Day 23 Touring Old Town Phuket
This will be our last outing so we're off early in the morning in order to return around noon for packing and relaxing before our departure tomorrow morning.
We're surprised that Dome has arranged for us to visit a rubber tree plantation and Kitty, the landowner and farmer, educated us on the ins and outs of harvesting the rubber tree sap.
He also has a durian tree. Remember durian? They say it smells like hell and tastes like heaven. I'm bringing home some chocolate covered durian from this trip.
And then there's the cashew tree. I was amazed that each bulb on the tree only produces ONE NUT! The locals harvest the nuts, break open the hard shell and roast the inside nut for eating. They also take the bulb (looks like a mini pepper to me!) and cook it for eating as well but it better be yellow and ripe instead of green. The leaves smell wonderful!
And now we're off to Old Town Phuket. It's interesting as we begin with the Thavorn Hotel Museum and it's many items from mining days. When our guide talked about something from 1963 (and most of us were living then), we reminded him that THAT isn't old! LOL! But first we were in awe of a water buffalo so Dome had the drivers stop and help across the street to take photos!
We walked the shopping street and I succumbed to a wood bowl that they tell me is bamboo. I also purchase a couple green (jade?) pendants. We'll see about that when I get home but at least they aren't expensive.
Everyone returns to the hotel but Marvin graciously goes with me to the Gems Gallery to be my "wing man" as I look to purchase a jade bracelet. We order up a Grab and, while we wait, a local taxi driver tries to persuade us to take him now instead of waiting and he will be cheaper. Dome rescues us and tells us to always use a Grab because the taxis can change their prices once you're inside and on the road.
Reaching Dome's suggested jewelry store, our Grab driver offers to wait for us and will charge us whatever the Grab app states for the ride back since she hasn't had many fares today. We enter a huge building and it has MULTIPLE rooms each the size of a gymnasium filled with glass cases of jewelry and a couple aquariums.
Marvin finds a $50,000 USD necklace for me and I laugh at both his suggestion and the price! I end up with not only a jade bracelet but a pair of earrings and a ring! Leaving with my ill-gotten gains, I feel ready to return to Singapore. Only one more experience remains...a Thai massage.
Dome is waiting for us in the lobby, collects our "whisper" earplugs we used for our guide-narrated tours and adds his good words to my selection of Dhara Massage across the street. I take a shower and wear my pajamas and flip flops to Dhara for extra comfort and no restriction of movement.
My masseuse is wonderful and hour passes quickly. She starts by massaging my feet as I giggle, goes up my calves and before I know it she has hopped up on the table and is kneeling on my calves as she continues moving up my body until she is standing on my butt and then my back. After flipping over, she works on my legs, feet, neck and head. It was wonderful! Wish I would have had one earlier so I could have had more than one! And a cup of tea awaits me as I sit and relax in the front lobby.
Our Farewell Dinner serves up a delicious fare complete with a glass of wine.
We each get a list of our emails in order to keep in touch and are grateful to everyone who submitted some of the 1600 photos on the Tripcast app. I think I'll use this app again in the future. It's 9pm and I need to finish packing so my morning won't be rushed.
One last thing, can you believe they actually GROW this stuff?
We're surprised that Dome has arranged for us to visit a rubber tree plantation and Kitty, the landowner and farmer, educated us on the ins and outs of harvesting the rubber tree sap.
He also has a durian tree. Remember durian? They say it smells like hell and tastes like heaven. I'm bringing home some chocolate covered durian from this trip.
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| It's the big one center in the back. |
And then there's the cashew tree. I was amazed that each bulb on the tree only produces ONE NUT! The locals harvest the nuts, break open the hard shell and roast the inside nut for eating. They also take the bulb (looks like a mini pepper to me!) and cook it for eating as well but it better be yellow and ripe instead of green. The leaves smell wonderful!
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| Cashews |
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| Only one per little pepper-like bulb |
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| Kitty and his cashew |
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| How about a taste? Offered by our young van driver. |
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| She and Dome were both too short to reach and called upon 6'2" David for help! |
And now we're off to Old Town Phuket. It's interesting as we begin with the Thavorn Hotel Museum and it's many items from mining days. When our guide talked about something from 1963 (and most of us were living then), we reminded him that THAT isn't old! LOL! But first we were in awe of a water buffalo so Dome had the drivers stop and help across the street to take photos!
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| Before a bank was built in Phuket, this hotel was the go-to place for big businessmen and their safe deposit boxes. |
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| Punching a time clock anyone? |
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| Printing press |
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| Switchboard. I have an ancestor who was a switchboard operator. LOL. |
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| Opium pipes |
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| Movie theatre projector |
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| Mangle for ironing sheets. My mom had one that I operated in our basement in the 60's. |
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| Do remember why they stopped producing ice boxes with handles such this? |
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| Opium pipes |
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| And their results. |
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| more opium pipes |
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| My grandmother had one. Wish I would have gotten it from her. |
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| The Thavorn Hotel & Museum |
We walked the shopping street and I succumbed to a wood bowl that they tell me is bamboo. I also purchase a couple green (jade?) pendants. We'll see about that when I get home but at least they aren't expensive.
 |
| This is a Spirit House. Spirits live in the land and will inhabit your home or place of business if you don't give them a proper home of their own. Oh, yes! And don't forget to give them food and drink from time to time too! |
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| Tactile Ground Surface Indicators for the blind and others who need them. The straight yellow raised lines indicate straight ahead while reaching a yellow dotted break indicates a change in direction. |
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| Yoga studio with figures showing positions on the handrail. |
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| The Romance street used by fishermen after a long time at sea! |
Everyone returns to the hotel but Marvin graciously goes with me to the Gems Gallery to be my "wing man" as I look to purchase a jade bracelet. We order up a Grab and, while we wait, a local taxi driver tries to persuade us to take him now instead of waiting and he will be cheaper. Dome rescues us and tells us to always use a Grab because the taxis can change their prices once you're inside and on the road.
Reaching Dome's suggested jewelry store, our Grab driver offers to wait for us and will charge us whatever the Grab app states for the ride back since she hasn't had many fares today. We enter a huge building and it has MULTIPLE rooms each the size of a gymnasium filled with glass cases of jewelry and a couple aquariums.
Marvin finds a $50,000 USD necklace for me and I laugh at both his suggestion and the price! I end up with not only a jade bracelet but a pair of earrings and a ring! Leaving with my ill-gotten gains, I feel ready to return to Singapore. Only one more experience remains...a Thai massage.
Dome is waiting for us in the lobby, collects our "whisper" earplugs we used for our guide-narrated tours and adds his good words to my selection of Dhara Massage across the street. I take a shower and wear my pajamas and flip flops to Dhara for extra comfort and no restriction of movement.
My masseuse is wonderful and hour passes quickly. She starts by massaging my feet as I giggle, goes up my calves and before I know it she has hopped up on the table and is kneeling on my calves as she continues moving up my body until she is standing on my butt and then my back. After flipping over, she works on my legs, feet, neck and head. It was wonderful! Wish I would have had one earlier so I could have had more than one! And a cup of tea awaits me as I sit and relax in the front lobby.
Our Farewell Dinner serves up a delicious fare complete with a glass of wine.
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| Gorgeous tray ceiling in the lobby of Thavorn Hotel. |
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| The engine that operated the elevator. |
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| Staircase in the Thavorn. |
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| Still using the same elevator but with today's technology. |
One last thing, can you believe they actually GROW this stuff?
So glad you finally got your massage and satisfied your jade urge!
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