Progress

The month or so between the end of the tourist season and the start of the rainy season represents an opening into which the Phuket government tries to shoehorn a year's worth of public works projects. The main road down the street from my place has been ripped apart for more than two weeks but the work is finally showing signs of completion. When finished, Route 4024 to Rawai Beach and the popular sunset viewpoint on Phromthep Cape at the southern tip of the island will be four lanes wide. Normally I would bemoan such change, but it can only help the increasingly desperate traffic situation. Volumes are still manageable, but the single-lane free-for-all between cars and motorbikes needs to stop.

Thus motivated to seek detours, I've stumbled across some areas that I did not know existed. I hadn't truly appreciated how "big" the island really is, and how much of its interior is untouched. Not for long, of course. Plans have already been announced for a major road to bisect the southern third of Phuket.

BTW, Thailand has been celebrating the king's diamond jubilee (i.e., 60 years on the throne) for the better part of a week. Everyone is asked to do their part.