Challenge for Thailand Tourism after Tsunami (2)
Interesting Objects in Phuket

From the Editor

Thailand with it’s gorgeous nature and culture is not far different with Bali. Just like Bali, beautiful nature and attractive unique culture in Thailand is becoming a major advantage to attract tourism visit. However, this country which is often called the White Elephant Country posses in quality about the cleanliness within tourism objects. Thus, Bali Travel News reporter, Nyoman Budarsana, reports the comparison study result from Thailand, along with several travel agents in Bali who joined in Agent/Press Educational Tour Program from Thai Airways International to Thailand, 9 – 13 May 2005. This program is as the tour package promotion series of Thai Airways.

Phuket area offers many interesting objects, so it’s not difficult recovering the tourism visit situation after Tsunami tragedy. For example, Kata View Point, Prom The Cape, Chalong Temple, Phuket Fantasy and the most charming site is Patong Beach.
Kata View Point is a place full with sloppy banks and green trees. From this spot, we can see the blue ocean at the border of Patong Beach, Karon Beach and Kata Beach, and also the hotels bunch between the green trees along the beach.
And next, Prom The Cape is a location of religious nuance with steep hill and worshipping site that as if unite together with surround sea view. This place is so breezy; birds perched at lower site and friendly with visitors. From this place, we can see small islands with green trees site irregularly in the middle of the sea.
Phuket also has the great show which called Phuket Fantasy. Phuket Fantasy performs Thalind culture with 500 elephants. This Fantasy accommodates 5.000 audiences, with one hour show duration (9–10 hrs) daily. Another object is Chalong Temple, as the worshipping site for Buddhist.
Besides the nature, Phuket is also famous with pearl handicraft, which organized professionally and can absorb hundreds of workers. It named Gems Gallery the World’s Biggest Jewellery Store. The pearl framed with gold and silver to become a beautiful ring, necklace, earring, and bracelet, with the lowest price is 1,200 Bath and the highest price reach ten thousands Bath. The place is very welcome with audiovisual facility.

Peddlers
Peddlers are the same everywhere. The way how to promote their stuffs or giving brochure to costumer is sometimes interrupt the law, but not the peddler in Phuket. The peddlers are orderly and neatly, never chasing and forcing the tourist to buy their stuffs, and most of them are children. They also obligated to pay tax 7% from their income.
Dealing with taxes, peddlers in Phuket are very disciplined and honest with no particular official inspecting their monthly income, but the peddlers always pay the tax consciously. By paying the tax, they indirectly participate in building their country.
Within the rehabilitation of art shops, restaurant, and hotel as the effect of Tsunami, in Patong Beach area, exactly at Bangla Street, from Kata Beach, entertainment is still open from 7 pm until 2 am of local time. Patong famed with waria (a man who dressed and makeup just like a woman) dancer. They look very beautiful, so it’s difficult to distinguish, whether they are men or women. We should pay 20 Bath to take a picture with these “women”. Cafés and pub are very lively at night, night ladies are with their men, and unstopping music singing in your ears.

Bangkok
Besides Phuket, Thailand also has Bangkok, the Capital City and tourism site as well. According to Thomrat (Lynn) Tongsuk, a tour guide from World Travel Service who accompanies the group, Bangkok and other cities in Thailand are able to attract for tourist visit because it contain of interesting nature and culture combination. Relatively equal with Phuket’s situation, Bangkok has several tourism objects that should be visit, like Silom Village, Grand Palace and Pratunam Market.
Silom Village open from noon until night. Formerly, this place was a private house wide about 75 acre. Then, it developed become tourism site. Until now, few families and owner of that house are still lived there. From this place, visitors can directly watch the village nuance and activities of Silom Village, for example; cake making, flower handicraft making.
While enjoying the nuance in Silom Village, classical Thai music instrument, which alike a Balinese mandolin, keeps playing from a small house. We can enjoy the music and relax nuance in Silom Village by eating the local cake or fruit salad all together.
Tourists tends to pay a visit at night to enjoy for dinner on the most top building. Entering the restaurant, you are not allowed to wear your shoes. Here, you will be served with delicious foods, and sit on the floor just like Japanese tradition. Two dancers will welcome you before ordering the foods. 20 Bath, only to take a picture with the dancers.
European tourists really enjoy their dinner time at Silom Village, where they can watch the performance of Ramayana dance fragment. Ramayana of Thailand style is certainly different with Balinese version. Ramayana in Silom Village version is more performing the symbols, and the story are presented irregularly.
The show starts with 2 male dancers and 2 female dancers as the symbol of love. Then, continued with 8 female dancers as the symbol of loyal servant to her master. The second part is the battle of Rahwana versus Rama who is helped by Laksmana and testified by Hanoman. Then suddenly Garuda appear and show his great power, which ended with associate dance by playing a coconut shell.(BTN/budarsana)