Every year I see visitors to Phuket who are surprised that there's rain falling in high season. Surely November is the dry season? Why is it raining? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? Firstly, don't panic, especially not with rain like we're having this week. It's mostly light rain, with some heavy, short showers thrown in, but the sea is calm, there's no wind, as William Wallace said in Braveheart "It's good Scottish weather, the rain is falling straight down". But in Phuket, the rain is warm, the air is warm and really all you need is a small umbrella to get out and enjoy life. Sure you can't sunbathe, but guess what? There's more to Phuket than beaches! My Jamie's Phuket blog was started back in 2006 to show the many sides of Phuket. Rainy day? Please don't sit in your hotel and stare at the rain! Go and do something interesting like visit a museum (Phuket has several good ones), take a little walk (with umbrella) in old Phuket Town, go for a massage, visit the aquarium, go eat some seafood, visit a temple, hey even a tour in Phang Nga Bay will be fine in this weather since the sea is calm, just you might get a little wet, but don't worry, you won't melt.



(above) view from Rang Hill, Phuket Town on Saturday 24th November looking towards the western hills and the Big Buddha. See? Rainy day, great view! Take a drive, get out and explore... wasn't raining on us at Rang Hill.

And then later, at Cape Panwa, we sat in the sun watching clouds over the water ...



Again, we did not get wet, dodged the rain, though it must have been pretty heavy "over there" ...



Actually, if you check the Phuket rain monthly averages, you can see that November is on average the wettest of the high season months (November - April). So no great surprise to get some rain now. The first half of November was very dry and hot, now we get some life-giving rain :)

I am sure I say this every year, but the weather is odd. Strange. Not the same as it used to be. It's November but the last few days have felt like the hottest of the year, like it normally feels like in April. Just a couple of inches of rain in the last 10 days, and that has fallen in quick showers. After one of these hot days, a 30 minute thundershower is most welcome. In summary, the last 10 days since the last weather blog update has been HOT and mostly very sunny. Ignore any forecasts that say "rain, rain, rain". Sure you might get some rain, this is a tropical environment, but it'll still be hot!

A few recent photos ....



Saturday 10th November, one of my favourite parts of Phuket - the west side of Cape Panwa, with great views across Chalong Bay. There's a viewpoint on the hill here (Khao Kad Viewpoint) and one of our favourite hangouts - The Beach Bar, right on the beach.



(above) Beach at Cape Panwa

Last week I was on "late shift" at Sunrise Divers, with a 10am start and some time for useful activity in the morning. Had a couple of morning walks at Bang Wad Reservoir and a walk in Phuket Town. Along Thalang Road in the heart of the old town there are lots of old businesses, many run by Chinese-Thai families and many that have been there since the turn of the 20th century. Lots of history here. Below a slideshow of photos taken on 13th November ...



But mostly it's been work, work work! Until Friday evening when our kids played live music in Queen Sirikit park in Phuket Town, then wolfed down large plates of spaghetti at Route 68 (while Dad enjoyed a couple of cold beers). And then a day off on Saturday, when perhaps unsurprisingly we ended up back at The Beach Bar.



(above) Pee - owner of The Beach Bar



(above) At The Beach Bar, 17th November.

Good times in Phuket! I do like hot weather, though when you hear locals complaining about the heat, then you know it's a bit too hot. November should be a bit cooler, with a northeast breeze which is not really blowing yet.

Coming to Phuket - got a young family? I just did a new post on Jamie's Phuket, check out the Top 10 Family Hotels in Phuket.

If you're heading to Phuket soon .. looks like sun*.

*no guarantee.

Well, the weather this last week is no different to much of October. Although November 1st is officially the start of high season, it's not like the weather changes dramatically, and yet .. in October people are amazed to see sun, and in November, a 30 minute rain shower is greeted in horror.. "I thought it was high season!" is the cry. But despite the weather being the same as last week, there has been a big change at the dive shop. The Similan Islands officially open on November 1st and it's been like a dam opening with emails coming in like a flood. Welcome to high season!




Weather summary this week - mostly sunny, some rain. The end. Not much rain, just a few heavy showers really although Sunday (4th November) was mostly grey and wet .. but not windy. A bit of rain would not stop you having fun, right? By the way, I tend to mention the weather (almost) daily on Twitter, so do follow me for regular weather updates and Phuket news and some more random thoughts.

So, in high season it's mostly about work, just a day off at the weekend. Our weekends tend to be quite busy, the kids do things like music class and taekwondo and we try to get out and about exploring, some days further afield than others. On Saturday this week (3rd November) I just got a feeling to have lunch at Bang Rong, on the northeast coast of Phuket. There's a floating restaurant there in the mangroves that we've been going to for years. And again this Saturday it did not disappoint.





(above) at Bang Rong, Phuket.

And after a very tasty lunch (and get this ... garlic squid, 3 plates of garlic chicken, spicy salad with smoked shrimp, fried rice, steamed rice .. 350 Baht) ... after lunch I dragged the family to Bang Pae Waterfall for a walk in the jungle. Was a hot sweaty afternoon, but in the jungle felt cooler.



And still time later in the afternoon for sunset, a beer and dinner at The Beach Bar at Cape Panwa. Another of our favourite quiet places...



(above) Sunset beer on Saturday

You might notice that my photos tend to be of quiet, uncrowded places. Yeh, this is Phuket too! Phuket has it's crowds and busy beaches. But that's not my Phuket :)