Driving in and around Phuket is not something to be taken lightly. Firstly – Thai people would take a sofa, put a motor and wheels on it and drive that if they felt it would do the job. My jaw dropped when I was taken from the airport to my accommodation. a) EVERYONE rides scooters. And b) they all ride scooters with EVERYONE on them. I have seen an entire family of FIVE on one scooter.
Another fine, yet not uncommon example of the Thai version of a family car, was a man on his scooter with his child behind him. His wife sat behind the child with a baby sitting on either side of her on her hips.
What happened to car seats? And seatbelts? And HELMETS for these kids? Heaven help us should Britney Spears try and pull that little stunt with her kids!
Another thing about Thai drivers is that they don’t adhere to rules of the road. According to them – there are no rules. So you NEED to pay attention and keep your eyes on the road.
But every now and then, one can’t help but look up. And depending on which direction you’re looking from, you’ll notice a giant marble man sitting cross legged atop a mountain.
He’s quite magnificent to look at – and why shouldn’t he be? He’s Big Buddha – keeping a watchful eye over his nation.
Big Buddha is so big that you can see him from almost any where on the south part of Phuket Island.
View of Big Buddha on the way up to him.
Having been here almost 3 weeks and ’sort of’ coming to terms with my scooter (and Chalong circle), I decided it was time to take the long and windy drive up the mountain to see what he could see.
After surviving Chalong traffic circle yet again (YAY ME!) my friend Chantal and I took a left turn off the main road into a side street filled with what I can only assume is local housing. It’s not run down or anything like that.
It’s just far from what the accommodation in Kata Beach looks like. It’s been a while since I’ve seen actual houses!
Further down, the road bends to the right and there is suddenly a flock of towering palm trees on the left hand side.
Even further down the road is a rubber tree plantation. There are rubber plantations all over Phuket – and probably the rest of Thailand too. They use them to make the soles of sandals and other rubber goods by draining the trees of their sap.
Or so my source says.
Regardless… I continue up the road which is now starting to get hilly and windy and just as I’ve gained momentum up the steep incline, I come around a sharp corner and see Chantal stopped on the side of the road smiling at me. Since I have only just plucked up the courage to drive my scooter at 40km/h, I thought she was waiting for me to catch up.
And then…
I saw…
The elephants!
Like a complete girl – I stop dead in my tracks! Eyes wide – on that steep incline – with five elephants about 10 metres away from me.
It was only after I realised that they were the tame elephants used for the elephant treks, and that there were several Thai guys shouting at me to keep moving that it dawned on me that I had another problem.
Getting the scooter to start moving forward – up the incline, and not backwards – down the decline, which I was sure would end up being the painful result.
Oh shit! What to do?
WHAT TO DO!
The Thai guys must have seen the bewilderment on my face because one of them – still waving his arms frantically at me, starts running towards me.
“It’s okay” I think to myself… “I’m just going to stand completely still until ‘the man’ gets here and he can help ‘the idiot woman driver”.
He tried telling me what to do with the scooter – but I was having none of it. “Here” I said “take the bike” and climbed of and made my way to a flat spot on foot.
Thanks God for that Thai guy!
It’s not uncommon to see the trekking elephants on the side of the roads in Phuket.
But I was going there expecting to see a giant Buddha.
I wasn’t prepared for elephants!
Be as that may… wildlife is always a nice bonus. So we spent some time playing and having touristy pics taken with the elephants – who are remarkably trained to do remarkable things. My only hope is that they are treated like the wonderful animals that they are and not some whiplashed slave being thrashed to oblige. I was not especially happy when I noticed the chains around their feet.
The trekking elephants are so tame that you can practically stick your hand in it's mouth.
At least it took the ordeal of the scooter incident out of my head, until it was time to get back on the bike and continue up an even steeper part of the road.
Not cool…. nope… not doing it.
Chantal convinces me to hop on the back of her scooter and drive up with her.
“Fine” I say.
And so she sets off – headed straight for the hedgerow on the other side of the road! She slams on breaks and almost sends me flying off the back of the bike into the bush and somehow manages to rip her toe open in the process.
By now my nerves are finished and there is NO WAY I’m getting back on that bike with her again.
Luckily…. there were some guys who were heading up the mountain with a pick up truck who consented to me jumping in the back and giving me a ride up.
We eventually get up to Very Big Buddha, who is just marvellous!
His official name (apart from being rather unpronounceable to a non Buddhist, and something that requires ctrl C to ensure spelling is correct) is “Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha”. He stands – or rather sits – at 45 metres high and is covered in imported Jade, and not marble as I thought. This Big Buddha (there are more throughout Asia) is still under construction and sits in a meditation posture known as “pang marnvichai”, on a podium shaped like a lotus flower, facing the rising sun in the east where Chalong Bay is situated. The view is awesome, with countless Thai islands dotting and lining the ocean as far as the eye can see.
It’s no wonder he sits there smiling down at his people day in and day out. I would too, if I woke to the sunrises he’s seen since he’s been sitting there.
The view from Big Buddha.
Notes:
Entrance to Big Buddha and the temple is free, and the prices of the items sold there reflect just how much the rest of the island rips tourists off. You can expect to pay 40 BAHT to enjoy a coconut and it’s chilled milk at the beach. Big B sells them for 15!!!
The dress code is to be respected, and anyone wearing short skirts, open tops or anything with offensive pictures or text on is asked to please cover up with one of the sarongs you can lend while you are inside the temple.
A close up into one of the shrines.
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Nicky Vermeulen