Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
beneath parasols. The seafood is dynamite: think green curry fried rice topped with
coconut milk. Ask for yours with crab, and it won't just include hints of crab meat. It will
be topped with a whole, meaty cracked crab for just 220B!
They also do fresh fish in myriad ways. Try it fried in yellow or red curry. They steam
and sauce Phuket lobster, slather prawns in tamarind sauce, and make wonderful smooth-
ies. Service is superb.
Fiesta
(Hat Nai Yang; mains 150-350B; noon-10pm)
Hidden in the jumble of bamboo seafood joints is
this unique kitchen owned by a former resort chef who presents Thai classics with a
twist. He does
pá·naang
fish curry and a mixed seafood
lâhp
, and everything is spiced
for the
fa·ràng
palate and presented with flair on powder-blue wooden tables sunk in the
sand.
INTERNATIONAL-THAI
$$
Getting There & Away
If you're coming from the airport, a taxi costs about 200B. There is no regular
sŏrng·tăa·ou
, but a túk-túk charter from Phuket Town costs about 800B.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Khao Phra Thaew Royal Wildlife & Forest Reserve
It's not all sand and sea. In the north of the island, this park protects 23 sq km of virgin
island rainforest (evergreen monsoon forest). There are some pleasant hikes over the hills
and a couple of photogenic waterfalls, including
Nam Tok Ton Sai
and
Nam Tok Bang Pae
. The
falls are best seen in the rainy season between June and November; in the dry months
they are less impressive. The highest point in the park is
Khao Phara
(442m). Because of its
royal status, the reserve is better protected than the average national park in Thailand.
A German botanist discovered a rare and unique species of palm in Khao Phra Thaew
about 50 years ago. Called the white-backed palm - or
langkow
palm - the fan-shaped
plant stands 3m to 5m tall and is found only here and in Khao Sok National Park.
Tigers, Malayan sun bears, rhinos and elephants once roamed the forest here, but
nowadays resident mammals are limited to humans, pigs, monkeys, slow loris, langurs,
civets, flying foxes, squirrels, mousedeer and other smaller animals. Watch out for cobras
and wild pigs.
