Wat Phra Nang Sang - Part One

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I had passed by this Wat a number of times, usually travelling to Phuket Airport or the Gibbon Sanctuary or the Annual Butterfly release.

I was initially confused as to what it actually was because from the outside there were two enormous Yuks and a large figurine of a woman dressed in white.

I am told (and read) that the meaning of this temple is that it was built by the Queen and that it is the oldest Temple in Phuket - I read that this is then 545 years old - apparently there are also three Tin Buddhas (made when the trade in Phuket was mainly Tin) with did have three hidden tin Buddha's inside them.

BUT I have never found them - the World's largest Tin Buddha heads still have to be discovered by me.

What we did find though was something even interesting...

There is an enormous Golden Reclining Buddha.

AND underneath this is a mummified Buddha - the former Luang Poh Bai (or Zhang). Why this monk was mummified I am not exactly sure - 

but there was a sheet of paper which detailed that the monk knew that he was going to pass away so they consumed no more food so the mummification process was easier?

After finding this interesting artefact I then found a smaller monument similar to the Heroine's Monument - Lady Chan and Lady Mook. Apparently the ground in front of the Wat was where the locals gathered to prepare to find the invading Burmese Troops.

Too much to write about in one post - another to come...

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Krieng Tin and Bubble Tea

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This as certainly a wonderful find and I cannot remember what brought me to this place and why I ordered a Bubble Tea to begin with.

My first recorded visit here was during a Vegetarian Festival Parade and I needed two of these. This Krieng Tin is close to Bang Neow Chinese Shrine.

So what is Bubble Tea and what is Krieng Tin?

I believe that Krieng Tin celebrates the past of Phuket and the Kanom (Sweet dishes) and biscuits that it made previously.

the Bubble Tea Machine...

Well as I search through the desk I cannot find the full details of the shop so I guess I will have to go again and with that are the details about Bubble Tea. Bubble Tea is a wonderful sweet drink and it has a number of small black circular jellies which are delicious - but exactly what it is I don't know. I do know that there are more places spring up in Phuket Town that serve this drink - it is quite filling.

A full report will come later - 

but this is certainly a place to visit.

Sea Walking = Sea Destruction

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images from Phuket Marine Biological Station (PMBC)

Never having done this - I can only copy and paste a recent article from the Phuket Gazette.

PHUKET: About 200 square meters of coral have been damaged off Khai Nai island in Phang Nga, say local marine officials, in order to create a pathway for tourists to walk on the sea floor.

images from Phuket Marine Biological Station (PMBC)

The manager of the seawalking company at the site, however, has defended his business, telling the Phuket Gazette it is environmentally friendly and had not damaged any coral.
Seawalking – walking on the sea floor while wearing a helmet supplied with oxygen from a boat above – was banned in local areas from 2007 until the law forbidding it lapsed last year.
Phuket marine officials, after learning of the damaged coral from locals, dived at the site on the east side of Khai Nai island on March 22. The group included staff from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) and Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC).
“We found over 200 square meters of medium-quality corals had been destroyed,” said Dr Nalinee Thongtam, senior marine specialist at the PMBC.

“Coral reef had been cut to create a flat walkway,” she said.

Dr Nalinee photographed a metal railing set in the pathway for tourists to hold on to at the now-cleared site.

The cut coral was piled on top of living coral, protected sea clams had been relocated, and the support boat was anchored by rope to coral, said Dr Nalinee, who has detailed illustrations of the site.

“A total area of about 300 square meters of coral was affected, and at least two laws were broken,” she said.

It is illegal to destroy coral and the metal bar and roped coral contravene marine regulations that do not allow fishing areas to be altered, she said.

Dr Nalinee and her colleagues reported the damage to police at Koh Yao Noi island, but were told that police could not take action unless they witnessed the destruction in progress.

About 10 days later, on April 3, Dr Nalinee sent one of her staff to check on the coral. He reported back that it was starting to die, and took photographs of seawalking already in progress.

“Some of the damaged coral still has the potential to grow back again with the right treatment,” Dr Nalinee said.

“It is now very important for the all governmental organizations to cooperate and fix the damage,” she added.

Dr Nalinee told the Gazette that the case has been reported to her superiors at the PMBC, to the DMCR, to the Phuket Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment, and to the governors of both Phuket and Phang Nga.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Inspector-General has reported the issue to the Chief Executive of that Ministry.

A beleaguered Somporn Teerin, the manager of J & J Marine, the seawalking company at the site Dr Nalinee visited, told the Gazette he had received complaints from all sides and asked for the chance to explain himself.

“Eco-tourism is what we call our seawalking package,” he said.

“No coral was destroyed. The coral that we removed had been dead for three or four years years already. The walkway where we put the metal bars is a natural coral-freewater channel,” he said.

Mr Somporn took exception to the claim that 200 square meters of coral had been disrupted.

“The metal bar is only one inch thick and six meters long, so it is irrational to claim that we are the reason that 200 square meters of coral are destroyed,” he said.

As for the boat being anchored by rope to coral, Mr Somporn said he was told by experts this was safe for coral.

“Corals around the island are being destroyed by divers and anchors from boats. I consulted with specialists who told me that wrapping ropes underneath coral is safe for them,” he said.

Mr Somporn also said he had consulted with local leaders before starting his business.

“This will be beneficial for the locals as well; we will be providing employment for them,” he said.

Mr Somporn said that he is expecting to start the first seawalking tour this week after documents filed with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment have been completed.

When asked by the Gazette about the seawalking already in progress witnessed by Dr Nalinee’s officer, Mr Somporn said he wasn’t sure what was going on. “It must have been a safety drill,” he said.

Press were invited to visit the seawalking site on March 29, along with Dr Korn Sirinam, Parliament’s Adviser to the Committee of Land, Forest and Law Enforcement.

At that time, Mr Somporn said that sea animals would not be interfered with or harmed because experts would set up environmental safety standards and tourists would have to agree to abide by them.

Dr Korn said, “We went seawalking for 30 minutes, and I saw that no harm had been done to the sea ecosystem because the area is small, approximately 10 square meters. There is also a sand walkway for tourists to walk along and observe corals and sea animals,” he said.

“I confirm that seawalking should have no impact on the underwater ecosystem, but I also suggest that the agencies should be strict with the rules and take-care of long-term consequences. They have to follow legal regulations in every step they take,” he concluded.

Additional reporting by Kritsada Mueanhawong.

John Gray Sea Canoe

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What can I say but that this is one trip that you do not ignore.

There is so much to write - read the website, visit John's facebook page, read John's blog and book the trip. For a start I would recommend that you choose the Starlight trip and then move onto a trip where you sleep over night.

I feel that the trip is best served by by these photographs and then what my daughter said. Our daughter Jemma reached the end of the trip and said to us -

 "I will be good forever if I can go in two more caves".

Website: http://www.johngray-seacanoe.com

Email: info@john-gray-seacanoe.com 

Phone Number: 076 254 505-7

  

Things to do when it rains in Phuket

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We have not all come to Phuket for the rain but Phuket does have a rainy season (all be it  of a changeable date but here are some suggestions from my blog

    1) Dentist

  - you can always use this App to find one but I use Suan Luang Clinic    Phone No. 076 - 222 579

    2) Cinema

  - you can always use this App to find out what is showing

    3) Nail Painting

    4) 10 pin bowling

    5) Drink Coffee in Phuket Town

    6) Take a trip with John Gray Sea Canoe

    7) Visit the Butterfly Garden and Insect Garden

    8) Phuket Aquarium 

  - don't forget the Turtle Breeding at the back

   9) Visit a Museum

Here are some ideas - Spas are another popular trip but I am not well versed in Spas - I would rather drink coffee and play Candy Crush. There there is shopping.

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Monkey Seeing on Siray Island (nr. Phuket Town)

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We were on our way to Koh Sirey Island and we have visited the monkeys already.  There is a canal / waterway on the other side of the road.

We visit here, parking on one side where we can buy food very cheaply for the monkeys.

Well it was a little different this time because there was a gentleman walking in the swamp and onto the marsh and he was collecting something and he was wearing a KFC bucket on his head...

The feeding was simply throwing the corn / peanuts and bananas over the wall... fun for my daughter. 

The monkeys seemed to be a little careful today and we had throw quite a long way - a lot of fun for us.

We then investigated the Chinese Shrine on top of the island and went out for a pizza - but that's another posting.

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Sam Se Ju Hud Chinese Shrine

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I always love to investigate the beautiful Chinese Shrines when I am in Phuket Town BUT I always feel that it is imperative to leave a donation - so when I take Jemma I always ask her to Wai when we enter and she loves to ring the bell - leaving a donation in the box.

The beauty of visiting the Chinese Shrines throughout Phuket is that they are always changing and many are not on some of the maps which the visitor receives.

Sam Se Ju Hud Chinese Shrine is at the bottom of Rang Hill on the outskirts of Phuket Town and I have visited it previously and I took a number of photographs today.

This visit was special because this time I noticed more things - I do not know whether they were there previously but...

The pillars in front of the Shrine have small figures on a cloud - I believe that they are telling us a story?

There were wooden bells on the surfaces of the shrine and I do not know what they are but they look like cow bells.

What was the chilli display for?

Please don't forget the donation, the waterfall at the back and the prayer room at the back.

 

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