Notes from a changing Phuket
We found ourselves in Phuket. After six years of staying in the North of Thailand we felt compelled to visit the south, but as is typical for us - not a lot of thinking was given to where or why. And so here we were in one of Thailand most famous tourist destinations, where the 2000 movie The Beach catapulted the country into limelight and the hapless Maya Bay found such fame it had to be closed for rehabilitation and repair. Thailand is a country that can’t say no to showing off its best assets and thinking about the consequences later and possibly nowhere captures this more than the region of Phuket.
We deliberately chose an apartment near Bang Tao beach, alleged to be quieter and more upmarket than the infamous Patong beach. We stayed in Cherngtalay, in a quiet Muslim area, with small soi / alleys winding between the beach and the main road and out again to the jungle. The houses were painted in bright colours, with piles of shoes outside the front door, and lush potted plants on the roadside. Nenek-nenek (grandmas) in sarongs waved at us, teens smiled shyly and little kids ran to Jon for high fives. But in amidst these cosy communities was vast swathes of development for new arrivals.
The country was pleased to receive the baht of those who wanted to officially retire or live here. And in the case of Phuket this was largely the Russian community. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2023, many countries were quick to enforce sanctions which prevented Russian visitors. But Thailand was not one of these countries and consequently more than one million a year have flocked to Phuket, with thousands deciding to stay long term. A Russian consulate has set up in Phuket and there has been a boom in Russian owned businesses from car hire, Russian food cafes, hairdressers and jet ski rentals. There has been local backlash, over potential job displacement and impact on local culture – not least rising prices. Phuket is a major hub for Russian property investment ad we saw several luxury developments whose marketing was aimed clearly at the Russian-speaking market.
These luxury developments continue beyond the coast. We sought out a few jungle hikes, following the soi to where the wooden homes end, giving way to the elephant sanctuaries for dozens of elephants who have thankfully been rescued from Phuket’s cruel tourist trade. But each time we would follow a trail, it would lead us to a new property development - towering dipterocarps, palms, rubber trees, banyan and ficus all uprooted, red earth exposed like a gaping wound. Nearby would be a cluster of cobbled tin shacks, with laundry hanging out front, for migrant workers who build these sprawling estates.
Most of the building workers and the behind-the-scenes luxury hotel workers are from strife-ridden Burma. The border is only 300 kms away as the crow flies and you can spot many women with faces smeared in thanaka – a traditional sun cream face paint - even before you’ve overhead a whisper of Burmese. In Phuket old town, after the lively Sunday morning market, as locals sped off on their motorbikes or drove off in air-conditioned cars, the Burmese community rested on their haunches or sat patiently in crammed song thaews nursing children on their knees and bags of goods at their feet wating for the ride back to the fishing areas where they work. Our local 711 was a pickup point for building workers who are disgorged from open back trucks every morning. It broke me to see a female labourer pick up some cold packs for sore muscles before jumping in the pick up for a day’s hard hot work building resorts billed as ‘green and tranquil living amongst nature.’
Most people go to Phuket to go to the beach and we did that too, even though we live on a Greek island so it takes a lot for coastline to impress us. Some parts of Bang Tao had a ‘trying too hard luxury vibe’ which instantly repelled me. And has anyone else pondered the suitability of having the sewerage works as the entrance to the beach? We noticed the pine trees still standing and living despite roots exposed from the disappearing sand. This fine and beautiful sand that the beach is famed for was expansively displaced from the 17th century through 1980s due to tin mining, so the area is vulnerable to coastal erosion, rising sea levels and bigger waves every year. Many beachside businesses have sandbags shoring up the metre or so between them and the waterline. A few higher end establishments have cemented rocks in place acting as a breakwater. As the evening tide came in, we saw a waiting tourist’s suitcase get lapped by the rising tide and we stood calf deep in the warm water while reading a restaurant menu.
We always try to make the most of anywhere we visit. We loved being amidst the Muslim community which is very familiar to us. Like the local bugs to our balcony light, we were attracted to the row of food stalls outside the mosque. Being able to speak Malay was a treat as my Thai is non-existent and endeared us to our local coconut seller. And that night on the beach, away from the boom-boom of club music and the exclusive luxury hotels we found somewhere to eat with slightly less pretentious prices but admittedly a rather Greek feel, with false whitewash grout on the grey cement floor, a Mediterranean chef and a very similar vibe to our village restaurant on our island. Maybe like the war-fleeing Russians or the hard-working Burmese, we too were a couple of people trying to find the familiar in Phuket, a place that is willing to offer it.
