|
 First
mentioned in Malaysian literature in 1200 AD., Phuket
has had an interesting history with influences from
both East and West, including the British. In 1785
a five-week invasion by the Burmese was repulsed thanks
to the ingenuit of two sisters, sinc elevated to national
heroines. Realising they were outnumbered, Chan and
Mook persuaded all the island's women to dress up
as men thus fooling the Burmese into believing that
the island was too well defended. In fact the island's
gonernor had just died and the your hotel from the
airport you will pass a statue, located in a roundabout,
honouring the two sisters.
During the last hundred years Phuket has established
its economic importance with the mining of tin and
growing of rubber, although nowadays most tin mining
activities have been replaced by tourism.
:: The Phuket Guide ::
Business Hours
Most
offices open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday,
except on and around public holidays when business
hours may vary widely. General banking hours are Monday
to Friday 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Many stores are open
12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Electricity
Electricity
in Thailand is 22 Volts AC at 50 cycles. Several different
plugs and sockets are in use, so travelers will need
to be aware of this when using shavers, tape recorders
or other appliances that require mains power. A plug
adapter kit can be purchased in Europe or America.
There are occasional blackouts and power variations,
especially during rainy season. Care should be taken
to protect delicate equipment from power variations.
Photographic Facilities
Most
popular brands and types of film are widely available
in Thailand and in Phuket. it is advisable to bring
any special photographic equipment or film from home
as supplies may be limited here. Film processing is
widely available and one-hour service is common.
Postal Services
The
post offices are ususlly open from 8 am to 4:30 pm.
The Thai post service is usually relible. Important
items can be sent by Express Mail. This is faster
and safer but the cost is higher. Private air couriers
like DHL have representatives on Phuket.
Telephone Services
International
calls can be made from the post office, most major
hotels, some travel agents and private international
telephone offices dotted about the island. For international
direct dialing (IDD), dial 001 + country code + area
code + phone number
E-mail Services
There
are also several Internat Cafes in the small communities
around the island and especially in the more developed
tourist locations. For those with a laptop computer,
access to internet service providers is possible through
one of the many computer shop found throughout the
island.
Climate
The
climate of Phuket is tropical and therefore warm throughout
the whole year. At the same it is dominated by the
monsoon winds that bring about the seasonal changes
from dry to wet. The monsoon winds change prevailing
direction according to the season. This was an important
aspect of navigation for the sailing ships in the
Middle Ages. There are two very hot periods of weather
on Phuket, the first between April and May when the
average temperatures range from 27 to 36 degrees Celsius
and omly the occasional tropical thunderstorm brings
relief from the heat. It is also very hot between
September and October but the frequent rainfall has
a wonderful cooling effect. The Southwest Monsoon,
from March to September, occurs when mass heats up
more than the surrounding Indian Ocean. Moist, hot
air is drawn from the sea to theland causing a south
westerly wind to blow over Phuket bringing rain &
inclement weather to the west coast of Southern Thailand.
The Northeast Monsoon occurs when the sun shines from
the south, the Indian Ocean gets warmer and consequently
the north eastern monsoon blows,bringing sunny skies
and beautiful weather to the entire region.
|
