Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Vegetarian Festival
Loud popping sounds like machine-gun fire fill the streets, the air is nearly opaque with
grey-brown smoke and men and women traipse along blocked-off city roads, their cheeks
pierced with skewers and knives or, more surprisingly, lamps and tree branches; some of
the flock have blood streaming down their fronts or open lashes across their backs. No,
this isn't a war zone, this is the Vegetarian Festival , one of Phuket's most important fest-
ivals, centred in Phuket Town.
The festival, which takes place during the first nine days of the ninth lunar month of the
Chinese calendar (usually late September or October) celebrates the beginning of 'Taoist
Lent', when devout Chinese abstain from eating meat. But more obvious to the outsider
are the daily processions winding their way through town with floats of ornately dressed
children and
gà·teu·i
(ladyboys), near armies of flag-bearing colour-coordinated young
people and, most noticeably, men and women engaged in outrageous acts of self-mortific-
ation.
Those participating as mediums bring the nine deities to earth by entering into a trance
state, piercing their cheeks with an impressive variety of objects, sawing their tongues or
flagellating themselves with spiky metal balls. Surreal and overwhelming hardly describes
it.
The TAT office in Phuket prints a helpful schedule of events for the Vegetarian Festival
each year.
Sleeping
SINO HOUSE $$
( 0 7623 2494;
www.sinohousephuket.com
; 1 Th Montri; r 2000-2500B; )
Shanghai style meets
Mad Men
chic at this impressive old town offering. The rooms
are massive with mod furnishings, fantastic handmade ceramic basins and quarter-
moon shower tubs in the bathrooms. There's an on-site
Raintree Spa
and long-
term rates (18,000B per month) are available.
Hotel
Eating
There's good food in Phuket Town, and meals here cost a lot less than those at the
beach.
KA JOK SEE $$$
Thai, International
