packed day, we would sug-gest that you visit one of the many value for money and delicious seafood restaurants at Palai (on the same road as the Phuket Zoo) to enjoy some of the freshest seafood on the island. Tang Kae and Palai Seafood are two of the best in that area. Relax into the early evening whilst look-ing out towards Cape Panwa and Chalong Bay from these beachside restaurants.

MAI KAO BEACH

NAI YANG BEACH

NAITHON BEACH

BANG TAO BEACH

SURIN BEACH

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PATONG BEACH

KARON BEACH

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KARON NOIBEACH

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NAI HARNBEACH RAWAI BEACH

CHALONG BAYMAKHAM BAY

PHUKET BAY

SI RAE

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PO BAY

KUNG BAY

THA MAPHRAO BAY

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PROM THEP CAPE

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VIEW POINT

VIEW POINT

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KHAO PHRA THAEONATIONAL PARK

THALANG HOSPITAL

PHUKET INTERNATIONAL

HOSPITAL

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LAGUNA PHUKET GOLF CLUB

LOCH PALM GOLF CLUB

PHUKET COUNTRY CLUB

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Five essential items for songkranFrom page 3The Thai New Year is upon us, which means only one thing – the biggest water fight of all time is just around the corner.

There’s no doubt that Song-kran will be one of the best, fun-packed experiences of your life, but there are a few things to bear in mind as well:

Plastic bags will be your best friend during the fes-tival. Although you would be advised to leave your most valuable possessions at home, you will still need to carry some cash around with you.

It may be a law in Thailand for foreigners to carry iden-tification such as a passport with them at all times, but it’s probably a good idea to go against the grain during the festival. Make sure that what-ever you do decide to take out is securely wrapped in plastic bags, or, it will end in tears.

When you abso-posi-tively have to drench every-one within close proximity, a pump-action water rifle separates the boys from the men. Nothing stops bucket-wielding fanatics intent on drenching you quite like a high pressure shot from an Uzi-style water gun, bam, right in the face. What a buzz!

Although it’s nice have that you-against-the-world mentality, if you want to come through Songkran in one piece, it’s best to align yourself with a posse.You haven’t got eyes in the back of your head, so it’s best to gather a team around you so you can shout those immortal words “cover me” as you perform a kamikaze- style attack on groups of women and children who are only armed with smiles and tal-cum powder.

Once you’ve gathered up

your posse, the final piece of the puzzle is finding a pick-up truck. This way you can keep your crew together and move from one destination to the next without amassing too many casualties.

Fill up the largest ice con-tainers you can find on your pick-up with freezing water and snipe away at the enemy. This form of attack also lim-its the chances of retaliation.

The final thing you will need to enjoy Songkran is a sense of humour. Too many times you will hear a guy ranting and raving in the middle of the street because he got wet.

This goes against the whole spirit of the event. If taken in the right spirit, the Songkran Festival will be one of the most memorable days of your life. Locals love it when tourists really get involved in Songkran.

To fully enjoy Songkran you will need a sense of humour. Don’t leave home without it!

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C hakri Memorial Day, held on April 6, com-memorates Rama I,

the founder of the Chakri dynasty, and Thailand’s first King in the lineage.

As with most Thai Kings, Rama I is revered as an es-sential part of the country’s history. Numerous legends portray him as a very influ-ential figure.

Prior to the establishment of the Chakri Dynasty, the Kingdom of Thailand (then known as Siam) was in tur-moil as Burmese troops had already occupied the north-ern Thai region of Lanna, and were marching towards Ayutthaya, then the capital of the Thai kingdom.

Thai forces, commanded by nobleman Thong Duang, tried to stop the Burmese, but Ayutthaya fell on April 8, 1767, and the Siamese people retreated to Thonburi down the Chaophraya river. Ayutthaya was renowned

as a beautiful city until the Burmese destroyed much of it, plundering and looting gold and jewellery.

But the Burmese were also seriously affected by the battles and knew knew they would struggle to hold the city when the Thais returned, so they retreated after just one week. War campaigns were constantly exchanged until the Siamese armies finally united in Thonburi in 1779.

Thong Duang became Chakri and the military com-mander. Realising King Ta-aksin had grown weak due to his over emphasis on reli-gion and lack of attention to managing his country’s de-fence, Chakri wanted to unite his countrymen and provide them with direction.

Siamese rebels descended on Thonburi, calling for the replacement of Taaksin with their new leader, Chakri. He took over the Siamese King-

dom and was given the title King Ramathibodi, reigning from April 6 1782 until 1809.

With his military back-ground, King Rama I recog-nised Thonburi’s vulnerable position. He took charge and commanded that a new capi-tal city be established along the Chaophraya River, nam-ing the city Krung Thep, now

known also as Bangkok. With Bangkok now the

new capital, he proceeded to construct the Grand Palace, home of the famous Emerald Buddha. He also devoted his early years in power to liberating the Thai kingdom from Burmese occupation, with Ayutthaya back under Siamese rule just 14 years af-

ter establishing Bangkok. Celebrating Chakri Day

is a proud time: the Thai flag is passionately displayed by Thai people, while both gov-ernment officials and com-munity members partake in traditional ceremonies of-fering flowers and garlands to many of the statues of the King in the House of Chakri.

The first eight Kings from the Chakri dynasty, Thailand’s current ruling dynasty. The founding of the dynasty is celebrated on April 6 each year.

Chakri Memorial Day - April Sixth


Phuket Never SleepsAlthough the demograph-

ics in the Phuket tourism market have changed over the past few years from groups of single men seeking hedonistic adventures, to a more whole-some, family-based environ-ment, Phuket still benefits from some of the best night-life in the whole of Thailand.

The entertainment avail-able is quite diverse, appeal-ing to a wide range of people, from the young and trendy beautiful people and live mu-sic enthusiasts, to the older holidaymakers and families.

Phuket nightlife is not only about discotheques and the bar scene, as family-based attrac-tions are aplenty in Phuket. Establishments such as the Hard Rock Café in Patong are ideal family spots. Enjoy the fascinating selection of music history memorabilia and the tasty cuisine that makes Hard

Rock such an essential place for families to visit.

But the quintessential family night time entertain-ment location is Phuket Fan-tasea at Kamala. This pur-pose built site is a realistic theme park that harks back to Thailand’s rich cultural heritage. There is a vast array of amusements and souvenir stalls alongside the majestic theater, built to replicate one of Thailand’s oldest temples, as well as fabulous theatrical shows with elephants, pyro-technics, and bone crushing sound effects.

Patong is, and always was, the spiritual home of night-life entertainment on the is-land. Whether it’s the Simon Cabaret lady-boy show, live music at Rock City, trawl-ing the girlie bars of Bangla Road, downing a Guinness or two at one of the numer-

ous Irish Bars, or dancing the night away in one of the European style discotheques, you have it all at your finger-tips in Patong. But although the town might well be the Mecca of nightlife entertain-ment in Phuket, but by no means does it end there.

Areas such as Karon and Kata have there own, decent nightlife stakes. Angus and Arfur O’Tool’s Irish bars in Karon and Kata respec-tively are the ideal places for singles, couples and fami-lies alike. The main strips of Karon and Kata have more

than enough beer bars to keep the barfly happy.

The south of the island is also a great place for a more relaxed evening out. Rawai and Nai Harn are home to more than enough nightlife options for families and sin-gles. Places such as Friendship Beach between Chalong and Rawai, and Nakitas Bar on Rawai Beach Road provide families with that laid back, ocean-view experience you dreamed about before visiting the country. Clusters of bars in Nai Harn Village and along the Beach Road at Rawai will

quench the thirst of single guys looking for that unique Thailand entertainment.

This is the island that suc-cessfully merges a whole-some family entertainment scene with live music, dis-cotheques and a bar scene that is geared towards the hedonistic single.

Phuket has something for everyone, and this is the rea-son why the island has such a wide reaching appeal, es-pecially in comparison to destinations such as Pattaya, which essentially only have one string in their bow.

A full range of entertainment options are on offer for those who come to Phuket.


Draft Beer Great Food Cool RoomsGood Music Live Sport

Irish Pubs • Restaurant • Guest Houses

A Phuket Honeymoon and Wedding is the Next Big ThingWith the prices of wed-

dings and honey-moons in the western world becoming astronomically ex-tortionate, brides and grooms to be are beginning to seek out alternative options, not only to cut costs, but also for a bit of originality.

With religious beliefs beginning to wane in some western nations, the tradi-tional church wedding isn’t appealing to the younger generation as in times past.

Imagine having your wed-ding on a paradise island, followed by a Phuket honey-moon you will never forget.

Luxury matrimony Tying the knot is one of the most important moments of your life. Imagine living out a dream by holding your wed-ding ceremony on your own private beach with the waves washing up at your feet. This

might sound dream-like and out of reach, but nothing is further away from the truth.

For the amount of money it takes to organise and per-form a wedding ceremony in a church in the western world, purchase wedding dresses and suits, and cater for untold amounts of guests at your wedding reception, you can have a paradise wedding and a special Phuket honeymoon for less than half the price.

Make that changeIf you are debating whether to splash out on a subtropical wedding, don’t waste time deciding, just get out there and do it. Getting in contact with local companies on the island that can organise your wedding and Phuket honey-moon is a good starting point.

There are many high-class resorts, such as the Evason Resort in Rawai, which can

organise your wedding from top to bottom.

Do it yourselfIf you have friends or rela-tives already on the island, that could work dramatically in your favour because they will know the ins and outs of the area and will be able to slash your wedding costs by eliminating the middle-man. If that is not possible, you could use the internet to find out each separate local company, such as the florists or catering firms.

If you are wishing to hold the wedding ceremony on the beach, you will have to inform the local council of that area for approval.

Master of ceremoniesOnce you have decided a venue for the ceremony and reception, you will need to decide who will be your mas-ter of ceremonies.

For that authentic Asian feel, some people like to opt for a Buddhist monk who will work his magic during the wedding, but hopefully won’t be present during your Phuket honeymoon!

Nevertheless, Phuket is also home to Christian and Catho-lic churches, whose members would be happy to hold your

wedding if that’s your desire. As you can see, organising

your dream wedding in Phuket is easier than it would appear.

You can make big savings on the prices for organising a wedding in the western world, which would make the experience not only cost effective but also something a little different from the norm.

Your special day in Phuket will be one to remember.

phuketian

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