This morning we arrived in our third Thailand Port of Call; Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is pronounced puukett. Many people around the world remember this Island due to the devastation that occurred in this area of the world from the Tsunami in December of 2004. Today, it is hard to tell that such a catastrophic event occurred just a little more than three years ago. There are some areas near the beach where new buildings are being built to replace those devastated by the Tsunami, but most of the construction looks to be complete. This is a vibrant Island with lots of activity mainly driven by tourism.
Phuket is a tourist destination for many who live in this region and for those who live in other areas around the world. It boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world along with wonderful seafood and other cuisine, along with great entertainment, and fairly nice weather.
Phuket is Thailand’s largest Island and is similar in size to Singapore. In addition to many resorts, this island contains lots of rubber plantations and coconut groves.
Since we set the clocks back one hour before going to sleep last evening, we woke up earlier this morning than normal. Keith was up at the Fitness Center around 4:15 AM and Anne Marie arrived around 5:45 AM. There were a fair amount of guests working out as well. After our workout we enjoyed a nice breakfast in our room and got ready to explore this island.
We arrived to Phuket a little ahead of schedule and we docked at the Phuket Deep Sea Port, Makham Bay around 7:15 AM. The dock is located approximately nine miles from the city center. Due to local restrictions, Crystal was unable to provide a complimentary shuttle.
During Captain Glenn’s morning announcement he mentioned that it was already 84 degrees Fahrenheit. The forecast was for the low 90’s, Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising whenever we fall.”
We took the complimentary shore excursion that was offered on this segment of the World Cruise. We were taken in a motor coach where we were driven by various city sights and also saw the nice tropical vegetation and pristine beaches. We were taken to a village to watch a cultural show that included folk dance. Our tour also included a visit to Wat Chalong Monastery, which is considered to be Phuket’s largest and most impressive temple. It is well known for its gold leaf encrusted statues of three former monks and abbots. The abbots were known for their strong efforts in resisting the Chinese invasion in the late 1800s.
The highlights of the excursion for us were the Folk Dancing Show and the visit to the Wat Chalong Monastery. The dancing and music were outstanding and the detailed work of the various temples of the Monastery was quite impressive.
We found many of those who live on the island who we came into contact to be very polite. As we had done in Bangkok, we would put our hands together and bow and they would do likewise.
The nightlife by the beach area is supposed to be on the wild side. While there are very nice people here there is also the other side at night in certain areas such as bars, and other clubs and in certain areas on the street which is something that we would want to avoid if we came back here on a land vacation.
We arrived back to the ship later in the afternoon and enjoyed a very nice lunch that we had pre-ordered.
This evening we had the pleasure of dining with Thomas Mazloum, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations of Crystal Cruise Lines along with a few other guests at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant. He along with the President of Crystal Cruises and a few other executives from the Corporate Los Angeles office are on-board the ship for a few days for several meetings. We had the pleasure of dining with Mr. Mazloum and his lovely wife one evening on last years World Cruise so it was wonderful to have dinner with him again this year. We included pictures of both Anne Marie and Keith with Thomas Mazloum that we took at the end of dinner this evening.
Tomorrow we will be at sea and in the morning we will attend a Question and Answer Session for all guests that will include Greg Michel, President of Crystal Cruises along with a few other Crystal Executives. This session provides a nice opportunity to hear from the executives of Crystal.
Our next port of call is Myanmar where we will have two overnights. To think that our journey began in Los Angeles, California and now we are sailing this part of the World.
Our World Cruise continues to be an amazing adventure as we are visiting so many ports of call around the world that we have never been to before. Everything about the cruise has continued to exceed our expectations.
Keith & Anne Marie
