Thailand’s great diving has long been kept somewhat of a secret from the world. Residents of Southeast Asia and those more adventurous divers from Europe and North America however, long ago discovered the wondrous attractions that dwell in our undersea Kingdom. Thailand is blessed with two bountiful seas, the Gulf of Thailand in the east and the Andaman Sea — part of the eastern Indian Ocean — in the west. Thailand’s territory stretches from the eastern border with Cambodia, to the western border with Burma, and then south to Malaysia.

The riches that these oceans behold are a delight to those of us that have had the pleasure to dive here. Furthermore, the Kingdom is blessed with a remarkable history and culture, friendly natives who offer friendly service, beautiful national parks, a wide range of accommodation possibilities at every price level and some of the most delicious and extraordinary food and exotic tropical fruits in the world.

Often referred to as the “Land of a Thousand Smiles,” Thailand is a joyous country in which to travel. One of the first Thai phrases travellers learn is mai pen rai which literally translates to “it is nothing.” It also is used in the same ways that “never mind” or “that’s OK” are used in English. However, mai pen rai is more than that — it is almost a philosophy that teaches one to hide problems and keep one’s “public face” smiling and happy. For the visitor this attitude creates a feeling of burdens lifted. It makes you feel satisfied, content and cheerful. While exploring the country you’ll feel carefree, light-hearted and safe — you’ll feel Mai pen Rai. Is it any wonder so many of us expatriates have decided to stay, or any wonder that people visit Thailand time and time again?

Thailand offers the visiting diver diverse undersea experiences along with an unbelievable amount of topside recreation. It’s the perfect place for a diving holiday. World-class diving, heavenly tropical islands and immaculate white sand beaches await. With water visibility often exceeding 30 meters, an average ocean temperature of around 28º C, and uncommonly calm sea conditions, Thailand has some of the most comfortable and safe diving environments found anywhere in the world.

Every year more and more words are written describing the diverse marine life that prowl the depths of Thailand’s oceans and every year more and more divers visit the country. There are three reasons for this: First, new destinations such as the Burma Banks, the Megui Archipelago, and the Andaman Islands in the Andaman Sea; and Koh Tao in the Gulf and Koh Chang near the Cambodian border have been made more accessible to a wider variety of visitors. Second, Thailand’s infrastructure has vastly improved making it easier to communicate with the people who offer the diving, the dive centre owners. Third, the diving boats, diving resorts, diving operations and diving staff have improved their services and amenities so greatly that they now cater to even the most discerning diver. 

Diving takes place in three general areas: Pattaya, near the capital of Thailand, Bangkok; the southern islands of the Gulf of Thailand; and the two triangles of diving in the Andaman Sea on the west coast of Thailand’s isthmus. The pages that follow will describe these areas in detail and will give all of you an idea of what to expect when planning a dive trip here.

Northern Liveaboard Destinations

To the northwest of the island of Phuket lie the most popular, famous and best-loved dive sites in Thailand. The Similan Islands, nine islands of stunning beauty and dazzling marine life, are visited by many liveaboard boats from Phuket. The reasons the area has become so famous are unlimited diving in warm, clear water at one of over 25 dive sites, and mild, comfortable sea conditions. 

Approximately 180 kilometres to the northwest of the Similan Islands lie the relatively unexplored Megui Archipelago and the Burma Banks, a group of underwater mountains rising from depths of over 350 meters to just below the surface. Close encounters with large silver tip and nurse sharks, the thrill of soaring over the tops of underwater plateaus pushed by strong currents, and large schools of pelagic fish have made these banks celebrated worldwide.

Three hundred fifty kilometres further to the northwest are the newly opened Andaman Islands, a vast array of islands running north to south in the Indian Ocean. Diving possibilities are endless and only just being explored. You’ll be hearing more and more about these islands in years to come.

Richelieu Rock completes our triangle, back near the border of Burma. This tiny pinnacle is one of the best places in the world to consistently swim with that gentle giant the whale shark. Seen here over 60 percent of the time, these amazing animals grow to over 15 meters in length.

Southern Liveaboard Destinations

Beginning in Phuket, we travel east to the popular day-trip spots of Shark Point and Koh Phi Phi which offer stunning collections of soft corals. Also, the area is famous for frequent sightings of the docile leopard shark that grows to over two meters in length. The remarkable landscape and casual shore-life of Koh Phi Phi attract thousands of visitors every year. 

Moving south we discover unpopulated, unspoiled islands covered with tropical jungle lapped by clear blue water, and offshore pinnacles like Hin Daeng with vertical drop-offs of over 60 meters.

Whale sharks, dazzling fish and healthy, spectacular coral growth are just a sampling of the diving possibilities that await you.

Day-dive Destinations

One-day trips take us to Shark Point, Anemone Reef, and the Phi Phi Island group which all lie to the east of Phuket Island. 

Great soft coral, leopard sharks, and nice walls are things not be missed. Also, the topside scenery is stunning.

We can visit the paradise islands of Koh Racha Yai and Noi located just to the south of Phuket. Exciting drift dives, great visibility and superb hard coral growth characterize these two islands.

The Bottom Line

Environmentally, Thailand’s diving fraternity has been a leader in coral reef protection in Southeast Asia. Many of Thailand’s best dive sites have become protected under law. Over the past ten years, I personally have seen major improvements in the quality of diving at almost all regions around the country. 

While other areas around Southeast Asia and the rest of the world have suffered major degradation of their reefs, Thailand’s government and its dive centres have instigated sound policies in controlling damage to the coral and fish populations. These policies have included educating people regarding the destruction of reefs by dynamite, mooring projects in the Similans, Koh Racha, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui and Koh Tao, and a strict hands-off policy for divers enjoying our undersea treasures.

As long as this positive trend continues, diving in Thailand’s seas will bring pleasure, enjoyment and thrills to many people-and hopefully to their children and grandchildren as well-for years to come. You’ll find Thailand’s waters, islands, and culture full of life, full of wonder, and full of surprises.

Read more: Phuket Dive Sites Overview – Phuket & Southern Thailand Dive Spots http://www.diving.phuket.com/divingsites/overview.htm#ixzz1I4urEeNP

Some people find the girly bars distasteful. For others it is all part of the colour and vibrancy of the nightlife scene, while for some it is the main reason for coming to Phuket. The sex tourism sector in Phuket is nowhere near the scale of Bangkok or Pattaya but it is still an attraction for a large number of visitors and a major part of the tourist industry.

You do not need to be an active participant to go to the go-go bars. Couples, families and tour groups mingle with the sex tourists wandering around the bars. For many visitors to Thailand, a visit to a go-go bar or sex show is on their must do list. If you are not offended then it is a great place to drink and people-watch. Everyone is welcome in the bars. If you go as a couple or make it clear that you do not want the attention of the girls then they will leave you alone (eventually). However if you want to talk to the girls in the beer bars they will be happy to have a chat or play bar games such as connect-four or dice games. If you want to reward them for their time, then buy them a drink or give a tip.

Background

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand. Strange then, that it is so openly on display in the major tourist destinations. The thing is, it is a huge money earner for Thailand. Sex tourism brings in vast numbers of visitors from all over the world and a huge amount of foreign currency. There are many influential business figures involved and of course, many poor girls reliant on the money they make from the industry. The unofficial attitude taken by the authorities is that as long as nobody is hurt and it is a transaction between two consulting adults, then they will turn a blind eye. They will take a very dim view of anyone caught engaging in under age sex. The normal age of consent in Thailand is 15. However, in one of those strange Thai contradictions, although prostitution is illegal they still have a separate age of consent for prostitutes, which is 18.

Prostitution in Thailand has never been limited to the tourist resorts. In fact, this is a recent development. Almost every town in Thailand has brothels, although much more discreet than those in the tourist towns. The majority of prostitution in Thailand takes place between Thais and it is common for Thai men to visit brothels. The emergence of sex tourism in Thailand started with the arrival of American servicemen from the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Pattaya became a favourite destination for the GIs. They soon discovered the charms of the local girls and a new industry was born in Thailand.

Prostitution in Phuket has no significant connection with pimps or human traffickers. These things do happen in Thailand but normally this involves sending girls to work in brothels abroad. The girls in Phuket are mostly Thai and mostly working by choice – although probably through force of circumstance.

The Girls

The majority of women working in the tourist sex industry come from the area of Thailand known as Isaan. This is the northeast of Thailand and is the agricultural heartland of the country. It is the largest and poorest region of Thailand where the average wage is only 3000 baht a month (approx $90 US). It is also the region where traditions are strongest. Family ties are important throughout Thailand but in Isaan parents drill it into their children from an early age that it is their duty above all else to take care of the family, and especially to provide for the parents in their old age.

The women generally come from poor farming communities and many have received little education. When poor families in Isaan no longer have enough money to keep all their children in school, they will give priority to educating their boys while sending the girls out to work. The girls may have started working on farms or in factories from as early as eleven years old.

There is a common perception that girls working in Thailand’s sex industry start at a young age. A significant percentage of the girls in Phuket are in their late teens or early twenties. However, perhaps a more common story is that the girl had a relationship with a young Thai man in her village, they had children together and then the relationship broke down. Now she finds herself in her mid twenties trying to meet the demands of supporting her children and her parents. The financial burden is too much to bear so she leaves her children with her parents and follows the worn trail to Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket.

Everyone in the girl’s village knows how young women make good money in the tourist towns. The family will make a pretence that the young woman has gone to work in a hotel or restaurant and that way they will maintain face in the village. In the meantime, the young woman will find her way into the sex industry where, if she is attractive enough, she can earn 1,000-baht a night or more compared to the 3,000-baht a month she would earn working on a farm in Isaan.

As long as she is sending back enough money to support the family, she will be seen as a good daughter doing her duty. Hopefully, after a couple of years in the industry she will save enough money to return to the village and raise her children. Some women find foreign husbands and achieve a level of financial security they could not have dreamed of in Isaan.

The other side of the coin is that many women never get out of the sex industry. They do not make enough money or they lose all they earn on drugs, gambling or supporting Thai boyfriends. Some will suffer health problems such as venereal disease, drug addiction, mental disorders, and even hearing problems from constant exposure to loud music.

Of course, these are all generalisations. Every girl has her own story. For some the sex industry is their downfall and for others their salvation.

Their Appeal

Thai women seem to hold great appeal in the sex  industry. They have become something of an industry standard and are sent to work in brothels all over the world, often under awful conditions. Sometimes, their own families sell them to brothel owners. It is shocking to us that parents could do such a thing to their daughters but they are living by a very different set of standards. Even the sold girls will often believe they are doing the right thing for their family.

Fortunately, most of the girls working in Phuket have not suffered such a terrible fate. They are working by choice in a more comfortable and rewarding environment.

It is easy to see the appeal of Thai women. They are often petite and slim. They tend to have good complexions, silky black hair and big brown eyes. In addition, they are fun. Probably not, if they are working in a squalid brothel in a foreign country but generally, Thai women are lively and entertaining.

The Customers

We have previously stated that the majority of prostitution in Thailand takes place between Thais. Of course, in the tourist towns such as Phuket, the majority of customers are foreigners.

A common perception is that the customers are sad men, perhaps old, unattractive or lacking personality. While this may be true of some, the truth is that it is very difficult to generalise. The customers come from all walks of life, age groups and backgrounds.

They come from all over the world. The most common nationalities are European, American and Australian. There is also a good representation from other Asian countries such as Japan and the Middle East.

The majority of customers are men but a small percentage are women who come looking for male or female company.

Some customers fit the stereotype of aging, unattractive men picking up beautiful young Thai women. However, many others are young men partying and taking advantage of the readily available female company. There are also many very wealthy customers. It is not unusual to hear of yachts arriving in the bay and taking girls on board to party.

How it Works in Phuket

Terminology

The sex industry has its own set of terminology with phrases such as ‘beer bar’, ‘go-go bar’, ‘mamasan’, ‘lady drink’, ‘bar fine’, ‘short time’, ‘long time’, ‘GFE’, ‘freelancer’, ‘butterfly’ and many more.

Beer Bar – these are simple open sided bars often grouped in complexes. Most of these complexes are in the sois (side streets) off Bangla Road in Patong. There are stools around the bar and there are usually a couple of poles on the bar for the girls to dance round. The customers stroll around the complex until they choose a bar or are dragged to a bar by the girls working there. The girls will then try to sell themselves to the customer by talking to him or entertaining him with bar games. Typical games are connect-four, dice games, block tower building and hammering nails into a block of wood race.

Go-Go Bar – these are indoor bars where the girls dance on stages or on the bar. The girls usually wear bikinis – they are no longer allowed to dance topless although it may still happen if the bar thinks the authorities are not taking notice. The girls have numbers and customers can request a girl they like by number.

Mamasan – a woman who manages the girls working in a bar. Only the big bars and go-gos will have a Mamasan. She will be an older woman who demands respect from the younger girls. She will be responsible for recruiting new girls, making sure the girls work well and liaising with customers.

Lady Drink – a drink that a customer buys for a girl. These will usually cost 30-90 baht above the normal bar price. The bar pays the extra to the girl as reward for selling the drink. Effectively, you are not only buying the girl a drink but also giving her a tip.

Bar Fine – the fee charged by a bar for taking a girl from that establishment. The beer bars charge between 300 to 500 baht. This money is for the bar – seen as an introduction fee and recompense for the bar losing a worker for the night. The bar may pay a percentage of the bar fine to the girl but the customer still needs to pay the girl for her company. The go-gos charge higher bar fines. Some go-gos will ask for 3000 baht or more but this also includes the payment to the girl so the customer does not need to pay her directly

Short Time – the customer takes a girl to a nearby room for a ‘short time’. The beer bar complexes and go-go bars often have short time rooms at the back of the premises. The customer will pay a bar fine, a charge for the room and an agreed price to the girl for her services (500 to 1,000-baht). When they are finished, the girl will return to work while the customer moves on to his next port of call.

Long Time – the customer will take the girl for the night (a ‘long time’) usually back to his hotel room. The payment to the girl is normally 1,000 to 2,000-baht. Some of the more up-market hotels do not allow overnight guests while others will charge a guest fee. (See the bottom of the page for some ‘guest friendly’ hotels.)

GFE – Girl Friend Experience. This is where the man takes the girl for the full length of his holiday and treats her like his girlfriend. The girl will act as a companion and guide. They will go to restaurants together, take day trips together and generally act like boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course, the girl is still working and the man pays for everything and pays the girl for her time. The bar where the girl works will probably expect to receive a bar fine for every day the girl stays with the man. Many a romance has blossomed from the GFE and sometimes it develops into the WE (wife experience). This may be followed by the divorce experience and the going home with no money experience.

Freelancer – a girl that does not work from a specific bar. These girls will pick up customers at nightclubs or off the street hence saving the customer paying a bar fine. Freelancers are often attractive girls who are confident they can pick up men without the advantage of a work base. They may therefore charge more than bar girls. They are also considered less trustworthy as they are harder to track down later in cases of theft from the customer.

Butterfly – someone, male or female, who flits around from one partner to the next.

Bangla Road

Bangla Road in Patong is the heart of the tourist sex industry in Phuket. This is where you will find the great mass of beer bars and go-gos.

Soi Easy, Soi Gonzo, Soi Crocodile, Soi Eric, Soi Lion and Tiger Complex are all beer bar complexes.

Soi Seadragon is a wider soi with beer bars down the middle and larger bars on each side. This soi has some go-gos and is also the location of the sex shows with ping-pong balls, darts, etc. This soi also has a number of normal bars with live music.

Other go-gos are dotted around Bangla. The most well known is Rock Hard a Go Go at the top of the road.

There are also a variety of normal venues in and around Soi Bangla with live music, sports screens, pool tables and food.

The line of bars on the road from Moon Bar down to Ned Kelly’s are popular drinking spots to watch the action on Bangla Road. Most of these bars do have working girls but because they are on the street, they are less obvious about wrapping themselves around poles and pushing themselves on potential customers. Many tourists drink at these bars to people-watch.

The discos such as Tiger, Tai Pan, VIP and Banana are not actively engaged in the sex industry. However, there will be girls freelancing at these bars and men looking for them.

Other Sex Tourism Locations

Apart from Bangla, there are a few other beer bar complexes. In Patong, there is Soi Sukhumvit on Rat-U-Thit Road north of Bangla. There is another Beer Bar complex on the Beach Road north of Bangla before the Thara Patong Hotel. In Karon there is the bar area above the Karon Circle at the north of the town.

In Phuket Town, the sex venues are more Asian Style. There is the infamous Soi 11 off Phun Phon Road. Here the girls sit in rows in shop front windows. Customers select a girl and take her to one of the rooms upstairs.

The more refined Asian customers will go to the karaoke venues such as Pink Lady. These are not the simple karaoke bars that many Thais like to visit to drink beer, eat food and sing songs. These are plusher venues where the girls sing songs on a stage and the customers buy them flowers as a reward.

There are two very plush venues on Montree Road. There is the Pink Lady Cafe at the base of the Metropole Hotel and a little further up the road is Fantasia. Both these venues have good stage shows that are worth a visit even if you are not looking for a girl. They do of course have girls, lots of girls and they are generally more beautiful than their Patong counterparts. Drink prices at these venues are high but not exorbitant.

The latest girly bar fad is Coyote dancing. This is a more energetic and provocative dancing style than the go-go bars where the girls tend to just drape themselves around the pole. There is a coyote dancing club on Phang Nga Road near the bus station.

Gay Area

The main gay area is Soi Paradise in Patong off Rat-U-Thit Road a little north of Bangla Road. It is next to the Royal Paradise Hotel Tower, which is one of the tallest buildings in Patong. There are gay bars, gay cabarets and gay guesthouses. This area also caters to straight women. Some of the boys working in the gay bars are not actually gay and are happy to go with female customers.

You do not need to be gay to visit Soi Paradise. It is a very colourful area and some of the gay cabarets are worth a look.

Ladyboys

Known in Thai by the jokey term ‘katoey’. You may also hear them called ladymen, he-males or she-males. Katoeys are of course men who look like women. Some have had varying degrees of gender altering surgery. Some take hormones to increase their female attributes. Some just dress and make up as females. While some (like the three in the photo) are easy to spot, there are others that make very attractive women and if you saw them in the street, you really would not know they were men. There are many stories of men picking up women in bars only to find when they get back to their hotel that she is in fact a he. These are not just legends – it really does happen.

Katoeys have become something of a tourist attraction. In Bangla Road, you can see them at the entrance to Soi Crocodile, which is often referred to as Soi Katoey. Many tourists come to drink at one of the surrounding beer bars while watching the katoeys dance on the tables. You can take a photo with the katoeys but remember to pay them a tip – they are notoriously spiteful if they feel cheated.

There are also a couple of katoey bars and a katoey cabaret at the back of Soi Crocodile.

Another place to see katoeys is Simon Cabaret at the south end of Patong on the road to Karon. It is a simple but well-done cabaret show with katoeys dressed in spectacular costumes and miming to a range of songs. You will be amazed at just how convincing some of them are.

You can also see katoeys in the gay area of Patong at Soi Paradise.

Massage

Many massage parlours are just that – places to get a good massage. Most massage parlours will give just a massage if that is what the customer wants but some also offer extra services (a massage with a ‘happy ending’). Open-air massages and massage parlours where the customers are separated by curtains will only offer massage. Massage parlours that provide a private room may well offer extra services.

The most well known massage parlour offering extra services is Christin Massage – a big pink building on Rat-U-Thit Road south of Bangla. This massage parlour is just a higher-end sex venue. The girls sit behind a glass screen for the customer’s selection. The selected girl then takes the customer to a comfortable private room for a soap bath, massage and of course, ‘extra services’.

Warnings

For those participating in sex tourism – caution is advised.

Always wear a condom – it is just not worth the risk. If you do not have a condom then the girl should have one.

Remember no matter how lovely the girl may seem, she is working in an industry that is likely to corrupt. When the girls first arrive in Phuket, they are usually well-mannered, Thai country folk. However, they very quickly learn the tricks of the trade. And above all else, they are working for money.

If you take a girl back to your hotel then many hotel receptions will ask to see the girls ID card. They do this to protect you from possible crime committed by the girl. Theft is the main danger. You go to the shower and she takes your wallet and leaves. You go to sleep and she takes your valuables and is gone. You are not looking and she takes your jewelry before kissing you good-bye. Remember if the girl knows you are on holiday for two weeks, then she can disappear for two weeks. If you take a girl from a beer bar or go-go she will be easier to trace but it is no guarantee. You could consider asking to see the girls ID yourself. It might not be romantic or charming but let’s face it, this is not romance. Take a note of the number and you can also check her date of birth to ensure she is over 18 (subtract 543 from the Thai year).

There have been stories from Bangkok and Pattaya of girls doping customers. The last thing the customer remembers is having a drink with a girl and the next thing he knows he is waking up with a stunning headache and his valuables gone. There have been unconfirmed reports of this happening in Phuket. Men are often reluctant to report these crimes so there is no knowing how prevalent this is in Phuket. We are not convinced this has ever happened Phuket and if it does, it is certainly not common. Still it is a good idea to keep an eye on your drinks if you are with a girl you do not know..

Theft from customers is not the most common scam. The girls know they can make much more money if the customer gives it voluntarily. The sob stories the girls tell their customers are brilliant heart-tugging tales of woe designed to elicit sympathy. The punch line will invariably be that she needs to make big money to pay for someone’s hospital care or to save her family from starvation. The old-hands call them sick buffalo stories and treat them with great scepticism. In fact, there is often an element of truth to the stories. The girls do come from poor backgrounds and their families are often suffering hardship. That does not mean the final punch line for money is true or that you have any responsibility to pay.

Another common scam is the girl will tell the man she will stop working in bars and be faithful to him, if he can send her money. The man will then go home and send the girl regular payments thinking he is keeping her out of the bar. Many of the girls have several western boyfriends on the go at the same time sending money and they are still making more money from new customers in their bars.

It is not fair to portray all the girls as scam masters. Many are honest, hard working girls trying to make a living as best they can. Lots of western men have married Thai girls they met in bars and are very happy. However, the sex industry is a corrupting influence and you should be on your guard. There are no hard-and-fast rules – every girl is different and should be judged individually. A good dose of cynicism is sensible.

Guest Friendly Hotels

Some hotels will not allow ‘overnight guests’. Many others charge a guest fee or joiner fee (anywhere from 300-baht to 3000-baht, depending on the hotel). Hotels and guesthouses that allow overnight guests and do not charge a guest fee are referred to by the punters as ‘guest friendly’. The smaller hotels and guest houses are more likely to be guest friendly than the major hotels. Below are a few recommendations for nice, centrally located hotels that are guest friendly and can be booked over the internet (make sure you book a double room).

Phuket is a shopaholic’s paradise! The island has a great variety of shopping, from bustling open-air village food markets, noisy night markets, street stalls and local shops to western style department stores and upmarket specialist shops. With traditional handicrafts, beautifully designed clothing, jewellery, antiques, housewares and much more to choose from, the only thing you’ll regret about shopping in Phuket is that you didn’t bring a bigger suitcase!

Shopping Malls

Visitors to the kingdom often arrive with empty suitcases and leave with full ones. Clothes, cameras, jewelry, watches, DVD’s, computer games, sports equipment, silk, handbags, gold, gems, and even furniture are some of the items snapped up by hungry foreign shoppers and taken or shipped home. Thai authorities encourage this by refunding VAT at the airport (if shoppers have correctly done their paperwork at the point of purchase) and by giving out ‘foreign discounts’ and even without these benefits and the many discounts offered by department stores on name brands, starting prices are much lower than in the West.

Everyone knows that fake goods, although against the law, are more than available here. Sure you can get a shiny new ‘Rolex’ for a few bucks but just don’t try swimming while wearing it. And after a few hot washes and spins maybe the alligator will look a little more than faded on your ‘Lacoste’ polo shirt but what about the real McCoy? How does a bottle of Calvin Klein stand up price-wise against the same product in the West? The answer is very well indeed. Department stores in Phuket are superbly stocked when it comes to foreign goods and most have ‘Summer’ and ‘Winter’ sales that offer up to 30% off the original price, leaving the foreign shopper in a win-win situation. Here are a few pointers for mall shopping in Phuket.

Jungceylon

Standing downtown, diagonally opposite Bangla Road, the Jungceylon Shopping Complex has radically changed the face of shopping in Patong. The two main stores in the complex are Robinson – a gleaming well-lit upper end department store, and Carrefour – a French-based supermarket.

The 200-plus other stores in this shopping heaven sell brand-name clothes, spectacles, sunglasses, colognes and perfumes, shoes, DVD-CD-VCD’s, computer games, electrical goods, pewter, gold and silver, sportswear and goods amongst myriad other items.

Read more: Jungceylon Shopping Mall in Patong – Phuket Shopping Complex http://www.phuket.com/shopping/jungceylon.htm#ixzz1I3hYrHAL

Robinson

Robinson’s downstairs majors in perfumes, cosmetics, watches and timepieces. The brand names featured here are Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Clinique, H20+, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Revlon and Paul Smith. The watches are mostly Japanese and are of middle-range quality.

Upstairs, Robinson features women’s shoes and accessories, and probably the biggest selection of women’s underwear in Thailand – certainly the largest in Phuket. Further through is a very attractive child’s clothing section which, predictably enough leads to the toy department. To one side here you will find an interesting collection of pewter goods; vases, cups, cigarette lighter covers and souvenir plaques as well as salt and pepper shakers, all at reasonable prices.

You’ll also find a household appliance department here as well as a sensibly priced men’s shoe section – this appears to be a bargain area in Thailand and Robinson features shoes with labels such as Pierre Cardin, Lacoste, Matino, and Polo.

Carrefour

Security guards stand between Robinson and Carrefour upstairs floors and they heat-seal your purchases in a new plastic bag as you enter the French supermarket.

The upstairs section of Carrefour is a neon-lit affair featuring sports accessories, TV’s, digital cameras and computer accessories. Downstairs features a large food supermarket, a stand of magazines and DVD’s (395 baht) and rows of household goods.

The chic liquor store has Johnny Walker Black Label for 1,119 baht and Chivas Regal for 998 baht (down from 999 baht!). Local spirits, however, cost a fraction of that.

Shopping Arcade

Downstairs at Jungceylon you can buy everything from a Kashmir-made rug to a facial massage. It’s all cheerfully lit and open spaced and is designed to handle an estimated 45,000 shoppers daily – though this figure seems a little optimistic, given that Patong’s official population is 14,700 (and swells to up to 60,000 in high season). Still, it’s good to have enough elbow room while shopping..

There are some great bargains to be had here but you have to dig a little. And big doesn’t necessarily mean best: One large optician outlet was offering Ray-Ban Aviators for 7,000 baht whereas a smaller competitor was sold out of them – because they’d disregarded the factory ‘recommended’ price of 5,400 baht and offered exactly the same model of Aviators at 3,000 baht. One facial massage parlour was asking 2,500 baht for an 80-minute treatment whereas across the way, an hour’s facial massage was 360 baht. Caveat emptor indeed…

Music, Phones and Electronics
An interesting DVD/CD/VCD and cassette factory outlet stands opposite Carrefour’s ground floor entrance featuring mostly B movies, although Lord of the Rings # 3 was on sale for 149 baht which has got to be unbeatable value. A word of warning though; the ‘Best of’ CD’s are imitations.

The VCD’s are in Thai – even though they have English language covers and who buys cassettes nowadays? Still, it’s worth a look through the mountains of discs and DVD boxes for that special B feature you’ve always wanted but were unwilling to shell out for.

Sport Shops
Near the main entrance there are two large sports shops almost next to each other: SuperSports and Sport World and so you’re going to come out a winner simply by comparing prices in both.

Both are on the left-hand side as you enter Jungceylon and of course Carrefour has a sports section. Also present in the complex is a Surfer’s shop with all the necessary accessories.

Facts-wise, Jungceylon has:
Seven banks
Five eyewear outlets
Forty clothing and accessory outlets
Ten fast food and beverage outlets
One food court
Two furniture outlets
Ten health and beauty outlets
One pet store
Two electronics and IT stores
Seventeen restaurants
One Thai arts and crafts centre consisting of 70 shops and 35 kiosks
One tailor’s shop
Two travel and luggage outlets

Did you know?
In Thailand the law states that alcohol can only be sold in shops from 11:00 till 14:00 and from 17:00 until midnight. This applies to all stores so do not expect to nip out to the 7-Eleven or Tesco and buy a few beers mid-afternoon. Of course, you may order alcohol in bars and restaurants anytime and – strangely enough – you can buy in bulk (a case of wine or whisky) at anytime of day but if you enjoy An afternoon holiday tipple it’s best to stock up first.