Loy Krathong 2007 in Phuket

After making our own krathong at home on Saturday (see Making a Krathong), there was plenty of time before the evening festivities got underway. We had not decided where to go and loy (float) our kratong... we normally head for the Bang Wad reservoir where hundreds, maybe thousands of people in the Kathu area go every year for Loy Kratong. The reservoir is the largest in Phuket with an 800m long dam and people gather there every evening for picnics by the water and jogging on the dam (see Bang Wad Reservoir). This year we thought about going somewhere different, like maybe Patong (thought again - sure to be a big party, but too crowded and parking a nightmare), or Karon (same as Patong and further from home too), or maybe Rawai beach (much quieter)...

While we chewed over the options for where to Loy our Krathong, we took a drive down to Cape Panwa to see if one of our favourite places had reopened.... YES! The Beach Bar, near the Novotel Panwa Resort is open again. We love it. On the beach, not expensive, friendly owners, very relaxed, we have spent many afternoons here before. Read more here: The Beach Bar is back!



We stayed until sunset and wished we had brought our kratong with us...

So after much indecision we went to Bang Wad Reservoir to float our kratong. It's a busy place on Loy Kratong night. If you want to see some real local colour, it's a good spot to be! We headed for the water and lit the candle and incense and let our kratong drift into the water.. a bit wonky, but afloat nonetheless...





Lots of kratongs were already floating and plenty more people were waiting to float theirs. Hope everyone gets good luck this year!





At the reservoir there's quite a party going on - lots of food stalls and drink stalls and hey! Draft Chang Beer for 90 Baht a liter - can't say no to that! We found a few friends and sat down for a drink and a few snacks...







(above) Food stalls at the reservoir, Loy Kratong night.

As well as floating kratongs, it's also common to float large paper lanterns into the night sky - this is far more common in Chiang Mai, but is spreading! At the dam you can buy a lantern for 100 Baht - its a big paper bag with a wire frame and a "solid fuel booster". We decided to buy one and launch it at home. More personal.

You have to hold the lantern until the fuel heats the air inside the lantern enough to lift it.. then let go and make a wish. We watched our lantern float high into the clear night sky. I told our kids it had gone to join the stars. We watched until the last flicker of light had gone.

 

Happy Loy Krathong - see you again in 2008!

Loy Kratong - 24th November 2007 - Making the Kratong

Loy Kratong is on a different day each year, falling on the Full Moon of the 12th lunar month, which is normally sometime in November. Last year was November 5th, this year November 24th. Loy Kratong is celebrated all over Thailand with particularly large ceremonies in Bangkok, Sukothai and Ayutthaya. Here in Phuket, festivities are quite extensive at the main beaches such as Patong and Karon, and anywhere else you find water - which is everywhere, being that Phuket is an island. We normally go and float our kratong at Bang Wad Reservoir, which is the largest reservoir in Phuket and is not far from our home in the Kathu area of Phuket. The word "Loy" means Float, and the Kratong is what you set afloat - read on...



Making Our Kratong

Of course there are stalls all over the place selling ready made kratongs, but we decided to DIY this year, ending up with a kratong that just about floated without tipping over! To make a kratong you will need - cut slices of banana stem to make the base, banana leaves to decorate, flowers, incense sticks, candles and pins to hold it all together! And voila - you have a kratong...

  

The banana leaves are cut and folded to shape and pinned to the base... My wife did all the hard work - she had never made one before - I mean, you can buy them everywhere very cheaply ... She made a special double decker kratong. I think it turned out beautifully!

  

Add some flowers, and it's ready... Our family kratong! Into the kratong we also add small cuttings of hair and nails from family members which will float out into the water with the kratong. Now we just need to float it! I'll update the blog with some more photos sometime soon...

 

Layan Beach

Layan Beach is not at all well known, so if you want to find one of the quietest and most beautiful beaches in Phuket, try to find Layan Beach. Hard enough to find it on a map! We first found Layan in January on a rather grey day while driving around the back roads in the North of Phuket. You have a choice of small roads to reach Layan Beach. Last weekend we drove through the Laguna Resort complex, the road turning from good, to bad, to "oh-my-god-i-wish-we-had-a-4wd". The last 100m took about 5 minutes. OK, that's the back route in, you can also go via Naithon, or via Thalang, following a long twisty road through the villages. OK, enough directions. Go find it, or check the location on Google Earth

Seek and ye shall find paradise. Or at least a very peaceful, picture postcard beach. Layan Beach, just North of Bang Tao Beach, has two halves. The southern part is simply stunning if you like blue seas and white sand. The land is privately owned, well cared for and kept simple. We were there at the weekend for lunch in the high season and I counted about 12 other visitors and I reckon half of them were local residents. You'll find a small restaurant, a small collection of beach chairs, palm trees and the sound of waves gently lapping the shore. Too good to be true?







The restaurant has basic Thai food, sea food.. not super cheap, but hey - look at the location. I guess we are used to local prices, so 80 Baht for fried rice seems expensive! It was tasty food, though and if you are coming for a holiday, lunch for a pound or 2 dollars is not going to break the bank! Next to the restaurant is "Beer Conner" :)



Just behind the beach, you have a mix of local life and modern development. This stretch of coast is being invaded by a large amount of villas, sea view apartments, hillside condos...and yet you also find scenes like this...



A little further North, Layan Beach is split by a small island and sand bar, creating a semi enclosed lagoon and a natural paradise. A sign at the edge of the beach says this area is to be made a National Park.. although I read recently in the Phuket Gazette that a marina might be planned for this location. It's a beautiful spot. I'd like to walk out along the sand spit to the island, but not with the little kids - it's quite a hike on a hot day.





You'd hardly know it, but there are 2 small, quite exclusive, very nice looking resorts in this section of Layan Beach. They blend in with the scenery, offering beachside or hillside bungalows. If you like a bit of seclusion, the Bundarika Resort or the Layan Beach Resort might be for you.

• Bundarika Resort
• Layan Beach Resort



Layan Beach is perfect for me and the family as a little getaway for a couple of hours - we like the small scale, the little restaurant, the fact that the beach is clean and hard to find. How we never found it until this year is beyond me.... Well, I guess we are not on holiday so can't be out exploring every day, but it's pleasing that after 8 years here Phuket still manages to surprise me.

Hotel Recommendations: CC Blooms Hotel

CC Blooms was just recommended to me yesterday by a customer who gave it a rave review - friendly staff, attention to detail, beautiful decor and "that something extra" that makes CC Blooms more than just another hotel. OK, it's not by the beach, but the location in the hills of Karon is just as nice (see location on Google Earth).

The name CC Blooms comes from the Bette Midler character in the movie "Beaches" (I must say I have never seen it, but might just try to find it at the local video shop now...). Beaches seems to be a very popular movie with gay people, and indeed CC Blooms is promoted as a gay, or "gay friendly" hotel. My customer said he had met the owner, a gay American man and maybe the "gayness" of the hotel gives it the unique style. Of course you don't have to be gay to stay here. Read the reviews on Trip Advisor (see link below) - the hotel is rated very highly by just about everyone.

It's nice to hear of a different kind of place to stay in Phuket, just the kind of place that Jamie's Phuket is looking for, something off the beaten track, a hotel with a bit of character.

Most of the rooms do have a sea view, just the sea is not right out of the window. The hills above Karon are very scenic and very... what's the word... green... jungly. All rooms also have satellite TV, a huge king size bed, high speed internet access and also a small kitchen.

CC Bloom (apparently) in the movie Beaches was searching for that perfect time and place.... I don't mean to be corny but ... this could be it!

CC Blooms Hotel - Booking and Reviews

• CC Blooms Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• CC Blooms Reviews


CC Blooms - Photos






• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Hotel Recommendations: Phuket Island View

Karon Beach has many small scale resorts along the beachfront, along with a couple of big ones like the Hilton and the Thavorn Palm Beach Resort. For location, I can recommend them all! Just be aware, that apart from the Karon Beach Resort and the Ruam Thep Inn, none of the resorts have direct beach access - you have to cross the road first.

The South end of the beach is a little quieter than the North end, and you are within about 10 minutes walk of Kata Beach too. There is decent snorkeling around the rocks and you can even do scuba diving off the beach there. You'll find several hotels near the Karon football stadium, and to me they are all "much of a muchness", except I got a recommendation from a customer this week who went to look for a hotel room on arrival and he stayed at the Phuket Island View. Main reason was the friendliness of the staff and the fact that they made him feel welcome and treated him as a valued guest rather than just a name in the register. Phuket Island View has quiet rooms, 2 pools (but you are just a couple of minutes walk from the beach anyway) - a good mid price hotel in a good location (see hotel on Google Earth)

Phuket Island View Resort - Booking and Reviews

• Phuket Island View Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Phuket Island View Hotel Reviews


Phuket Island View - Photos

 

 


• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Wat Ladthiwanaram

Wat Ladthiwanaram can be found along Chao Fa Road between Phuket Town and Chalong, a little after the turn off to Phuket Zoo and before Land and Houses Park. It's a rather unique temple, with a small lake between the temple grounds and the road.



I must have passed this temple hundreds of times, not knowing what lies beyond the entrance... Phuket has so many small local temples, any one of which is worth stopping to visit if you happen to be passing by. Or if you are a temple lover you can carefully map out a drive around Phuket taking in as many temples as possible! The hell with beaches and bars, if you want to see the real Phuket, try temples, markets and quiet back roads.

Wat Ladthiwanaram is quite pretty. If you are anywhere in the area, stop for a look - see location on Google Earth.



 



• Lots More Phuket Temples