Around the World Again

Phuket, Thailand – March 17, 2018

First of all, Phuket is pronounced “poo-ket” in case you are thinking something else. 😊

Phuket is the largest of Thailand’s islands which is joined by a bridge to the north. A popular tourist destination because of its beaches, it was badly hurt by the tsunami in 2004 with over 5000 casualties.

My tour was called “Best of Phuket” and was scheduled to be 7.5 hours although we returned about a half hour early (everyone was very prompt getting back to the bus).

Our first stop, after about an hour drive, was Promthep Cape which is at the southern end of the island. It is popular for the lookout over the sea.

From the Cape we drove to Wat Chalong which is the largest of the Buddhist temples on the island (there are 29). We were allowed to walk around and were able to enter most of the buildings. Every few minutes we would hear the firecrackers go off which people buy to make wishes.

The next stop was to old town Phuket. We were given about 30 minutes to wander around. Lots of pretty old buildings that show a Portuguese influence (Phuket was visited by many early explorers and was once on a major trade route).

Our final stop was at the Phuket Thai Village where we saw a cultural show which showed some of the dances from different regions of Thailand. We walked to a different building on the grounds for a buffet lunch that was very good but it was extremely warm (Our guide told us the average high is 95F and the low is 77F.).

We returned to the ship at 3:30 and I walked around looking at the stalls until it was after 4:00 (all aboard was 4:30). Showered and dressed for dinner and then headed to trivia. It was a St. Patrick’s Day special and only Bonnie, Rodney, and I played. Surprisingly, we won with 11 out of 17!

1)The lease on the Guinness Brewery in Dublin is for a)9 years, b)90 years, c)900 years, or d)9000 years.

2)For what does the circle on a celtic cross stand?

3)What is the national symbol of Ireland?

4)Why is St. Patrick’s Day on March 17?

5) For what do the green, white, and orange on the flag represent?

After trivia I worked on my pictures for some time before going to the “Shamrock Shenanigans” at the Piano Bar.

There was a special menu for the day. I had fruit, corned beef, and the Bailey’s cheesecake.

Went up to the party in the Crow’s Nest and took a few pictures before coming back to my cabin.

Tomorrow is a sea day but a very busy one!

Promthem Cape…