Journeys From A Small Room

One of the best attractions on Phuket Island is our Giant Buddha on Nakkerd Hill in the town of Chalong(where I live).

Looking down on the town, i get a feeling of safety and calm when driving my partner to work, like he’s watching over us all. When up there the came and quiet, and of course on sunny days the amazing views across to Chalong Bay and the Islands are in my opinion, un equaled.

Phuket’s Big Buddha is one of the most important and revered landmarks on the island. The huge image sits on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata and, at 45 metres tall, can be seen from as far away as Phuket Town and Karon Beach.

The lofty site offers the best 360-degree views of the island, with sweeping vistas of Phuket Town, Kata, Karon, Chalong Bay and more.

Known among Thais as the Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha, the main statue was built in 2004 and is 25 meters across at the base. The whole body is constructed with reinforced concrete, layered with beautiful Burmese white jade marble that shines in the sun. The views, and the actual image itself are breathtaking.

The road to Nakkerd Hills is in good condition, most parts are newly built but it has many curves and some steep climbs, which less-powerful scooters can struggle with. Some young tourists enjoy hiking up, even though it usually takes them over an hour to reach the top. Nakkerd eh?

Visiting Phukets Old Town is a camera-persons delight at the best of times. During my recent visit on one of my “Walkabouts” along with some architectural photography of Phukets Sino-Portuguese buildings, I took the time to capture some of the street art that now has become no longer the preserve of the “spray can tag crowd” , but serious artists too.

The street art in Phuket Town has not appeared randomly, it’s part of an organised attempt to brighten up the town’s street administered by by a group known as the 4studio with the blessing and assistance of the Phuket Office of the Tourist Authority of Thailand.

The street art in Phuket very much fits in with the themes of the broader South East Asian street movement. Like the street art in Penang and Ipoh, the street art in Phuket Town focuses on themes which are important to local people and relate to local life on the island, even if in an obscure way. Not all street art in Thailand is following this path.

Music is ; Fix One Thing At A Time- Max McFerren
Free under creative commons licence from You Tube music library

This 111 meter long tall ship from Indonesia docked at the deep port in Phuket. An invitation via the local press was given to members of the public to come and visit it, and so I did.

It was in Phuket as part of the 2019 Nation Ambassador Sail (NAS), an annual program of the Indonesian Navy to strengthen Indonesia’s commitment to regional security, peace and stability. The theme for this year’s program is “Maritime Fulcrum Brotherhood”.

It was a real treat fro anyone not having got close to one of these magnificent Ships.

The KRI Bima Suci is one of the tallest ships owned by the Indonesian Navy, besides KRI Dewa Ruci. The vessel is 111.2 metres long, and 13.65m wide draws a depth of 5.95m. Its tallest mast stretches 49m from the deck surface.

This ship – which can accommodate up to 209 personnel consisting of 35 officers, 73 sailors and 101 cadets who are 83 Indonesian Navy Cadets n opportunity to practice their capabilities in basic navigation and astronomical navigation.

The program also aims to provide the 83 Indonesian Navy Cadets n opportunity to practice their capabilities in basic navigation and astronomical navigation.

Music courtesy of Vibe Mountain-Clover 3
Free under creative commons licence from You tube music library

Chinese style temples in Thailand are and can be called ; Sanjao, San Chao, or ( ศาลเจ้า). They may belong to the community, perhaps donated by wealthy benefactors, or to private foundations of a pious and charitable character.

Even when private property, they are normally open to the public on daytime. Their name is normally preceded by the title Sanjao ( ศาลเจ้า ), meaning shrine or spirit house. It is the same name given to miniature spirit houses Thai people love to keep in their gardens or homes.

They consist of at least one small building hosting the main shrine. Often they include also one external shrine in the form of a concrete table, and an external incinerator in the shape of a small tower. More rarely, one or more additional buildings with accessory shrines and votive objects, including holy rolls, and a votive pole. When located inside internal courts, they are marked by one or more decorated portals on the main street. All those additional parts are normally decorated following the same pattern for each temple.

For this particular shrine the History is as below, I would like to add that they have actually built an extension , a massive meeting and event hall, which appear in the last frames of this slide show.

Info;

Around 1890 in the area that the shrine stands today was a inlet from the nearby sea. One day a Chinese man came ashore in a Junk bringing with him an image of the Emperor Guan Yu. The man built a small house and was seen to pay respects to the image of Emperor Guan Yu. After some time the Chinese man disappeared and the local villagers saw that he had left behind the image of Emperor Guan Yu. The villagers continued to worship the image and eventually gathered together enough money to build a better shrine. Guan Yu or Kuan Yuis also known as Kuan Ti and is often referred to as the God of War due to his military successes however he is revered for his loyality and justice and is worshipped as a guardian deity.