Livelihood: Since the devastating Tsunami of December 2004 Phuket has remarakably got back on its feet and is now as beautiful as ever. The locals whose livelihood were cruelly disrupted by the tragedy invite you back with the famous warm and friendly thai smile.

Phuket Sea Shell Museum: The emphasis is on shells from Phuket and Thai waters, which are among the most sought-after by collectors, however shells from every part of the world are featured. Wherever they originate, each shell in the Shell Museum is the best of its type--very often the only of its type. Displays have been created in a logical order, and visitors can see at once differing characteristics among related species.

Coral Island or Hey Island: This island of Phuket's south coast is so well known for its coral reef that it is often referred to simply as Coral Island. In addition to the splendid reefs there are two fine beaches on the north and west. Koh Hey is part of a marine preserve, but accommodations, restaurants, various water sports and diving are all available. Boats leave from Rawai and Chalong. Package tours are also available.

Thai Village and Orchid Farm: A show of Thai dance, handicrafts, culture, elephants and a demonstration of old time tin-mining takes place among the orchids.

Patong Beach: Phuket's most developed beach offers numerous leisure, sporting, shopping and recreational options along its 3-km long cresent bay. Windsurfing, snorkelling, sailing, swimming and sunbathing number among the many popular daytime activities. Patong is equally well known for its vibrant nightlife, among which seafood restaurants feature prominently.

Phra Nang Sang Temple: The bellies of the three big statues each contains a smaller statue, from which derives their name, "Monks in the Belly" in local vernacular. or "The Three Kings" in formal language. Located on Thep Krasatri Rd., in Thalang Town at the tracffic light.

Did You Know?... That Phuket is known as the Island of Smiles.

Sapan Hin: A land reclamation project provided abundant new land now used for parks and public facilities at Sapan Hin, located where Phuket Road meets the sea in Phuket Town. In the circle is the Tin Mining Monument, shaped like a large drill bit, dedicated to the memory of Captain Edward Thomas Miles, the Australian who brought the first tin dredge to Phuket in 1909.

The Traditional New Year Celebration: This is also called "Trut" celebration. Trut means "to be cut" or "to end". So this simply indicates that a year has come to the end, according to the lunar calendar adopted from the Indians.

Phra Tong Temple: This temple enshrines a golden Buddha image that sprang up from beneath the earth long ago. The story is of a young boy who tied his buffalo to what he thought was a post; it was in an area at that time given over to the raising of animals. After doing so, he fell down in agony and died. The father of the boy dreamed that the reason his son had died was for the sin of tying a filthy buffalo to a sacred object, that what the boy thought was a post was in reality the golden peak of the Buddha's conical cap. He told his neighbors the dream and they all went out to dig up the statue but had no success.

Did You Know?... Thai people have a deep, traditional reverence for the Royal Family, and visitors should always show respect for the King, the Queen and the Royal Children.

Warning: Although drug laws vary from country to country, it is important to realize before you make the mistake of getting involved with drugs that foreign countries do not react lightly to drug offenders. In some countries, anyone who is caught with even a very small quantity for personal use may be tried and receive the same sentence as the large-scale trafficker.