Category: Chalong

Wat Chalong Phuket Chalong temple | Wat Chaiyathararam Wat Chalong is the grandest and one of the most important temples on Phuket, and the most visited by tourists. Located on the southern end of the island, it is close to Chalong pier and the Big Buddha temple viewpoint. If you visit Chalong temple you should also detour to the Big Buddha.   You can plan a full or half day tour around the south of Phuket to also include Rawai and Promthep cape. The real name for Wat Chalong is Wat Chaiyathararam (วัดไชยธาราราม). Wat means temple in Thai. Wat Chalong was originally built over a century ago and was dedicated to the memory of two monks, who with their knowledge of herbal medicine helped the injured of a tin miners rebellion in 1876. Although Wat Chalong is now a popular tourist attraction it is also still an active place of worship, supporting the religious needs of the local community. Temple conduct Please show the proper respect during your visit to Wat Chalong. It is possible that your visit will co-inside with a Thai wedding or funeral. Visitors should dress appropriately, no bear shoulders or midriffs or short length shorts. Shoes should be removed when entering temple buildings. Speak in quiet tones and do not touch religious statues or Buddha images. There is no entrance fee to the temple. Food and drink stalls, souvenir stalls and public toilets are all on site. There are many statues of monks and figures that have played an important role in the history and legend of Wat Chalong. One of the temple buildings houses the statues of Luang Poh Cham, Luang Poh Chuang and Luang Poh Gleum, all ex-abbots of the temple. They are all credited with helping Ta Khee-lek (grandpa Khee-lek), a famous local who won

Big Buddha Phuket Big Buddha temple and viewpoint Big Buddha is the common name for the statue that dominates south Phuket. It is situated on a mountain top and faces east to welcome the rising sun. It is reached by road from Chalong, you could also get there from Karon if had a machete to bushwhack through the jungle. You can visit the Big Buddha at any time of the day. There is currently no entrance fee. Early morning is a good time to visit, when it's not too hot and before the tour buses arrive. Sunset is also an excellent time to visit. On the road up to the Big Buddha there are several bars with viewpoints. There is also an ATV camp offering rides around the mountain area. The Big Buddha is a great viewpoint. From the top you can see Phuket Town to the north, Chalong bay east, Kata and Karon beaches to the west. The Phi Phi islands and the Racha islands can be seen in the distance. Formerly the Big Buddha was called Pra Buddhamingmongkol Ake-Nakkiri and now its official name is Mingmongkol Buddha. At 45 metres tall it's huge, purportedly the largest white marbled Buddha anywhere in the world. It was constructed to honour the 80th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the late King of Thailand. The Big Buddha Phuket has become a very popular Phuket attraction. But it's not just for tourists, it is also a Buddhist temple and place of worship. Please consider this when visiting and dress appropriately, sarongs can be borrowed to cover up if required.  Foreigners can receive blessings from the monks here if they want, there is normally a queue. Next to the Big Buddha is a 12 metre tall statue made of 22 tons of brass. This is

Ao Chalong bars Where to drink in Chalong bay There are plenty of bars to choose from in Chalong bay. Whether you want a couple of sundowners to finish off a great days diving, or you want to neck beers until the early hours you will find a place to indulge in Chalong. A couple of our favourite Chalong bars, all within stumbling distance of each other. Tamarind Bar. An old favourite on the bay front close to Dickies lighthouse (previously Jimmy's lighthouse). A great place to sink a couple of beers in the early evening and watch the speedboats return to the beach and disgorge their passengers. If the Tamarind bar is busy there are a couple of other similar bars along the road. ATM bar. Sunrise Road has plenty of beer bars. Which one is best depends on which night you go but the ATM bar is consistently a fun and friendly place. It's got a pool table and a darts board. Other Chalong bars It's not really worth naming all the other hostess bars on soi Sunrise because they change so often. Just pick one you like the look of and try to avoid the grumpy old expat waiting for someone to bore. The Green Man. Take the road west from Chalong circle towards Kata and you'll find this over priced mock Tudor pub. Good for a pint of Guinness or Caffrey's but for Sunday dinner we prefer Happy Days on soi Sunrise.

Ao Chalong restaurants Where to eat in Chalong bay Ten years ago Chalong bay was deserted in the evenings. Now there are bars and restaurants galore to choose from. Some of our favourite Chalong restaurants are: Kan Eang @ Pier. For dining next to the bay. Beautiful food, delicious Thai food and good service. The prices are good for such a great location. Happy Days on Sunrise road. An expat favourite that does burgers, all day breakfasts and an English Sunday roast. Agli Amichi's on soi Jaofa 39. The best pizza in Chalong.   Cheap local food in Chalong There are several options for cheap Thai eats along soi sunrise (the road from Chalong circle to the pier). The small shop next to Aquamaster does a large plate of Khao Pad gung (shrimp fried rice) for 100 baht. For an early lunch (they are often sold out by midday) head up to Chao Fa East road, the main road north of Chalong circle. Next to SCB bank is a little alley with a few tables where you can get Khao Man Gai (chicken on rice). It's a great little place. The rice is steamed with the chicken broth and pandanas leafs, giving it a slightly green hue. The local market does tasty Khao Geng in the evenings. That's a plate of rice with your choice of toppings. Just point at what you want. You can also get BBQ on sticks, fried chicken and sticky rice and plenty of fresh fruit.   Food shops in Chalong Apart from the 7 Eleven on Sunrise Road you can also walk up to the market on the main road or go a bit further to Villa Market where the tops supermarket is well stocked. Villa Market is also good for fresh bread. There is also a KFC and an MK