Peering down at Phuket, Thailand?s largest and spectacularly beautiful island, popularly known as the Pearl of the Andamans, from the windows of the aircraft, the gasps of passengers were audible. What lay below was a vast expanse of shimmering azure interspersed with what seemed like giant mushrooms growing out of the sea.
Being an inveterate traveller, I can safely vouch that the panoramic view of no country can quite match that of Phuket, Thailand?s holiday capital. Distinctive only to Phuket, its limestone cliffs, jutting out vertically from the emerald green waters of the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea are a sight to behold.
Landing at Phuket?s small airport, nestling between verdant hillocks, those who did not have Thai visas were issued visas on arrival by the efficient, though rather brusque Thai immigration officials. In fact, one of the reasons why tourists from all over the world flock to Thailand, apart from its abundance of natural beauty, massage parlours, she-males, transvestites, transsexuals and high quality fake merchandise, is its hassle-free visa procedure.
Driving from the Phuket airport to our Patong beach hotel, one could scarcely believe that the picture postcard-like beauty of this breathtakingly beautiful beach town was completely decimated by the rolling, gushing walls of water of the December 2004 tsunami, leaving thousands dead in its wake. Today, the only visible signs of the tsunami are signboards at places where reconstruction work is still going on.
The choice and location of our hotel, too, was just apt. The Courtyard Marriot, Patong, is a spanking new four-star property of the Marriot chain, acquired two years ago and is already among the most sought-after hotels. With the Patong beach a two-minute walk away and the town?s quaint shopping street a stone?s throw away, a tourist couldn?t ask for a better place to be stationed at.
While on our day-long expedition to the famed Phi Phi Islands, cruising through the dramatic limestone islands to Phuket?s superstar island, which has been a spectacular backdrop to many Hollywood flicks, including the latest runaway Johnny Depp mega hit Pirates of the Caribbean, our solicitous speedboat hosts not only carried snorkeling equipment, life jackets and chilled drinks but also helped us spot some of the most exotic, multi-hued fish swimming frenziedly around our speedboat in search of crumbs, which most obliging tourists feed them. The water of the Andaman Sea is so clear that you can not only spot the friendly fish and other species of aquatic animals but the corals and sea weeds as well.
Romping on the pristine white beaches with sand so soft it feels like velvet, after trudging through waist deep water with shoals of curious fish swimming between our feet since the boats can?t reach the shore over shallow waters, and then trekking through the verdant forest trail of Phi Phi Island was an exhilarating experience for nature lovers. And when one of the enthusiastic scribes among us was almost flung overboard during an unusually rough ride over the choppy waters of the Andaman Sea, bruising her legs and ribs rather seriously, we even sampled a taste of Thailand?s famed medical tourism. Not only was she bundled off to one of Thailand?s state-of-the-art hospitals in a jiffy the minute we reached the shore, a complete and thorough medical check up was administered promptly.
An evening spent at Phuket FantaSea, an immensely enjoyable Las Vegas-style theme park was again an unforgettable extravaganza. From getting photographs clicked with obliging little tiger cubs trained to be bottle fed by the milling visitors to baby elephants shaking trunks and happily posing with enthusiastic animal lovers, FantaSea is an experience like no other. But what stole the show was a live performance by traditional Thai dancers and a whacky hour-long stage show superbly choreographed and replete with gravity-defying stunts by trapeze artistes, a cast of accomplished elephants and a supporting cast of buffaloes, goats and even roosters and doves who knew their cues so well that they had the audience in splits!
For foodies, the extravaganza didn?t stop there as FantaSea also hosts one of the biggest buffets in Asia and is set in a theme park that offers carnival-like games, lots of shopping opportunities, Palace of the Elephants, Similan Adventure Centre and several other food outlets. The Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant is a fine example of the park?s grand scale. Its cavernous hall seats 4,000 diners. To top it all, the Golden Kinnaree?s golden exterior, with an intricate peaked Thai-style roof and several statues, is a favourite backdrop for an untold number of pictures.
While in Phuket, the Big Buddha is also a must see. Visible from most of south Phuket, the 45-metre high glistening white statue of Buddha, the tallest in Asia, stands majestically on Nakherd Hill looking down benignly over the exquisitely-sculpted Chalong monastery. Just driving up to see the Big Buddha was a memorable experience with lush green hills, coconut groves and rubber plantations dotting the landscape and elephants gazing at us languidly from their dwellings.
A trip to Thailand can never be complete without shopping. Shopping in Phuket, with loads of tips on haggling provided by our escorts, was delightfully enjoyable. The Thais are so used to dealing with the ever-haggling Indian tourists that they inflate prices to ridiculously high levels before reducing them to more affordable levels. And for the uninitiated, be careful while using cuss words in Hindi. We learnt this to our peril when criticising a shop keeper who had quoted an astronomical amount for a smart Jimmy Choos fake bag, we were gently chided by him in fluent Hindi. Kuch paane ke liye, kuch khona bhi parta hai (to gain something, you have to lose something too), he advised even as we burst out laughing.
And don?t be too surprised if you?re addressed as Sridevi or Preity Zinta or Juhi Chawla by roadside romeos?Bollywood actresses are very well known and each Indian lady is a lookalike!
For the most adventurous among us, Bangla Road, famous for its steamy night life was a must-see, but to be fair to the Thais, even sex tourism is not dangerous for curious visitors. Even as a single, unescorted female, you can safely walk the road without unwarranted attention.
The high point of the Phuket sojourn, of course, was a trip to an Indian restaurant since the less gastronomically adventurous among us started pining for home food. Not only were we served home-style Indian cuisine but two beautiful Thai crooners even belted Alisha Chenai?s blockbuster Made in India to make us feel more at home!
The travel for this trip was sponsored by MakeMyTrip.com