Page 75 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Phuket

Phuket for Free ❮❮ 73

Buddhist Meditation
7 TOP 10 BUDGET TIPS
Classes
MAP J4 • 69/509 Soi Chaofah 5,
Chalong • 08727 97655 • Classes:
11am Tue, 7pm Thu • www.phuket-
meditation.com
A free introductory lecture and class
in the practice of Buddhist meditation
is offered by the Phuket Meditation
Center. Longer courses and retreats
are also available.
Big Buddha
8
Clad in gleaming white marble,
this 148-ft- (45-m-) tall statue rests Shoes on sale in a street market
atop a hill near Wat Chalong and
commands panoramic views of the 1 Buy a local SIM card for your phone
or tablet. These are available from
island. It cost over 100 million Baht shops selling phones as well as most
to construct, financed by dona tions convenience stores. Data speeds are
from the faithful (see p82). quite good.
2 Charming as they look, avoid using
tuk-tuks, which tend to take you to
stores run by the driver’s friends or
family. Use metered taxis, or rent
a car or motor scooter.
3 The cheapest beach resort
accommodation on the island is to
be found in the Kata Beach hostels.
4 Eat in shopping-mall food courts.
These are just above street stall price,
but offer air-conditioned comfort.
5 Use budget airlines (Air Asia, Thai
Smile) when flying in from Bangkok
or elsewhere in the region.
Opulent interior of a Chinese shrine 6 Try Airbnb rentals for upscale
Phuket Town
9 accommodations at a much cheaper
rate than the resorts.
Chinese Shrines
The faiths of Taoism, Mahayana 7 Bargaining is appropriate for any
non-food item in a street market.
Buddhism, and Confucianism have Start with half the vendor’s stated
a vast pantheon of deities and spirits, price and keep smiling.
to which these shrines pay homage.
Visitors are welcome, but should 8 Imported alcoholic drinks are taxed
up to 300 per cent here, but the local
remove shoes before entering and beers (Singha, Leo, Chang) are good,
observe the decorum that these as is the rum – try SangSom with
sacred places deserve (see pp46–7). soda and a squeeze of lime.
Khao Rang Fitness Park
0 9 Traditional massage parlors don’t
offer the luxury found in upmarket
Located just north of Phuket
Town, and famous for its viewpoints spas, but these ubiquitous shops
provide a good body or foot massage
and good restaurants, Rang Hill at a reasonable price.
(see p13) also offers a free outdoor 10 Look for shops displaying a “VAT
fitness park with a variety of exercise refund for tourists” sign, and claim
devices such as inclined planes for the 7 per cent tax back on your
sit-ups. The walk up to the park is purchases when you leave Thailand.
a good warm-up.

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