Yes! Now that I'm back in KK, I can finally finish this post as I've gotten all these next photos from Ray's iPhone (lazy bugger refused to email them to me.. Pfft!)
Our guide for the day was Kevin (pictured below).
Rubber tapping is the process by which the sap (rubber) is collected from a rubber tree. An incision is made in the tree's bark, which cuts through the planting cycle to optimise the latex yield.
Each night a rubber tapper must remove a thin layer of bark along a downward half spiral on the tree trunk. If done carefully and with skill, this tapping panel will yield latex for up to 5 years. Then the opposite side will be tapped allowing this side to heal over. The spiral allows the latex to run down to a collecting cup. The work is done at night or in the early morning before the day's temperature rises, so the latex will drip longer before coagulating and sealing the cut. (Info source: Wikipedia)
When the cup is full, the rubber tapper will collect all the latex and take it back to a small "factory", usually right next to the plantation. Then, it is poured into moulds and formic acid is added to coagulate the liquid latex. This transforms the liquid latex into a firm solid block of rubber, which is initially rolled using a wooden roller so that it is thin enough for it to be rolled by the mangle machine.
Next on our itinerary, was a visit to Three Beaches View Point, the best view in Phuket! You can see the beautiful bays of Kata Noi, Kata and Karon here, and let me tell you, the view really is spectacular! =D
From there on, it was one breathtaking view to another!
We visited the Big Buddha on top of the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata, and even donated a THB300 to get a marble slab with our 祝福语 (words of blessing) on the base of the statue when it is complete!
According to www.phuket.com, about 10 years ago a group of friends were walking through the forest in the Nakkerd Hills when they stumbled upon a place with stunning vistas of both sides of the island – Chalong Bay lay in one direction while on the other they looked down over Kata and the Andaman Sea. It would, they thought, make a perfect place for a viewpoint – something that could become as well known as Phuket’s favourite sunset viewpoint, at Laem Phromthep.
As time went on, and as the friends discussed it again and again, the idea evolved. The place in the hills, they soon agreed, would be perfect not just as a viewpoint, but as the site for something much more ambitious and, to Buddhists at least, much more significant: a giant image of the Lord Buddha.
The project had its hiccups, not least of which was battling through a mountain of red tape required to get permits to build in virgin forest at a height above the usual building limit. But the paperwork was finally completed and construction began in February last year.
Next up, we went to this wooden house which is air conditioned inside (so I satyed a few minutes more than necessary ;p)
Pornthip (I know, funny name) was our next stop, and Ray and I happily stuffed our faces with the many samples of local snacks. We also bought a lot, spent about THB800! Haha.. Yes, we like our food.. ;p I'd recommend the dried pork slices (they're crispy, like crackers), and also the dried mango.. Ray liked all the sotong (cuttlefish) stuff as well.. =)
For some reason, we seemed to have a lot of time here, as we were the 1st ones back to the van.. And guess what Ray was doing? Mm-hmm..
Our last stop was a huge compound full of stores, called Premium Outlet Phuket. Every brand you could think of was there, with cheap prices on everything! Unfortunately, this was also our lunch stop so we didnt have much time at all.. =( We were both upset we couldnt shop, but I suppose Ray's credit card was happy.. ;p
And that was the end of our tour! It was really fun, and we packed a lot into 5 hours, as you can see! I was gutted we couldnt go on the elephant safari though, but that tour was twice the price.. This tour only cost us about THB600 per person if I remember correctly..
This was going to be my last Phuket post, but then I realised what a long-ass post this was, so to refrain from boring you, I'm going to separate this from my last one, which I (half) promise wont be as long! =) That one should be up soon so do keep reading k? =)
On a side note, I'm taking my JPJ (driving) exam tomorrow morning, so keep your fingers crossed for me, cz I really need to pass first try! ;p
Love you guys..!! xxx
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