Restaurant Tips: BBQ Hut, Patong Beach

BBQ Hut in Patong certainly gets a fair number of regulars who know that this is the place for Tex Mex, this is the place for a great burger, this is the place for tacos, burritos and nachos. They apparently do good Margaritas too (only 99 Baht), though I prefer a cold beer myself. I've been half a dozen times for lunch, always had great food and enjoy trying the different burgers they have - the Mexican Cowboy Burger, Jalapeno Burger, Chili Cheese Burger, Monster Burger and many more. There are also all day breakfasts, Hot Dogs (I recommend a Chili Cheese Dog), ribs, steaks.. you may get the impression this is not a place for vegetarians! I do eat Thai food 90% of the time, but now and then my western stomach cries out and BBQ Hut is one of the cures.





It's located at the far south end of Ratuthid Road in Patong (the main road through the middle), not far from Holiday Inn, on the same side of the road as Holiday Inn, a bit further south. The prices are quite reasonable for this kind of food, around 150 - 180 Baht for the burgers served with chips and salad or 130 Baht for "The Hungry Man" breakfast.



Updated June 2010 - BBQ Hut was first on the blog nearly 4 years ago - I realised I had no photos so went for lunch today. Great burger, cold beer, make that 2. Viva Mexico! Viva Zapata! Looks like the prices are about the same as 4 years ago. Good. Photos on this page from June 2010.



Wouldn't be Mexico without Tequila. I have spent about 5 months in Mexico in my younger days, and did used to like tequila. These days my stomach is happy with a beer. But this line up of bottles reminds me of Mexican bars.



There are pictures around the restaurant - above you have Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa who were revolutionary heroes in the early 20th century. Mexico has a rich history and loves it's heroes. There is also a big movie poster of the Three Amigos - not sure Chevy Chase is a Mexican hero though.... :)

Hotel Recommendations: Sarojin (Khao Lak)

What do you mean, recommended hotel in Khao Lak? I thought this was a Phuket Blog? Well, yes, but Khao Lak is only 100km from here, and in fact the distance from Phuket International Airport to Khao Lak is not a lot further than down to the main beaches in Phuket, since the airport is in the north of the island.

I've never really spent any time in Khao Lak, even though it's only a 2 hour drive. No reason to go there to see hotels, restaurants etc...Last time I drove through was in April and I could see things were looking much better after the tsunami. Khao Lak was hit way worse than Phuket. Much worse. It's a bit of a struggle for those with businesses there to encourage visitors back. I think everyone knows that Phuket is all back to normal, and has been for a while now, but Khao Lak? Well, let me tell you - beaches are lovely and quieter than the main beaches of Phuket. There's no road right by the beach, no tuk tuks, it's a real get away. Only thing is, there's not much to do, especially if it's raining. It's the beach or nothing!

So, why talk about a hotel in Khao Lak? Well, I was watching the BBC last night, a travel program called Fast Track, and they talked to the owner of The Sarojin, which is a boutique hotel right on the beach and looks gorgeous. The owner explained how they were due to open on December 24th 2004. Things were not quite ready, so they postponed until January 10th. Then, things were taken out of their hands by the tsunami. They decided to rebuild and finally opened in October 2005. I liked the fact that they kept all their staff during this 10 month period, despite having no guests to look after. It seems the owners and staff all pitched in to help the rebuilding and I got the impression it was a labour of love. So that's why the Sarojin is on this blog!

The Sarojin - Booking and Reviews

• The Sarojin Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• The Sarojin - Guest Reviews

• More Hotels in Khao Lak - Khao Lak Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Khao Lak hotels - LateStays.com


The Sarojin - Photos






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

Wat Phra Nang Sang

Wat Phra Nang Sang is the oldest temple in Phuket, dating back more than 200 years, and was built on the site of the famous battle in 1785 between the people of Phuket and the Burmese invaders. A statue of Thao Thep Kassatri and Thao Sri Sunthon (known as Chan and Mook before the King gave them these names for their valiant defense of Phuket) lies in the temple grounds - a larger one can be seen at the so called "Heroines Monument" - a traffic circle on the main road between the airport and Phuket City.



The temple is close to the center of Thalang town which was once the principal town in Phuket (see location on Google Earth). We have already visited Wat Phra Tong (which lies a bit further north) and Wat Sri Sunthon (a little south of Thalang), but this was our first visit to Wat Phra Nang Sang. Will no doubt go back - we could not enter the main temple as it is undergoing restoration work, so there's still more to see! The grounds are quite large, it's worth taking your time.





There's a lot of history here. My daughter was amazed to see a mummified Monk who died about 50 years ago I think. Not sure she could believe she was seeing a dead Monk. There is another building with 3 large Buddha images made of tin - one of these being the largest tin Buddha in the world. Phuket was until recently a major tin mining center and this helped to make Phuket quite wealthy.





Another story says that the temple was built (or ordered to be built) by a princess who was due to be executed, although she had been framed and was innocent. When she was executed she bled white bood, thus showing her purity. There is also said to be (buried, I guess) an ancient manuscript showing the location of treasure - what the Burmese were after in 1785.



Well, if you like temples (as I do) you can spend a day out in the Thalang area visiting Wat Phra Nang Sang, Wat Sri Sunthon and Wat Phra Tong.

Military Coup in Bangkok? All Quiet in Phuket.

Well, I have just come to the office and can see nothing abnormal here in Phuket. No military, no increased police presence, no worried faces. Thailand is very relaxed. Hard to work out last night what was going on. All the Thai TV channels went off the air and started playing music and showing pictures of the King. We got pictures from the BBC News (www.bbcworld.com or www.bbc.co.uk) showing soliders and military vehicles in the streets of Bangkok, but otherwise everything going on as normal. Called my wifes sister who works for a bank in Bangkok and she said she could see nothing at all.

So let's wait and see. Looks like Thaksin may be out of a job. The statement issued on Thai TV said the military were acting on behalf of the King, or at least with his approval, which makes all the difference here in Thailand.

As I say, no reason to worry, and nothing going on here in Phuket except schools and banks will be closed today. (Today is the last day of the school term anyway).

(Later) - Thai TV is back on, and there was a statement issued by the leaders of the military and police saying they are only trying to help and do not intend holding power any longer than neccesary.

News Sources

• The Phuket Gazette (best source for local news)
• Phuket Post (the other Phuket paper)
• www.bangkokpost.com
• www.nationmultimedia.com
• www.timesonline.co.uk/global
• Latest Coup news by Sunrise Divers

Also a lot of comments (many to be taken with a pinch of salt) on the Lonely Planet Thailand Forum:

• http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=51



(Update on Thursday 21st)

Nothing happening in Phuket, everything is 100% normal. Sun is shining. The news says that the King supports the leaders of the coup, which means (since everyone is loyal to the king) that there will be no trouble.

BBC News says "During the day, coup supporters brought flowers, pizzas and donuts to the soldiers and took turns taking family pictures in front of the armoured vehicles which have cordoned off the government district.

Many of the tanks that have been deployed in Bangkok have yellow ribbons tied around their barrels to signify loyalty to the king."

Have a good day!
Jamie

These Blogs have or had updates from Bangkok:

• http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com
• http://19sep.blogspot.com

Restaurant Tips: Chen Long (All you can eat buffet)

We just went a couple of days ago to this new all-you-can-eat buffet place located on Wichitsongkram road, just before Central, on the corner of the road to Big C. The place is called "Chen Long Kung Kata". My wife tells me Chen Long is Jackie Chan's name in Thai (well, Chinese I guess). Recommend getting there early! It's only open from 5 - 11pm, and by the time we got there at 5:30 it was busy. When we left a couple of hour later it was heaving!



You pay on arrival, 98 Baht per person. This includes all food. Drinks are paid as you go, so when you leave there is no bill to wait for. Find yourselves a table, and then head for the food hall where you find fresh shrimps, mussels and other shells, tables full of pork, salads, noodles, mushrooms, fishcakes, chicken, fruit etc.. Theres a "make your own somtam" bar, free ice cream, and a couple more tables that I'll have to investigate next time! Pile up a plate or two and back to your table where you'll find a cooker - see photo - with soup around the outside and a griddle on top (use some butter so it doesn't burn so much). Cook and eat and repeat. Wash it down with a coke (15 Baht) or Big Chang (65 Baht).







It was Sunday when we were there and I was worried I'd maybe miss the football - not to worry, they have TV's and one area has a big screen TV too. There's a kids play area where my kids had fun on the slide and swings, and the staff are very efficient and friendly. We'll be back.

• Chen Long location on Google Earth

Up Buddha Mountain Again

If you want a great view, a bit of off road driving, a temple, some fresh air and more..take a drive up Buddha Mountain. The access road is close to Chalong circle on the road to Wat Chalong. Its about 5km drive, at least half of which is on a dirt road that can be kind of rutted in the wet season (now). But we made it up in our Toyota Corona (albeit wishing we had a Toyota Fortuner). We have been up before (and I have blogged it before - see here), but my wife's mum is visiting so we took her there on Sunday and I wanted to see how building of the Big Buddha (the "Mingmongkol Buddha project) is coming along. Slowly is the answer, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and this Buddha will be 45 meters high when completed. And I reckon I'll be 45 years old by the time it's completed!

 

Phromthep Cape (Laem Phromthep)

At the extreme southwestern corner of Phuket is Phromthep Cape, just to the south of Naiharn beach and just to the west of Rawai beach. This corner of the island has long been a favourite area of ours - it is slowly getting developed and there are quite a lot of foreign residents around, but its still quiet, you can still eat at little foodstalls at Rawai, and you're close to little beaches like Ao Sane and Ya Nui. Combined with a visit to Chalong Temple, this area makes a good day out, with great views, quiet beaches and good local food. If you're staying in Patong, Karon or Kata, rent a bike or car and get a map and see what you can find! Note that there are quite a number of little roads around this part of the island, easy to get lost!

Promthep Cape gets a fair number of visitors, and there's a sizeable car park, a cafe and tacky souvenir stalls, but if you climb up the steps you'll find a great view, along with an elephant shrine. The elephant is important in Buddhism, representing strength and wisdom. Beyond the shrine is an odd looking lighthouse, built in 1996 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Every time we have been there, even if there seem to be several busloads of tourists, the lighthouse is quiet. You can climb up inside for a view of the ocean and offshore islands - and (bonus) it's airconditioned inside, so on a hot day makes an excellent place to cool off!

• Thai Navy Website - The Golden Jubilee Lighthouse Project
• Phromthep Cape location on Google Earth

Some photos at Cape Phromthep (photos by Bill & Paula Monk):