Wat Kosit Wiharn (Phuket Town)

It's temple time again! You'll find a lot of information about Phuket's Temples on the blog, and that's because I like temples! I have a vague plan to blog all the temples in Phuket including mosques and Chinese shrines too. Every temple has something special, but they all share a certain spiritual peace and are somewhat removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life.





We happened to be passing Wat Kosit Wiharn (or Wihan, or indeed Viharn), which is a little north of Phuket City center on the road towards the airport (route 402). It's quite an important temple, mainly due to it's large Buddhist cemetery (which I might revisit soon). Near the main temple is a crematorium, and around the main temple you find small recesses in the wall containing ashes along with a photo of the deceased and money for the afterlife.





 



You have to climb a fair number of steps to reach the temple, which is built into the jungly hillside. You have views to the west across the north of Phuket town. Just another temple? Not for the people in that part of Phuket town, this is their local temple, part of daily life. Sure you can visit a more "touristy" temple such as Wat Chalong or Wat Phra Tong, but if you have a few spare minutes, a smaller temple is certainly worth a look.

Views from Rang Hill (Phuket Town)

Rang Hill (Khao Rang) is located on the north side of Phuket town and is a popular gathering place in the evenings and a fairly commonly visited viewpoint, on the itineraries of tours. There's a well known cafe (Tunk Ka Cafe) on the top, which does food and great iced coffee. We've only ever had the coffee, must go and try a meal there one day! There are views over parts of Phuket City and also across to Chalong Bay and Buddha Mountain. We go up there now and then for a little walk and a bit of fresh air. There are several access roads, one of which is just behind one of our favourite restaurants - Dairy Hut, on a side road next to the Phuket Bangkok Hospital.





(above) Romance on Rang Hill. Couples sit and enjoy the views in the evening.



The statue above shows Ratsada Korsimbi Na Ranong, who was governor of Phuket around the turn of the 20th century. He came from a political family (his dad was governor of Ranong), and did a lot to put Phuket on the map, especially modernising the tin mining industry, overseeing the building of Bang Yai canal through Phuket Town, and he is also credited with bringing the rubber industry into Phuket from Malaysia.





• More Hills and Viewpoints in Phuket

Thai Food - Good Ol' Home Cooking

I just cannot get bored with Thai food. The variety is endless, the tastes sometimes surprising, odd mixtures of sour, sweet and spicy, flavours to ensnare the senses. I have to say the food was one of the reasons I stayed in Thailand longer than originally intended. I don't like all Thai food - for example, I have never been a fan of Som Tam, and some of the curries are too spicy for me - though over the years I have gotten used to the spicy food. Not all Thai food is spicy of course. There are plenty of simple dishes like fried rice or mixed vegetables or egg dishes. And I don't exclusively eat Thai food, I don't pretend to be a local! I do like the occasional pizza or spaghetti or English breakfast or just a sandwich. Of course in Phuket you can get pretty much anything you fancy.

At home we eat mostly Thai food, mainly because my wife is Thai and when she's in the mood, she does like to cook. We go out to eat quite often because eating out here (if avoiding tourist restaurants) is cheap. Now, my wifes cooking is very good, though when we first met about 8 years ago, she barely knew how to cook apart from basic things like omelette and fried veg. That's because her mum is the ultimate mum, always looking after the kids, the house, the cooking etc... Her mum's Massaman curry is one of the best meals in Thailand!

Over the years, my wife has experimented with cooking and always seems to come up trumps. We are just chatting now and realise she's not done her "Indian Curry" for ages... We'll go and get the ingredients tomorrow!

The photos below show some of our favourite home cooked meals. I will add more as time goes by. Thai food rocks!


Green Curry (Gaeng Khiaw Wan)


Kai Yat Sai, omelette stuffed with minced pork and veg


Fried Mixed Vegetables (Phad Phak Ruam)


Yam Neua - Spicy Beef Salad


Tom Yum - a classic dish, I love it.


Spicy Fried Pork - Phad Pet Moo


Tom Kha Gai - Chicken/Coconut soup

Hope that makes you hungry! There are many reasons to visit Phuket, and the food is certainly one of those reasons. Yes, you can get foreign food too, anything from tacos to fish 'n' chips (and I like it!), but let me say again... Thai food rocks!

Ah, that Indian Curry... We had it a few days later.. Here's the curry cooking...



My wife was happy to see me drain the dish, tipping all the sauce over my rice.. a sure sign of delicious food! Aroy Mak!

Not in Phuket - Prachuap Khiri Khan

The province of Prachuap Khiri Khan is between Phuket and Bangkok, to the North of Chumphon province and south of Phetchaburi province. Officially, it's part of Central Thailand - Chumphon is the first of the southern provinces, and is called the Gateway to the South. My wife's family is from Chumphon, and she has some family in Prachuap Khiri Khan too. Her cousin who lives in Prachuap Khiri Khan town had just had a baby, so on our recent trip to Chumphon we decided to take a couple of days in the next province to explore and visit the family.

Yes, I know this is a Phuket blog, but I've been out of Phuket for the last week, and I think Prachuap Khiri Khan is worth a visit. It's around 570km from Phuket to the provincial capital. We will visit again as we liked the area, and the weather was not that great as we caught the edge of Cyclone Nargis, so we'd like another look sometime. I hope you enjoy reading about something out of Phuket!

Our first stop was Bang Saphan, to visit an auntie, a cousin, and more extended family. They live near the beach, live mostly on fishing, own about 30 rai of land (1 rai is 1600 square meters). The way of life is kind of simple to us, but I can assure you they have money in the bank! Bang Saphan is right in the south of Prachuap Khiri Khan province. From there it was not far to Ban Krut, which has hotels and a beach. We had thought to stay there, but after asking prices at a couple of resorts, we changed our mind. OK, the weather was not great, but bear in mind that we live in Phuket, so we are used to nice beaches and I have a fair amount of savvy when it comes to hotel standards and prices. Enough said. We did have a nice lunch by the beach at Ban Krut (aka Ban Krood).




However, maybe on a sunny day the beach would look nicer and if you want a place to get away from the crowds - this might be it! I can recommend a visit to Ban Krud for another reason. On a hill overlooking the beaches there is an incredible temple, called Wat Tang Sai (I have also seen it called Wat Thongchai). Even my wife's mum was impressed and I can assure you she's seen a few temples! This impressive structure was built in 1996 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the King's ascencion to the throne.

You can drive up the hill and park near a big Buddha image.





The views from the Buddha are impressive, but you have to climb higher to reach the temple. There's a short walk up the road before reaching the staircase to the temple, guarded by fierce Nagas (multi headed serpents who are said to have sheltered the Buddha from heavy rains as he meditated).





Views are great, the temple is hugely impressive with multiple levels, murals, buddha images and even a golden urn containing bones from the cremated body of the lord Buddha.





We continued North to Prachuap Khiri Khan town, where we visited my wife's cousin and checked on accommodation options. The quite nice beach at Ao Manao has accommodation - seaview rooms for about 900 Baht, but they were full - it's a popular spot for Thai tourists at the weekend. I reckon we only saw a few other foreign visitors. No worries, just a few doors from my cousin in law's house was a hotel (Prachuab Place Hotel) with decent enough rooms for 650 Baht, a few minutes walk to the seafront. The hotel had a small restaurant (where we got coffee and breakfast next morning) and did not allow Durian!



After saying "Aaah!" to the baby, we checked in and ate some dinner at a seafront restaurant called Pleun Samut. Like the hotel at Ao Manao, it was packed, so service was slow, which annoyed my dear wife. Food was tasty though. If we go back it will be in midweek! We then found a nice little hotel called Sun Beach Guesthouse with seaview rooms and a pool, price just 900 Baht. That's where we'll stay next time!

Prachuap Khiri Khan town is quite small, just a few streets really. It's right on the ocean and is a fishing town. It took me just a few minutes to decide to like the town. Small and friendly, and not much in the way of foreign tourism, though as I said, it is very popular with Thai tourists at the weekend. On Saturday morning I woke early, as did my little boy, so we both took a walk down to the ocean. Fishermen were bringing in the catch, nobody seemed to be in a hurry, half the town was still sleeping. We enjoyed a walk along the beach road.



 







Well, we had to head back to Chumphon 180km south, but went back to Ao Manao, as the sun was shining that morning. The Bay is home to the Thai Airforce Wing 5.



We had to cross the runway to reach the beach. Can't say we saw any new airforce planes, but quite a few old ones...



At the far south end of the bay is a mountain called Kao Lom Muak. Here is a chance to see and feed Dusky Langurs, as there is a Dusky Langur conservation center. There's also a shrine here.









A quick word about history. Ao Manao was the site of fierce fighting between the Thai airforce and the invading Japanese on December 8th 1941. The Thai role in World War 2 is rather cloudy. Initially Thai forces resisted the invasion at multiple points along the east coast, but within a day an armistice had been signed. You can read more here: Battle of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Ao Manao is popular with Thai visitors. The beach looked pretty nice, and there were a bunch of small restaurants to choose from. We had an early lunch here before heading home. It was a sunny morning, but clouds were building so we were keen to start back to Chumphon. Part of the bay has fishing boats and hat shaped rocks, the other end has the nicer beach and the tourists. We liked it. We'll be back!

 





There was still time for a visit to the impressive aquarium at Waghor, about 10km south of Prachuap Khiri Khan town. Certainly a match for the Phuket Aquarium and only 20 Baht to get in! Prachuap Khiri Khan province has more too - there is the Khao Sam Roy Yod national park, and the beach resort town of Hua Hin. We will explore more! Meanwhile, we're back in Phuket, ready for work (me) and the start of the school year (for the kids). So no more holidays for a while. Hope you enjoyed the trip out of Phuket. Next post on this blog will be all about Phuket!

Street Food: Pa Tong Go

I guess that I buy what can be termed "street food" almost every day. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there are stalls selling all kinds of food all over Phuket, indeed all over Thailand. On the street corner near my workplace in Karon Beach you can find (either fixed in place or on mobile stalls) somtam, fried chicken, fruits, corn, pancakes, cakes and deserts, ice cream, sticky rice and more. Some stalls are more or less permanent, some are fixed to motorbikes and make the rounds, some are pushed on carts, some carried on bicycles. Mostly the street stalls sell snacks rather than meals, though there are also mobile stalls selling kuay tiow (noodle soup) or phad thai.

Pa Tong Go (or Pa Thong Go, or Pa Tong Ko, transliteration is a bit tricky with Thai words!), are small fried pieces of dough, a bit like doughnuts in the shape of, well, in the shape of a chromosome (or an X). You get them crispy or soft, varying in size and exact shape, depends exactly what stall you choose. The food stalls below are near my house in Kathu village.



There's a Pa Tong Go stall, a fried chicken stall and a Salapao stall. They always seem to be quite busy! They're only open in the morning. Pa Tong Go is not strictly breakfast food, but many stalls are only open early morning. The ones I know tend to be all finished by 9am. The dough is ready prepared at home, then cut into pieces as needed and thrown into hot oil. Only takes a couple of minutes to cook.

 

The stall in Kathu makes on demand, does not tend to have a pile sitting around, which is good, as Pa Tong Go are much better when hot and fresh, Once they cool down and go a bit soggy, well, they're not as nice - that's my excuse for eating as many as possible as fast as possible! A 20 Baht bag is good enough for me, though they can addictive and sometimes 20 Baht leaves me wanting more!



Another good spot is in Patong (note: in Thai, "Patong" and "Pa Tong" Go are not spelt the same) at the end of Soi Kebsup, not too far from the Holiday Inn on Rat U Thid road. When I was working in Patong in 2006 I used to get Pa Tong Go from this stall several times per week. It was a busier place than Kathu Village, always had a pile ready but they always cooked fresh ones for me :)





I just eat them plain, maybe dunked in my coffee, but you can see in the photo above bags of soy milk (white) and a sweet green cream flavoured with pandanus (or pandan) leaf, which some people buy to eat with their Pa Tong Go. Not sure about that myself. Pandan is an acquired taste, which I have not acquired! Thai sweet things do tend to be very sweet. Pa Tong Go I recommend eaten as they are, freshly cooked, with a nice cup of coffee. Enjoy!

More Phuket Bloggers

If you search hard enough around the internet or dig deeper into Google, you may find that Jamie's Phuket is not the only blog about Phuket or written by someone in Phuket. I keep an eye on some other people's blogs looking for different angles on Phuket, something I have not seen or thought of blogging about. Everyone has a different point of view, though I'd say all the blogs and bloggers listed below have one thing in common - all are Phuket lovers!

Although Jamie's Phuket (that's this blog) is my main blog, I keep several others which are updated with varying degrees of diligency. The Weather Blog is kept updated every day or few, reporting on weather and news, normally with photos that show the weather. There are lots of links to other weather sites too.

• The Phuket Weather Blog

I have a couple of others - We Love Phuket has a fair amount of information on things like cheap places to stay in Phuket and how to get to Phuket. Gets updated when I think of an article that does not quite fit on Jamie's Phuket. Another blog is Monk in Thailand, which is quite new, and mentions such diverse subjects as Darth Vader, Fig Rolls or how to pronounce Phuket. The hotels blog is all about hotels and where to book them online.

• We Love Phuket
• Monk In Thailand
• Phuket Hotels Blog

So, what about other people? These are some blogs I can recommend for Phuket information - and this is "blog" information rather than tour guide information (you know, always sunny, everyone smiles, Phuket is the pearl of Thailand). Blogs are becoming quite important to travel - you can get a local's point of view and check out other travelers reports too. Here are some recommended blogs.

• Baan Jochim Phuket - Mark is a teacher at a bilingual school in Phuket.
• The Lost Boy - Matt works at the Phuket Gazette newspaper and has been a regular Thai blogger for a few years.
• Phuket Birder - Ike Suriwong's blog mostly about birdspotting, but with some general observations about Phuket life too.
• Jim in Phuket - Almost my mirror image - married, 2 kids, living in Phuket, guess we'll meet for a beer one day!
• Phakawan's Blog - Mostly in Thai, Wan works with me at the dive shop.
• Lana in Phuket - Lana is also married with 2 kids, but she's a mum.
• Cathy and Gary - They don't live here, but often visit Phuket. Their site has loads of information.

If you have a blog about Phuket or know a good one, please let me know!

Update.. Hey! Matt, the Lost Boy, has now published a top 100 Thailand Blogs list, where does he get the time? You can find Jamie's Phuket in there and the Phuket Weather blog too. If you're looking for Thai related blogs, check it out... Please vote for my blogs!

• Top 100 Thailand Blogs

Happy Blogging!

A Working Lunch

One of the joys of living and working in Thailand is the abundance of street food and cheap local restaurants. Within a few minutes walk or bike ride of my office in Karon Beach, there's a huge selection of dining options from the well known Phad Thai shop to Noodle stalls, the local Som Tam lady, the slightly pricier Mama Noi (but Mama Noi's banana shakes at 20 Baht are a steal), and several small local restaurants that you probably wouldn't look twice at, BUT are the best place to get cheap local food.



There are also places to get "Western" food - such as English breakfasts and my (occasional) favourite - egg, bacon, chips & beans at the Pineapple Guesthouse, and the Pineapple just opened a small cafe there too for cheap Thai food. There's even a pizza place round the corner, but somehow pizza is a bit too heavy for a quick lunch.

And everyone, it seems, eats out for lunch. The little local restaurants are busy. The Phad Thai place is always packed - and here's why... It's cheap, even on a lower local wage, a 30 Baht lunch is not going to kill you. Mind you, with prices of staple foods such as rice increasing dramatically worldwide recently, I was shocked to be charged 35 Baht this week for my Phad Thai! These places rely on high volume of local trade to make a profit, so prices are kept as low as possible - their costs are usually minimal - no rent, family run business (no staff costs), often outdoor or open air, so no lights, aircon or fans to run, and food is basic. Just what you need for a working lunch!



Today I got a plate of fried Kana (aka Kale or Chinese Broccoli) with "Moo Grop" (crispy pork), with a fried egg on top (Kai Dao) - had a proper working lunch, got it to take away and eat in the office - see photo above. Often do this, as it means I can eat in the aircon :) The little restaurant where I bought it can be found just over the road from Mama Noi, opposite the Siam Commercial Bank on the back road of Karon Beach.

Happy eating!

Songkran Festival

Another year rolls in. Here in Thailand you have several New Year celebrations to choose from, or you can have all of them... Aside from 1st January, you also have the Chinese new Year and the traditional Thai new year, Songkran, which used to be the date for changing the year on the calendar. Thailand only adopted the Western New Year in 1940. Songkran is one of the biggest celebrations in Thailand, mixing tradition, family and of course plenty of Sanook (fun). The traditions still apply - New Year is a time for cleaning your home, and wishing elders good luck by sprinkling them gently with water. Buddha images are also cleansed. We started our Songkran this year with some tradition...

 

And then took a drive around Phuket Town. Much of the town seemed very quiet, as the local police have been really trying to make things safer this year, with water throwing only supposed to be in designated areas to prevent accidents. We started to wonder where all the people had gone... maybe all gone to Patong as we had done last year? Finally as we headed down Phuket Road towards Sapan Hin, we found the center of local festivities. The road was lined with people throwing water and full of pick up trucks loaded with local folk and large barrels of water. Little chance of traffic accidents here as the traffic was moving so slowly, but that gave me the chance to snap some photos out of the window...

 









We decided against Patong Beach this year, though I would have liked to see some of the big bikes, as the Phuket Bike Week coincides with Songkran, but getting to Patong involves busy roads and too much traffic - it took an hour to drive there last year from home, a trip which normally takes 10 minutes. Instead we took a break and went for a quiet lunch by the beach, then headed home where the kids were given free reign to throw water at mum and dad.





• More Songkran 2008 Photos on the Songkran 2008 Blog

Wishing you all a Sawadee Pee Mai from Phuket. If anyone has some cool Songkran photos please leave a comment with a link to the photos!

Songkran is coming!

There's just a few more days until Songkran, one of Thailand's most famous festivals, also known as the water festival, or more specifically, the water fight festival. Not sure who to blame for this, as Songkran is actually the traditional Thai New Year (January 1st has only been the start of the year here since 1940). This always used to be (and indeed still is) the time for Thai people to pray to Buddha, clean their houses, and sprinkle water on their elders as a show of respect. The traditional aspect is still there, but as a tourist in the beach areas, what you will see is lots of water, lots of partying, lots of drinking and lots of fun! Just be prepared to get wet. Do not carry valuable electronic devices in the streets of Patong. Get a camera with a case like a snorkel camera if you want to take photos, or do what I did last year and stay in the car and take photos through the window!



Last year we had a busy day visiting Mai Khao Beach for a local turtle release ceremony (turtles symbolise long life), then took a break before heading into Patong. I think this year we'll take it much easier, do the traditional cleaning, take the images from the Buddha Shelf and clean them outside, maybe visit a temple.. we just got a new car and I don't want to drive around and get it dirty :) We'll see - we might just decide to go and join some friends at Patong Beach, have some drinks and throw water around. See you there!

• Songkran Photos 2007
• Songkran Photos 2006

Jamie's Phuket Songkran 2007 in the Phuket Post

Get a copy of the Phuket Post newspaper! The editor contacted me last week to republish some of the Songkran 2007 blog entry in their paper (see photo) and online too. Wow - I was quite happy about that, nice to know someone likes this blog! There may be more of Jamie's Phuket in the Phuket Post in the future....

Sapan Hin (Phuket Town)

Over the next few months I want to explore and blog various areas of Phuket Town (now officially called Phuket City). It's a town full of interest, history and the best place for taking a peek at the "real" Phuket away from the tourist zones. I did blog about Old Phuket Town previously, but that blog entry just covered a few square blocks in the center of town!

Sapan Hin is a large open area in the south of town - follow Phuket Road from the center and keep going. You'll pass Bang Neow chinese shrine on the way and the Phuket Immigration office. As you reach Sapan Hin, theres an odd shaped monument in the center of a traffic circle - it's apparently meant to represent a drill bit and is dedicated to the tin mining industry that made Phuket rich.



As you continue, you pass sports facilities - there are several sports halls (we have been to watch my father in law play Takraw here) and a Muay Thai stadium (there are weekly fights every Friday), tennis courts, an ICT center plus a small stadium and open playing fields. The Sapan Hin area was built on reclaimed land, designed to provide space for public facilities and a recreation area near the town. Sapan Hin is right by the ocean which is slowly reclaiming the reclaimed land. There is currently work in progress to prevent further erosion...







In the morning you'll find people out jogging or exercising or just sitting enjoying the fresh sea air. There is a mangrove walkway here too, and it looked like the old wooden walkway was being replaced when I was there last week. The shallow seas here, along with mangroves and mudflats make this a good place for birdspotting - have a look at Ike Suriwong's Phuket Birder Blog for more information.

At the south end of Sapan Hin there's a Chinese shrine, one of many in Phuket Town, which has a large Thai-Chinese population. This shrine is called Kiew Tian Shrine, and plays a major part in the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival - all the street processions end here at Sapan Hin.





Before saying any more, a word of warning. Sapan Hin is a nice area to walk around, and I would say is quite safe in the day time. At night, different story. I have read many times of gangs fighting here, people being shot, drinking gangs gathering etc... Not a place to be wandering around late at night.

Having said that, Sapan Hin's large open areas are used regularly for festivals and concerts. We were there just a couple of weeks ago for the Food Festival - keep an eye on the Phuket Gazette newspaper for upcoming events.

On the west side of Sapan Hin, the Bang Yai canal flows into the sea. Years ago the canal was probably rather cleaner... Looks very green now and I am sorry to say there is a fair amount of garbage in the water. The canal flows right through Phuket Town. At Sapan Hin, you can find many small fishing boats using the canal as their "port". The boats are mostly small longtail boats rather than larger fishing boats which are found at Rassada port on the east side of Phuket Town, about 4km from Sapan Hin.





Along the canal there is a nice pathway with recently planted trees. I read on Ike's Birder blog that Sapan Hin was in need of some work - looks like it's being done! I like the "old world" feel of the boats along the canal.



 

Hotel Recommendation: The Chedi

The Chedi Hotel is just the right place for a bit of quiet seclusion. Not a cheap hotel, but the last minute prices can be much better. But, it has to be said, you get your money's worth. The Chedi has it's own private beach in between Surin and Bang Tao beaches. The scenery is beautiful along the coast here and you're off the main tourist beaches. Having said that, The Chedi is not too far from anywhere. About 20 minutes to the airport, about 25 to Patong if you want a bit of nightlife.

The Chedi provides one-bedroom and two-bedroom thatched cottages with private verandahs and sun decks. It's a very nice looking place. The New York Times review says "From the exotic lobby (with columns and lily pond) to sleek and handsome private bungalows, it is one of the most handsome properties on the island. It's quality with a big price tag, but this romantic getaway has it down to the details."

Actually, compared to it's nearest neighbour (Amanpuri Resort) The Chedi is quite reasonably priced! You can just about walk down to Surin beach from the hotel, where you can find more dining options, or eat at one of the 3 restaurants at the resort - they also apparently do beach BBQ's on Pansea Beach. Looks like paradise to me!

The Chedi - Booking & Information Links

• The Chedi Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• The Chedi Rates and Reservations at HotelTravel.com
• The Chedi Rates and Reservations at R24.org
• The Chedi - Last Minute Bookings at LateStays.com


• More Hotels in Phuket - Agoda.com - HotelTravel.com - R24.org

• Last Minute Hotels - LateStays.com


The Chedi - Photos



 

 


More Hotels in Phuket and Thailand

Phuket Food Festival

The Phuket Food Festival 2008 started on 19th March and runs until the 28th. It's an annual event organised by the Phuket Food Vendors Club and Phuket City Municipality. I managed to convince my family that it would be worthwhile having a look on Saturday evening, and I think we might go back again one evening this week for some cheap tasty food! The event is being held at Sapan Hin, in the south of Phuket City. Many local events are held there during the year. Sapan Hin is by the sea, has lots of open spaces, and also features sports facilities (we've been to see my wife's dad playing Takraw there!).

 



We arrived at the food festival in the late afternoon so I could snap some photos of the food stalls before dark. There's around 50 or 60 stalls selling everything from Phad Thai to BBQ Fresh Water Prawns, fried fish, Sai Ua (spicy northern sausages), Satay sticks and much more. We even found a stall selling coffee from Chumphon (my wife's home town).

This festival is well worth a look. The food is good and cheap, a great chance to sample many different dishes and get a bit of local life. I did see a handful of foreign faces on Saturday, but this is very much a local Phuket event, organised and run by locals for locals. It'll be on my calendar for next year for sure.

 





Need to wash down that food, never worry! There are several beer stalls selling draft Singha or Leo Beer, as well as stalls selling ice coffee, fresh juices and there was a Chinese tea stall also. I think you could come and eat here every night of the week!

 

 



The festival runs from late afternoon until about 11pm. After dark, the entertainment starts. There are bands playing, local schools doing song and dance acts. A big stage has been set up. There were some young girls doing dancing and singing which our 6 year old daughter wanted to watch and she thought was very beautiful. Some guys were warming up with guitars too, ready to rock the night away.









Hungry? Maybe see you there this week!