Crocodile Farm - Crocodile and Tiger World

Phuket Zoo is not the only place in Phuket where you can find large and exciting animals in Phuket. The zoo is well known, all tuk tuk and taxi drivers are happy to take you, as they all make commission on the entry fee. But there is somewhere else. I only knew about it recently although it's quite obvious and is near the center of Phuket Town. The "Crocodile and Tiger World" has obviously seen better days.. or never really got off the ground, not sure which! My wife had been last month with the kids and a friend and her kids and they were the only visitors. We went again last week, and were the only visitors.



Now, the stated entry fee is 500 Baht. I suggest, if you decide to visit, that you try to bargain. We paid the "local" price. There are supposed to be some crocodile shows at 11am and 2pm - maybe some crowds turn up for this? The place is certainly in decline - we saw only a few staff - 2 at the entrance, one feeding the crocs and one sitting very bored next to a fridge selling drinks.

This place is largely about crocodiles. It's a crocodile farm, they breed crocs here and sell meat and skin (sorry, croc lovers). So... there are thousands of crocodiles here in huge enclosures. Actually quite impressive at times.



I'll just say again, there are a LOT of crocodiles - and when it's feeding time, and a guy throws baskets of fish into the enclosure, they come a running...





Within a couple of minutes, it's a croc free for all. Does not seem to be enough food, though I guess they get fish thrown at them on a regular basis. Teeth everywhere. You can view the croc enclosures from above, up a few steps, close but not too close...





It's a bit smelly to be honest - I think croc crap must be to blame! The crocs have plenty of space, well looked after.. except they are destined to be lunch and handbags! I tried croc meat once in Africa and did not think much of it. The zebra was better.

Moving on from the crocodile enclosures we found a few other animals - emu, ostrich and some rabbits (rabbits? wow!). In some large concrete pens were half a dozen tigers, all sleeping in the heat of the day. It looked clean, but I would not want to be one of those tigers. I believe they breed and sell tigers here too.



In a huge indoor area we found 2 young tigers in small cages. Nobody else around except aforementioned girl selling drinks. The young tigers played with us. One of them was very interested in my 4 year old son and appeared to be hunting him. I was a little disturbed by the lack of any staff, anyone looking after the tigers.





After the tigers we found some gibbons... one of them liked to try and attack us - he would sneakily circle around, not looking at us, then suddenly charge at the cage. I am not sure of the legality of keeping the gibbons here. The cages were certainly clean, the animals looked healthy, but ... read on.



This is an odd place. They have brochures, parking, plenty to see, but we were the only people there. What's going on? My wife reckons the money comes from the crocodile farm, opening to the public is just an extra. Obviously they don't promote the place much. Not much about the "Crocodile and Tiger World" online. I did find a write up in the Phuket Post from October 2008, but little else.. but I did find a more worrying story:

• 11 Orangutans Rescued from Private Zoo

The above story is from February this year. There's more here:

• Wildlife Friends of Thailand

Not sure if this explains the lack of visitors, or if that is just due to a lack of marketing. There are parts of the farm we did not see, if the map we were given is accurate.. so I might go again sometime to find baby crocodiles. There is certainly a lot more to see at Phuket Zoo, but based on my experience of both the animals seem just as well or better looked after at this "Crocodile and Tiger World". But do bear in mind the news story above if you think about a visit. It's in Phuket Town about half a km east of the Robinsons store on Ong Sim Pai road, next to the "Seahorse" traffic circle.

Kaewjai Bakery and Restaurant (Phuket Town)

It's not always 100% true, but I reckon that if you want good local Thai food, then you have to eat where the locals eat. We have been checking out some restaurants in Phuket town recently, helped by my wifes sister who works at a bank in town and has been giving us hints for the best lunch spots. If a restaurant is full of local people it must be good local food.. and most of the time quite a bit cheaper than Thai food at beachside restaurants. It's up to you - as a visitor to Phuket maybe you prefer to eat by the sea, make the most of your holiday - I also like eating by the sea, but I am not on holiday so have to find good Thai food without tourist prices! Thus a lot of the restaurants on this blog are more local style with prices to match. We like to eat out and if you find the right restaurants in Phuket, eating out is very cheap. Yesterday we spent 240 Baht on lunch for the family...

The Kaewjai (แก้วใจ) Bakery and Restaurant close to the Phuket Town bus terminal has been a popular local eatery for years. The menu says something about "since 1961". The area is busy with banks, businesses, the bus station etc.. so you get plenty of office workers and such taking lunch there, or just popping in for a coffee and a cake. You can tell its not a tourist restaurant, as I can't find it on Google unless I search in Thai! So I did find a nice write up on the Phuket Portals website. We stopped in for lunch yesterday with the kids. It's on the south side of Phang Nga road, just west of the bus station, very close to the Royal Phuket City hotel.



It's not a huge place, could maybe seat 30 people max. Aircon inside, and there are a few outside tables too. The coffee and cakes are easy to find, and without seeing a menu you might think that was all they had...





The menu is simple, basic Thai food, all the lunchtime favourites. Our kids love chicken fried with garlic (gai tod kratiem), I had a tasty fish with black pepper, my wife had a fried rice made with tom yum seafood. Plus drinks. As I said, 240 Baht. That's why you see so many Thais eating out! At that price you hardly save by cooking at home!





So now we have another restaurant for lunch in Phuket Town. I have aimed this year to try lots of new places to eat, partly to add to this blog and partly to stop me being lazy. My wife and I do like to play it safe sometimes and have a tendency to go to the same places where we know the food is good. Hopefully some more new restaurants coming soon!

More places to eat in Phuket Town:

• Rimtang
• Uptown Noodles
• Big Chicken (just out of town)
• More Phuket restaurants

Kamala Beach

We used to visit Kamala quite often, we had a few friends living there, we liked the quiet beach and the little beachside restaurants - we knew a couple of the owners of these restaurants too. But friends who lived there moved away to be closer to the center of Phuket. Kamala is a bit off the main road, and it has remained that way. Not a trendy beach, a bit of a backwater, not many bars as it's a Muslim area, and it always seemed to me like a bit of a drive to get there. Somehow, Kamala beach still has a quiet feel unlike any other area in Phuket.



And then there's what happened on December 26th 2004. Kamala was hit quite hard, and took time to recover. But Kamala was not mentioned nearly as much as Patong just down the road. More talk of the tsunami here: Kamala Temple, and 4 Years After the Tsunami. We were all on the beach at Kamala on December 25th 2004. So Kamala has some memories for me.

Yesterday morning, nice and early, I drove to Kamala in the early morning sunshine for a walk along the beach. It's about a mile along the beach starting from the temple at the south end passing fishermen and their longtail boats, then the main beach with beach chairs and small restaurants. The northern section is very quiet, as a large part of the land behind the beach is a Muslim graveyard. There are still a few little beachside shacks selling drinks. It's not most people's idea of Phuket!

My walk yesterday started at the temple...



The temple end of the beach is not so good for a swim, as a couple of canals drain into the sea there - all the chairs and hotels are further up the beach. Not far from the temple there were longtail boats and fishermen cleaning their nets. I guess they had already unloaded the catch - you have to wake up REALLY early to catch a fisherman in the act!

 

Before 9am the heat is not too bad for walking, and there were patches of shade on the beach, shadows cast by trees, not by tall buildings - you don't see any huge hotels here, even the larger hotels at Kamala are quite low key. Beach chairs were empty, although some of the restaurants were already busy for breakfast.





The "main drag" along Kamala Beach is a narrow path lined with small restaurants and hotels. The traffic mainly passes through on the main road which is about 500 meters away from the beach. Most of the population of Kamala lives along roads to the east of the main road, rather than near the beach. The school is close to the beach, but if you wanted to see local life in Kamala you'd have to get off the beach.. much like anywhere else in Phuket!



It's very low key along the beach, not flashy or over touristy. Small restaurants, guesthouses, hotels, bars and tour desks, and all kind of holiday related things for sale. No traffic noise, no jet skis and (maybe because it was early) I was not hassled once to buy this, try that, have a drink, massage etc... I enjoyed this walk.





A sign helpfully points the way to the beach, just in case you hadn't noticed the sand and the ocean right next to you...



Here's a couple of the little beachside restaurants. Nice. Simple. Unpretentious. On the sand. There must be at least a dozen all looking similar, I can't recommend any particular one, but I would recommend heading to Kamala for a sunset one day, a cold beer and an evening meal right by the sea as the sun sets.





Once I reached the north end of the beach near the aforementioned graveyard, the sun was heating up. Not many people up this end but still a few little shacks selling drinks and signs to a restaurant way up at the far end of the beach where you find a shady forested area. I had a couple of joggers for company...



Kamala is like the forgotten beach of Phuket. The local Muslim community kept things quiet for a long time. When we visited friends there 7 years ago it was hard to buy a beer in a local shop. There was no 7-11, and the "main" road was a fairly narrow 2 lane street. Things changed a bit when Phuket Fantasea opened - Phuket's largest "tourist attraction" is just at the north end of Kamala, but on the main road, not on the beach. A wider road was needed for all the tours and minibuses coming from Patong. There are now 7-11's and some bars, some new hotels have opened in the last few years, but Kamala is still quiet. Well worth a visit even if you are not staying there, and worth considering for hotels if you want some peace and quiet... and Patong is only about 15 minutes away by car if you do need a crazy night out!

Some Kamala Beach Hotels

• The Palms Resort
• The Trees Club Resort
• Kamala Beach Resort
• Marriott Courtyard
• Print Kamala Resort

• Kamala Beach Hotels @ Agoda.com
• Kamala Beach Deals @ LateStays.com

Hotel Recommendation: Yorkshire Inn (Patong)

There are a few reasons for writing about the Yorkshire Inn (well, it used to be called that, now it's the Yorkshire Hotel and Spa), even though it's right in the middle of Patong, just a few minutes walk from Soi Bangla, the nightlife center. Normally this area is off my list. Patong is not my cup of tea. BUT I do recognise that many people like Patong, so you will find some Patong Beach hotel recommendations on the blog already such as Amari Coral Beach and Burasari.

Reasons for including the Yorkshire Inn on Jamie's Phuket... Well, firstly it's a great location if you want to stay in Patong. The street (Soi Sansabai) is just to the east of Bangla Road and yet is much quieter. I won't promise 100% noise free nights, but a few hundred meters can make a big difference. Second - recommendations from customers who have stayed there - I keep hearing how friendly it is, like a home from home, how the Yorkshire Inn makes you feel like part of the family. Thirdly - the price. Check the link below for booking/rates on Agoda. I have had a few comments recently asking for more mid price hotel recommendations rather than the slightly fancy places I tend to write about. Yorkshire Inn is a bargain. Fourthly - I lived in Yorkshire for a few years. Sentimental value. Fifthly - I used to work at a dive shop on Soi Sansabai and indeed met my wife at said dive shop. Double Sentimental value!

So, great location (if you want the Patong vibe), good price... also, friendly personal service. This is not a chain hotel, this is a one off. Rooms look decent and the pool great... and the food... Yes I know you are supposed to eat Thai food here, but the Yorkshire Inn is not just a place to stay but has a well known restaurant which does good old traditional English food, just in case you miss home.

A final word on the location - less than 10 minute walk to the beach, just a few minutes to the Jungceylon Shopping Mall. A few more things - free internet, free sauna, 2 restaurants, poolside dining... If you want a good price in Patong, I recommend the Yorkshire Inn.

Yorkshire Hotel and Spa - Booking & Reviews

• Yorkshire Inn - Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Yorkshire Inn - Hotels Reviews


Yorkshire Inn - Photos










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

Phuket Brewery

I admit to not being a nightlife person - noisy bars and clubs are not my thing... thus there's not a great deal on this blog relating to nightlife in Phuket or bars or clubs! A lot of the nightlife in Phuket is related to bargirls, ladyboys and everything in between. Not really family entertainment. What I like to find is a place that has a good atmosphere, is not a rip off and preferably has good beer!

Enter Phuket Brewery, just opened last November - a huge entertainment venue just outside Phuket Town, opposite the Tesco Lotus store, impossible to miss.. I mean, there's half a boat sticking out the front of the building, more or less everyone will see it when driving from the airport to the beaches.





I had been putting off a visit due in part to laziness and in part because I heard it was very expensive. The Brewery is just 5 minutes from my house, and could become my local pub! Certainly not as expensive as I thought, and there's even a happy hour from 7 - 8pm (we found that out when we got the bill)! I had a friend visiting from England and we both like good beer, so I thought it was time to try the Brewery.



It does look a bit fancy and expensive. The entrance is like stepping on board a cruise ship, all polished wood and portholes for effect, mirroring the boat on the outside. You can sit outside to eat or just for a drink, or you can head into the theatre. Inside there is an impressive looking wooden and copper bar, with the freshly brewing beer right behind the bar - all the pipes and valves of the microbrewery out in the open and it looks great!



The house band had already started before 8pm. It's a large theater, I reckon must seat over 1,000 people. Only about 30 people when we arrived, but it did fill a little later, maybe around 200 people there by 10pm, not bad for a week night.

So, what's Phuket Brewery all about? Well, for me, number one - (the word Brewery is a hint) - BEER! The microbrewery makes 3 different beers, a dark beer, a lager and a weizenbier (wheat beer). It looks good, it tastes great. Normal price 130 Baht for half liter, but only 75 Baht during happy hour. There are also 0.3 liter glasses and huge beer towers containing 3 or 5 liters - good for large parties.

Here's some of that beer - in the photo below you see a dark beer and the weizenbier.



But, this is not a drinkers den. The beers are good, but the Brewery is aimed at families, work social evenings, ladies nights out and concerts - some of the big names in Thai rock have been already such as Carabao and Sek Loso. I wonder if they can attract any big Western bands? When we were there on Thursday it was just the house band, which was not too bad. Also some Thai dancing and a magic show. I think kids would enjoy it, though they'd have to be allowed a late night by mum and dad.





There is an upstairs balcony too which would seat several hundred people. On this quiet week night the balcony was not being used but I went for a look upstairs and also wandered down to the stage. They have an impressive array of live video screens around the venue and 3 different cameras shooting all the action from the stage. From the balcony I could look back down on the bar area too.



So, you've got beer, entertainment, concerts, friendly staff, oh and they do food too - not super cheap, but I think for the western food about the same as you'd pay elsewhere. Open every day, easy to find, and only 5 minutes from my house. Did I mention the beer? Who's meeting me for happy hour? :)



UPDATE January 2010 - Phuket Brewery has closed - not making enough money. The place has been taken over by an entertainment company called "Whisky and Moonlight" : Full Story in the Phuket Wan website: http://phuketwan.com/property/phuket-brewery-closes-venue-rocks-11985/

Sunset at Cape Phromthep

Cape Phromthep is Phuket's southernmost point, a rocky headland surrounded by steep cliffs with views of the ocean and all the islands to the south and east of Phuket. The coastal scenery is quite beautiful, and the area around Phromthep heading towards Rawai Beach to the east or Naiharn Beach to the north is still quiet and undeveloped, making a nice change from the main beaches of Phuket. This little corner of Phuket has always been a favourite of ours. Nothing else to do? Let's take a drive down to Rawai and Phromthep...

Yes, we've stopped at Laem Phromthep countless times. Anytime we have visitors, this area is on the to-do list. But somehow, despite the fact that Phromthep Cape is known as THE sunset viewpoint, I have never been there for sunset.. until yesterday. We drive along Rawai beach road past the little seafood restaurants and turned left onto the winding hilly road up to the cape. Now, as I say, Phromthep is THE place to watch the sunset, all the guidebooks and websites say so. I was not too surprised to see a packed car park, a dozen buses and people everywhere. On the road by the carpark you find food stalls and souvenir stalls...





We walked up the steps, stopping for the kids to much some BBQ pork and sticky rice. At the top of the steps above the cars you have a large open area with great views, and everywhere there were people waiting for the sunset and taking holiday snaps. Most of the visitors seemed to be locals, being that this was a Saturday, a day to relax and enjoy living in Phuket. A fair number of foreign tourists too. All waiting for that magical sunset.





The sun was already low in the sky when we arrived. I had a feeling that the sky was too hazy for a spectacular sunset, and was proved right. The sun did eventually sink behind the hazy horizon, but nevertheless it was a great photo opportunity! I would say there are better sunset views. I prefer the sunset at Kata Beach, or watching the sunset and views from Buddha Mountain for example, but Phromthep is a very scenic area, and after sunset you could head down to Rawai for dinner or a drink at Nikitas Bar on the beach for example.





There's a small but interesting temple at Cape Phromthep with elephant images all around. People were saying prayers as the sun set...



And at Cape Phromthep you get entertained too! There was live music...



And a bongo playing / fire dancing combo... We gave our kids some change to put in the hat. My 4 year old son was particularly impressed by the fire dancer. I kept wishing I had a better camera... coming soon!





Being a rather rocky headland, there is a lighthouse here. The lighthouse, built in 1996 for the golden jubilee of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is open to the public - you can climb up some steps inside for a better view (please remove your shoes). Outside is a sunset scoreboard:



Note the year "52". The old calendar is still used for official business. In Thailand it's 2552. So, here's a view from the lighthouse (click to enlarge), the sun having already all but sunk into the hazy horizon. Sunset over, time to go home!