Phuket: Rainy Day Activites

Rough seas on Saturday meant that we had to change our plans of visiting Ko Phi Phi Island. Thankfully, we were able to book a private driver for the day through Mr Chai (we also used him for our airport transfers). Our driver, Joseph, was wonderful and knowledgeable about Phuket. He also didn't mind serving as our photographer throughout the day.

We started the day at Karon viewpoint which I am sure is spectacular on a sunny day. This was not one of those days. Nonetheless, it was still a pretty spot to stop. 

My mother's one wish in Thailand was to see an elephant. We aren't huge fans of animal tourism so we skipped riding the elephants and instead stopped to feed some bananas by the side of the road. My mother was elated to say the least.

Then it was off to the Big Buddah. Measuring over 45 meters tall and covered in marble, Phuket's Big Buddah is rather impressive though still under construction.

Perhaps feeling the need for a little more religion, our next destination was the Buddhist Chalong temple. Dedicated to the monks who led the fight against the Chinese rebellion in 1876, this impressive temple is a familiar tourist stop for many in Phuket. Again, I found the temples to be much more colorful than their Chinese counterparts.

My dress was deemed too short to enter the temple so a kind woman at the entrance provided me with a sarong to wear. You are also asked to remove your shoes before entering.

After Wat Chalong, we stopped for a quick break at the Methee cashew nut factory. While not worth a trip on its own, it was interesting to pause for a few minutes to see how cashews nuts are grown and processed. And of course to try the samples. We made good use of those.

From the cashew factory, we headed north to visit Bang Pae Waterfall. A local swimming spot for children, the waterfall was rather silent thanks to the rain we experienced throughout the day. A short hike through the woods took us to the waterfall which was beautiful and which I did not accurately document. So instead, here is us walking through the woods.

And located just at the base of the trail to the waterfall was one of my favorite Phuket attractions. The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project helps to reintroduce gibbons to the wild after they are snatched up by poachers. I didn't get an photos of the gibbons but we were able to snap a picture of these two monkeys.

While not the sunny day I pictured on an island, we had a blast exploring the many attractions Phuket has to offer.