"Yaowarat Road" a Phuket Travel Page by Hewer

Nowadays Phuket hardly needs an introduction. Everybody associates this island with idyllic beaches, pulsating night life and endless shopping and family amusements. Some veterans of a Phuket holiday fondly recall Kata Beach, others Phi Phi Island or trekking in the interior, while still others may think of Bangla Road or the Simon Cabaret. For me personally, whenever I think of Phuket, I always remember the shops, restaurants, bars and characters of a 500 metre stretch of Yaowarat Road, off the beaten track in the northern part of Phuket Town.

I spent five weeks in Phuket between April and May 2006. I was based in Osaka, Japan (and still am) and travelled down to Phuket to obtain a TESOL certificate. For those not involved in the education industry, TESOL stands for Teaching English as a Second or Other Language. I was already working as a trainer of English teachers, but my company offered a salary increment for doing the course. And so it was that I went to Thailand chasing yen. With my blinkered in tentions, I forgot that I would probably have a great holiday too. It wasn't until the plane's wheels touched the tarmac that I thought, "Hey, this is Phuket!"

Phuket Town is less touristy than the likes of Patong and Karon, although bargain-hunting tourists are venturing in ever greater numbers into the interior to check it out. I was in the northern part of Phuket Town, close enough for 30 baht moto ride to the town center and far enough away for there to be few tourists. In fact, the only non-locals I ever saw there were those taking the course with me or course graduates who were back for a visit.

I had been to Phuket once before on a work trip back in 2001. At that time I was based in Kata and I was keen to see how it had changed in the five years I'd been away. Many places have completely changed and development seems to be out of control. It was more like visiting a place 100 years later rather than five years.

Patong, Karon and Kata are the most famous and most visited beaches. Most people who go to Phuket visit one or all three of these. And everyone you meet has a favourite beach. Due to the contrarian nature of people, this usually ends up being Surin, Nai Harn, Rawai, Kamala etc. I've been to several of the beaches since my first visit to Phuket and my favourite is Patong. The beach is easily accessible from the strip of restaurants and shops along the coastal road and the place is abuzz with activity. Admittedly this is not for everyone though.

The best beach sunset I've ever seen was at Patong. The colours in my photograph hardly do it justice. Thr first time, I had been sitting in the Irish pub just before sundown when the first hues appeared. I left my drink and walked across the road to the beach and watched for about 45 minutes. I hadn't really done that in years.

The first time I went to Phuket was for two days on a work trip in 2001. I was based in Kata Beach and I stayed at the Kata Beach Resort.

Two days is only a short time so I tried to make the most of whatever free time I had. There's some great shopping down in Patong and the views of the coast are amazing. I only went in the water at the beach once; I was being attacked by some tiny sea creatures and it was very annoying. The pool bar was much more welcoming and I spent a few of my 48 hours in Phuket drinking cocktails there.

The nightlife was great. I was the only guy in a group of 20, but I think the girls were keener to check out the shows than I was. It was a good cover anyway. Bright neon, thousands of people and cheap booze are a heady mix. I was due to report to work at 8am on day 2 and turned in at 7. Ouch!