Journeys From A Small Room

Earlier this year I stopped at an unfinished building that I had kept passing from time to time. It was easily accessible from the road and had been in its current state for at least the two years I have lived in Phuket. Always interested in Architecture of all sorts I stopped to photograph this “unfinished project”. Which for all the info I could find was supposed to be finished in three years! Sadly it seems that the funds/donations ran out and it is left for the future, when some benefactor may leave some large sum of money so it may be finished.

Also named as Kew Ong Tai De Am Rawai, I couldn’t find anymore than the translation below about this place. What appeared to be a great vegetarian, community effort that ran out of funds. None the less an interesting visit and view of what might have been and what still might be one day!

Co-construct the Kew Ong Tai Tam Temple Center of Dharma Practice And eat vegetables throughout the year.
By Thewasan Kew Ong Tai Tam (Rawai) located at 60 Moo 6, Rawai Subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District It is a land belonging to the “Sukkaew” family, formerly owned by Father Lamead Sukkaew and Mother Lamead Sukkaew. And both of you Had a wish for this land to be the construction of the Kew Ong Tai Te Temple When he died, the said land became ownership of the heir. And the heirs who hold all rights have inherited the spirit of the parents And jointly hand over the said land of approximately 2 rai, almost 3 rai to the Kew Ong Tai Tam Temple (Rawai). And has been carrying out the ceremony to eat vegetables throughout the year 2006 until His Majesty Kew Ong Taitae He has assigned the Lord Oun Kong to climb Tae. As Lord Aam manages to build a temple And has appointed an official construction committee With the ceremony of laying the main pole on May 5, 2012 already Therefore immediately proceeded the construction Expected to be completed within 3 years, ie in the year 2558

By Thewasan Kew Ong Tai Tam (Rawai) located at 60 Moo 6, Rawai Subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District It is a land belonging to the “Sukkaew” family, formerly owned by Father Lamead Sukkaew and Mother Lamead Sukkaew. And both of you Had a wish for this land to be the construction of the Kew Ong Tai Te Temple When he died, the said land became ownership of the heir. And the heirs who hold all rights have inherited the spirit of the parents And jointly hand over the said land of approximately 2 rai, almost 3 rai to the Kew Ong Tai Tam Temple (Rawai). And has been carrying out the ceremony to eat vegetables throughout the year 2006 until His Majesty Kew Ong Taitae He has assigned the Lord Oun Kong to climb Tae. As Lord Aam manages to build a temple And has appointed an official construction committee With the ceremony of laying the main pole on May 5, 2012 already Therefore immediately proceeded the construction Expected to be completed within 3 years, ie in the year 2558, however, at the Shrine of Kyushu Ong Ah, the titration (Rawai) There is a story about the history. “Maha Pho Footprint” by Mother Lamed Which is a villager with good hearts Has a wonderful wisdom, touches according to beliefs To bring down the Bodhi tree growing on the Phrao Duan tree and plant it Mae Lamead brought the Bodhi tree to walk around, ready to plant many times until she found this point. Which is the point where Ong Ong Tai Tao has his footprint Therefore bowed to worship around the Buddha’s foot as a preliminary And is the origin of “Maha Pho Footprint” said.

While Mr. Arun Soros, Mayor of Rawai Sub-District, said that for the festival of the Yom Kippur Festival of Phuket residents Of the local government organization Has supported the tradition for a long time Both on facilitating the participants to eat vegetables To get comfortable Including supporting various factors To be used during the festival as well

As for the construction of the Kew Ong Taiteam Temple (Rawai), the municipality invites the people of faith to donate money. Although the construction has progressed a lot. But people can still donate money When this temple is completed, it will be a beautiful place that will promote tourism in the Rawai area as well.

So during Chinese New Year we managed a short four day break to Kho Phi Phi, one of the few Islands still running boat services. This is one of the two main beaches we visited during our stay.

The arrival point and central area of Koh Phi Phi, Tonsai Bay is a crowded busy area overlooked by Tonsai Village.

Tonsai Bay is the main arrival and departure hub for Koh Phi Phi as it is deep water. The bay is stretched out along a 2km long cliff which, as it heads to the east, is punctuated with promontories and smaller beaches.

Tonsai Bay is unsurprisingly flanked by the beaches of Tonsai East and Tonsai West. While it initially appears a scenic spot on arriving at Koh Phi Phi, the water at Tonsai Bay tends to have a fair bit of boat traffic continually coming in and out of the bay. As this is where the main Pier is for drop of and embarking on other Island Journeys.

Music free under creative commons licence from You tube music library Music: The Future Ancient Now by Nathan Moore

In February this year (2021) I was able to take a short break to the beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi, not that I would say that hoards of tourists packed over every inch of sand is beautiful, BUT there are no tourists at this present time, except for local Thais from the mainland and those of us who are expats here from working or in my case retirement.

So back to the beautiful Phi Phi, one of the few Islands still running ferries. This video is from the day I took one of my obligatory, walkabouts, and I was struck by two things, the intense colour and beauty of the sea around this area, and the sadness of so many boats tied up and not working. The streets empty and most businesses closed and shuttered up. There were a few places open and serving food and taking guests, but at this present time it is a shadow of it’s former self. Still a Jewel of an Island and even more stunning with less crowds.

One thing we did love seeing were all the cats, no dogs are allowed on the Island, but there were many cats, and friendly ones. The locals feed them as do the few tourists that come to visit, bags of kitty cookies are available in most stores.

Tonsai Bay is the bustling heart of Phi Phi. The bay hosts Phi Phi Island’s main village, and it is the main arrival port in Phi Phi. Here, there are no cars or roads, only footpaths. The village is located on an isthmus, for which Phi Phi is famous, with Tonsai Bay on the south side and Loh Dalum (Dalum Bay) on the north.

Before 14:30, when the last ferry leaves, the streets are busier with day-trippers and people arriving/departing. After that, the island is more relaxed and the difference is tangible. In the evening the streets fill again with diners looking for a place to eat. Additionally, as most business is done at night, the tour shops, dive shops and every other kinds of shop come to life. Later on, some isolated nightlife areas heat up; especially on the east side of the village and of the bay.

Phi Phi is a very bohemian type of place; after all, bicycles and long-tail boats are the only alternatives to walking.

Music credit to :The Future Ancient Now by Nathan Moore
Free under creative commons licence from You Tube music library

My recent trip on a Catamaran included stopping off at some beautiful Islands close to Phuket.
My favourite one was Koh Racha, where the water is crystal clear and the sand is white and so so soft.
As there is no jetty as such you are picked up by a long tail boat and ferried to a floating pontoon, an aerobics session in itself getting to the beach as it bobs up and down in the water!
The water was so calm and clear I was even confident enough to take my dslr into the water with me to get some different perspectives of the boats and bay.
If you watch the video you might even see me!

The Racha Islands (or Raya Islands) are best known as among the best diving and snorkelling destinations in Thailand. Located some 12 km south of Phuket, Racha Noi is uninhabited, but there’s some great diving in the area. Racha Yai has several bungalows and resorts if you want to stay on the island for a day or more.

Racha Yai reveals itself in splendid fashion, with most arrivals landing onto a strip of fine white sand tucked deep into the long, U-shaped main bay, called Ao Tawan Tok or Ao Bungalow. The waters are clear and excellent for snorkelling, though the bay gets quite busy with visiting boats in the afternoons. Racha Yai is home to The Racha, a splendid getaway resort. The other large bay, Ao Siam, is a pretty place that’s great for peaceful strolls.

Coral Island is the most popular of the group of small islands just south of Phuket. As its name suggests, it is well known for its shallow coral reefs and excellent snorkeling.

During my recent Catamaran experience, along with visiting Racha Island, the afternoon was spent getting to and relaxing on Koh Hey. It was a welcome respite to sit under the shade of the trees and take a cool drink. With some energy to explore the crystal clear water of Long Beach. Where amongst other things I spotted a great hornbill flitting from tree to tree that lined the beach.

The island’s Thai name is Koh Hay (sometimes written Koh He, Koh Hae, or other variations). This does not actually translate to Coral Island. It means crowded island and the name is not totally inaccurate. The island does receive plenty of day-trip visitors throughout the high season.

However, it is not always crowded and there are quieter spots.

Coral Island is a 2.5km long, jungle covered, granite island. There are two nice beaches on the north side of the island facing Phuket and there is also a small but pleasant little beach on the south side of the island. There is nothing inland where the vegetation is too dense and the gradients are too steep to be suited for development or agriculture.
Long Beach
This 800-meter beach is the most popular on the island. It is where the majority of day-trip boats arrive. There are plenty of deckchairs for rent on the beach. There is beach volleyball and through the high-season, there are often jet-skis and parasails. There are several restaurants and bars. The only overnight accommodation on the island is nestled into the palm trees at the east end of this beach. The Coral Island Resort has nice little bungalows close to the beach and its own swimming pool.

The snorkeling at this beach is not actually the best around the island. Most of the coral close to shore has been damaged by the constant activity. However, if you are happy to swim out around 100-meters then you will still see plenty of coral and colourful fish. As you will see from my pictures.

Music free under creative commons licence from You tube music library
Friendly Dance by Nico Staf