Our next day trip was day one in Phuket Thailand! Having been to Thailand before, it was a very different experience coming to Phuket this time, as it had its very own flavor, but was way more touristy that Chiang Mai had been.
This temple, like most, is super beautiful, and the day was insanely hot. The grounds were beautiful, but the sad part was that every 10 or so minutes there was a random 1000 firecrackers that would be lit in this huge caldron - most likely a prayer of sorts. However, to us Americans, it made you feel instantly that there was a mass shooting, and freaked us out. So sad that that is what our culture has to fear.
Wat Chalong literally had every kind of Buddha we were used to seeing. Gold ones, green ones, laying ones, and white ones. Little Monster and Rhett loved also going around growling at them in order to intimidate the Buddha. In tradition you take off your shoes before entering this holy ground, however, the ground was so hot, we didn't stay outside on the roof very long.
Even the towers of the temple were mini pagodas with layer after layer of highly decorated and ornate structures. They even had outside in the grand pagoda a splinter of Lord Buddha's bone, and is officially named the Phramahathatchedi-Jomthaibarameepragat (what a name).
Big Buddha
Next we traveled over to see the Big Buddha, or the great Buddha of Phuket. The best part was that the position of this buddha was so prominent on top of the mountain top that we even saw it from the cruise ship earlier that morning at sunrise when Heather and I snuck out to see the sun come up over Phuket.
The official name for this place is Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Akenakiri, which sits on top of Naked Hill near Chalong, and was built in 2004. It's basically a 148' tall Buddha on top of a mountain, so who wouldn't want to see it! It is supposed to be a representation of Gautama in sitting position, and covered in Burmese white marble.
The location was beautiful, and overlooks the whole coast. It was full of unique and very buddhist statues, to include the 3 headed elephant. We had a lot of fun, and I was excited because I found the best magnet there, only to then loose it 30 minutes later in the midst of taking Little Monster to the bathroom and subsequent Monster meltdown. So bummed!
Phuket Beach
So at the advice of the Rusts, we decided to finalize the day with some beach time. Phuket beaches, although with very comfortable water, are super super crowded, but luckily we were able to find some shade covered chairs and let everyone play. We spent the day wt the beach with the Rusts and Schwartz.
All the kids, to include the Rusts and Schwartz families engaged in the building of sand castles, and playing in the water.
The sand wasn't as beautiful as the beaches of Langkawi, but it wasn't hot, so the kids enjoyed the sand more here in Phuket.
We couldn't pass up the chance to get some massages on the beach in the Thailand, so the older two plus Heather and I rewarded ourselves with deep tissue massages there, and it was so fun! After some sunsets and delicious fruity drinks we conclude our day of literally going High and Low in order to find some amazing memories here.
-Kevin
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