Buddha Mountain and Restaurant "Nakkerd Seaview"

Buddha mountain (aka Khao Nakkerd) where the 45m high Big Buddha is being built has been mentioned on this blog a number of times and will probably crop up again. The work on the biggest Buddha image in Thailand is slowly continuing. As it stands, the basic construction is complete, but the whole image needs to be covered in white marble. The face is just about done, which leaves the enormous body. Since we first went up this hill some years ago, word has been spreading about the Big Buddha and the views from the top, and it's becoming more popular now. By the time it's complete, I imagine a climb up Buddha mountain will be on the itinerary of most tours. Even covered in scaffolding, it's an impressive sight!

 

For 100 Baht you can write your name on a piece of marble that will be used to cover the Buddha image. We did the same with a brick a couple of years ago. It's for good luck.



Nakkerd Seaview Restaurant

Almost at the top of the mountain, with a fabulous seaview over Karon Beach, is a tiny restaurant with friendly owners who (for the moment) are selling cheap tasty Thai food to anyone who cares to stop. We must go back for sunset one day... Yesterday we only stopped for a coke. There was a lovely cooling breeze blowing as we sat looking over the ocean... not sure, but surely this is the "highest restaurant in Phuket" ...? Long may it remain "our kind of place" - that means inexpensive, friendly and selling cold drinks with simple tasty food.







Read more about the Phuket Big Buddha:

• Hills and Viewpoints in Phuket
• Big Buddha Location on Google Earth

More quiet and friendly restaurants...

• The Beach Bar
• Bang Pae Seafood

Bang Rong Floating Restaurant

The east coast of Phuket is very, very different to the west coast. All the main tourist areas are found on the west coast, while large parts of the east coast are almost untouched by tourism. Much of the coastline is mangrove forest, with large areas of rubber plantations in the hills, along with shrimp farms, small fishing villages, quiet bays and some great views if you drive round the hilly back roads.

Bang Rong, a small Muslim community, is close to Bang Pae (where you can find a waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project). From Bang Rong Pier you can take a ferry to Koh Yao Noi. We've been here several times in the past and we have always liked the small family run floating restaurant (it's called Chum Chon restaurant, though we always just call it Bang Rong, after its location) reached by a wooden walkway through the mangroves.

• View Location on Google Earth



You might see monkeys in the trees nearby...



I think we'll be back again soon, and here's why... It's quiet, it's relaxing and it's friendly. We probably had not been for a year, but they remembered us and commented on how big the kids looked. We felt a bit guilty that we only went for drinks, so bought a couple of plates of fried rice for the kids too. Next time we'll go for a proper lunch!





You realise its floating when other people step "on board" and your table starts to bounce. We were a little paranoid about the kids running around, but we decided I could not try to run after them or my 100+ kilo frame might sink the place, or at least spill a few drinks.

Out back they keep the fish, either for sale in the restaurant or at market. The whole area is full of fishing folk who are only just starting to make any money from tourism. The restaurant is very cheap - we paid 150 Baht for 2 plates of shrimp fried rice, 4 cokes and an orange juice. They don't make much from that! By the way, the owners are a muslim family and they don't sell beer here, so don't come looking for a quiet place for a cold Singha!







There are some kayaks for rent, and we intend to do that one day soon. A couple of small groups of tourists came through the restaurant to use kayaks as part of a safari tour with Bang Pae Safari. The family from the restaurant were the paddlers on the kayaks, which disappeared round the corner up the mangrove creek and were back in 15 minutes - a very quick taste of nature! I think the guy said you can rent one for 150 Baht/hour (if you paddle yourself).

UPDATE: Kayaking in the Mangroves (August 2009)



I think we have found our new favourite quiet place to sit and relax for an hour. It's very peaceful here, just the odd longtail engine to disturb the silence.






Looks nice, right? Here's some of our other favourite spots...

• Layan Beach
• The Beach Bar
• Paradise Beach

Chalong Temple Fair

The annual fair at Chalong temple has been taking place this week and will finish in a couple of days. A great place to sample a bit of local life, the Chalong Temple fair has been part of the Phuket calendar since 1954 featuring fairground rides, clothes and handicrafts, furniture, flowers, fruit stalls, toy stalls, snack stalls, lots of food, and live "Look Thoong" (Thai country music) in the evenings. It all takes place in the temple grounds at Wat Chalong, which is Phuket's largest temple.



We visited yesterday, just for a quick look around. With 2 kids you have to consider their needs, and wandering round in the heat is not kid-friendly. Luckily there are plenty of drinks for sale all around the fair. Also lots of toy stalls for the kids - "oh, pleeeeease daddy". We found a Spiderman outfit for our son, which he wore proudly for the rest of the day.

 

Markets and temples are great places for people watching and for getting a flavour of the real Phuket away from the tourist beaches. I want to blog more about markets in the future. You can find local markets all over Phuket, just take a drive and explore!



The photos below are all from the Chalong Temple Fair.







 



• Chalong Temple
• Festivals and Local Life in Phuket

Restaurant Tips: The Ninth Floor (Patong)

The Ninth Floor is not the kind of restaurant we would normally visit, but last week we had a company meal and decided a fancy dinner was in order. We got a babysitter for the kids and were able to enjoy fine dining with views over the "lights of Patong"... Worth getting dressed up for! It's called the highest open air restaurant in Phuket, well kind of - there are huge ceiling high sliding windows that create an open air atmosphere.



OK, so here's a reason to visit Patong. The Ninth Floor was quite a treat, and we might just go back sometime soon! This is a lovely little restaurant, with top service, an extensive menu, a huge wine list, oh... and (I only found out when I got there, as it was not on the menu) they sell HofBrau beer - 190 Baht per bottle and worth every satang. I had several... and one for luck.

The food was great. I had an Australian Tenderloin Au Poivre, and I have to say the next day my taste buds were craving more of the same. Going back to Phad Thai was hard work. Another of our party had a very tasty looking Lamb Shank in a red wine sauce, oh and the starters were mouth watering too - I had Eggplant gratin, filled with feta cheese, chick peas and tomato au gratin with parmesan cheese. My wife had the smoked salmon. As I say, not the kind of food we normally eat. It's not a cheap place, but if you are coming from Europe or North America on holiday, it would not be an extravagant meal... a treat maybe, but not outrageous - see the menu on the Ninth Floor website for prices.



You can find The Ninth Floor on (yes, that's right) the 9th Floor of the Sky Inn Condotel in Patong, towards the North end of Ratuthid road (the main road through the center of Patong). Parking is a bit tight around the area. Reservations are recommended. Ask for a table by the window. Treat yourself.

• The Ninth Floor website
• More Phuket Restaurant Tips