Phuket Town market

After a great deal wrangling, horse trading and compromise the new Phuket Town market on Ranong Road has finally opened.



The old market was not a place for the squeamish (or a Health & Safety Inspector).  It was dark, smelly, with blood running freely on the floor, writhing fish in buckets, crabs trying to escape and piles of vegetables. Sure it looked ‘exotic’ but it stank and was filthy.  



Now the same crowd is back but in a decidedly more pleasant environment – there’s even a car park (something Phuket definitely needs) at the back.

Welcome to a more accessible market BUT don’t forget there is a more traditional fruit and veg market opposite and if you want to see a genuine fresh fish market there’s one behind Robinson’s in Phuket Town – see you there, there’s a great Thai coffee stall on the corner.

              

QR codes at Cape Panwa

When you walk around the Cape Panwa Hotel you can see a number of people looking at their telephones and tapping away on their keyboards using the free wireless Internet facilities that we provide – even in the serene surroundings of the beach.

Last week we got something new from Head Office – our staff were all testing each other for colour blindness – actually referred to as a set of QR codes…

They are actually ‘picture codes’ that are pictorial representations of our websites – and that is enough technology for today.

Scan these QR codes in and get immediately linked to our sites – amazing what technology can do, eh?

But what’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?

              

The Cape Lounge

We have guests who arrive and depart at different times of day – from early morning to late at night.

We will always try to accommodate you in your room for your stay with us but sometimes we are unable to do this. But never mind: we have the Cape Lounge for you to use – free of charge.

Here you can wait for your room to be ready or for your airport connection in the cool air conditioning of the Cape Lounge. Surf the net, have a freshly ground cup of coffee, enjoy a cake or read a book.

You can also use the Cape Lounge on the day that you depart why not spend the whole day outside and return to have a shower and change before your flight?

When your room is ready or your car has arrived we will contact you.

It's really as simple as that!

              

Turtles in Phuket

The ‘Por Tor’ or ‘Hungry Ghost’ Festival that we've previously reported on is back in Phuket. Phuket’s Chinese community believes that this present period is when ‘the Gates of Hell’ are open and that the souls of the dead roam the earth at this time of year. To appease these spirits the Chinese community burn incense sticks, make offerings of their favourite foods and burn paper motifs of money, houses and cars. 

A wonderful atmosphere and people at the night market - click for more

A highlight of the ceremony in Phuket Town on the 26th of August and on Ranong Road are a plethora of red turtle-shaped cakes (known as Ang Ku). The turtles signify longevity and merit the blessing of the ‘Por Tor King’ – God of the Devil.

photographs courtesy of timinphuket

Four of our guests were lucky to have been escorted by Tim to the festival and to witness this interesting spectacle – an event not to be missed if you're here next year.