Nearly Summertime in Phuket

This year there is a concerted effort to ban the use of the words "low season" in Phuket. I wish I could have attended the meeting on Thursday, but was out of Phuket for a few days. Business leaders got together to throw ideas around, the main one being that "low season" is a BAD name for the period from now until October. Better to use "summer season" or "green season". The weather is not perfect, but after nearly 10 years living here, I assure you that Phuket is well worth a visit during the summer months. I wrote a little blog piece about it 2 years ago - Phuket in the "wet" season - Great time to visit.

So, since the last update on 27th April, weather has continued hot and sunny here in Phuket. I can tell you it was even hotter over on the other side - I drove to Chumphon on Tuesday morning, about 400km north, about half way to Bangkok. This is my wife's home town and we had a few relaxing days at the beach and exploring a little around the local area. Thung Wua Laen beach about 10km out of town is very nice, with small beachside restaurants, some guesthouses, so far not very developed, though it has certainly become busier since we first went here 9 years ago.

Photos below at the beach, 28th April:





Not as big as the Big Buddha in Phuket, but there's one just south of Chumphon too... we went on the 29th.



I'll probably blog a bit more about Chumphon sometime.. yeh, it's not Phuket, but Chumphon is a nice little place!

We drove back to Phuket on Friday (1st May) - had a few clouds and spots of rain around Phang Nga, but it was a hot afternoon in Phuket when we got home. Just over the bridge, almost home, we stopped at the Phuket Gateway, a monument to Phuket, full of interesting historical facts, sculptures and gardens... and devoid of visitors except us. My daughter has been on a school field trip before, but it seems not many tourists stop here.

 

Yesterday (Saturday) - a little rain here and there, some dark clouds threatened in the afternoon, but weather stayed decent. We visited the Halal Expo at Sapan Hin, a large park and recreation area in the south of Phuket Town. Lots of food, things for sale, all promoting a Halal lifestyle and a great advert for Phuket's large Muslim community. More Here: Phuket Halal Expo.





Officially it's now low season.. I mean Summer Season, the month of May has begun, the weather is certainly on the change - we've had a rainy morning today, with a brighter afternoon, and we have the last few trips to the Similan Islands for diving in the next few days - these trips start up again in October. The summer IS a great time to come - less crowds, lots of good weather and of course Phuket hotel prices go way down. See you here soon!