Karon: A traveler's secret nestled in one of the world's most crowded summer vacation destinations
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A view from Mosquito Island
By Jung Min-ho
PHUKET, Thailand ― Karon beach has never gotten as much as attention as its neighbor Patong, a region that is most internationally-known as “Phuket” with numerous hotels and bars along the busy seashore.
But Karon ― located about an hour from Phuket International Airport and 15 minutes from Patong ― offers greener water, cleaner sand and a much quieter path for tourists who do not need glitzy nightlife for their vacation other than just a few beers.
Unlike Patong, which is always crowded with shops and street vendors, there is little development directly on Karon beach. It is the perfect place to spend time with family rather than friends. But don’t worry; in case you change your mind for a fancy party at night, there are always taxis available with less than 400 bahts ($13) to Patong.
A couple watch the sunset at “Viewpoint 2” which is one of the three viewpoints from the top of the mountain at Phi Phi Islands. / Korea Times photos by Jung Min-ho
Less development does not mean less options to eat ― good places abound for local and international food around Karon beach. There are steakhouses such as Buffalo Steakhouse or Angus O'Tooles in which tourists can look out at the gorgeous beach while eating.
And for local food, try Patak Road where one can find places like Red Onion that offers delicious Thai cuisine such as pineapple fried rice and Pad Thai noodles at prices ranging from just 150 bahts to 300. The food goes well with tropical fruit juice. Try some ripe and juicy mango which will blow your bad memories of second-rate mangos in Korea.
Karon has no single “hot spot” where everyone gathers for drinks or for shopping. If that is what you are looking for, Karon surely is the wrong place to go.
Fish at Loh Samah Bay
Most tourists stay around their accommodations near the beach. Swanky resorts such as Mandarava provide a full range of facilities from bars and restaurants to massage parlors in luxurious settings, so tourists do not have to bear Phuket’s blazing sun to indulge themselves in the beautiful island.
And yet, the 4-kilometer stretch of soft, sandy Karon beach is most likely to keep many tourists near it.
Karon beach is developed but not excessively. The area still has the peaceful atmosphere that many work-exhausted tourists seek for their trip. But hurry up ― the place may soon become popular.
A couple enjoys snorkeling near Loh Samah Bay off Phi Phi Leh Island.
Phi Phi Islands
Phi Phi Islands, an archipelago off Thailand’s Andaman Coast, are best known for being the background of actor Leonardo DiCaprio’s Hollywood movie “The Beach.”
The archipelago is about two hours away from Rassada Pier in Phuket by ferry. The round-trip tickets to Phi Phi’s Tonsai Bay are about 550 bahts though it usually includes pick-up from hotels as well as the transfer back to the hotels.
Most Koreans take one-day trips to the islands because many travel agencies just provide the one-day service. But the picturesque place is definitely worth a few more days to look around; it seems like many Europeans already know it.
It is a sought-after destination for snorkeling and scuba diving lovers and for those who think Phuket is too commercialized and has lost its original color of “real” nature.
The biggest one of the Phi Phi islands is called Phi Phi Don. It has the archipelago’s only pier as well as arrays of accommodations close to the beach.
But this isn’t an ideal place for beach swimming because the water near the shore isn’t very clean and the beach has many sharp stones. So tourists take a boat to enjoy the marine sports near the islands away from Phi Phi Don.
Many shops offer a similar one-day or half-day package trips, which include places such as Maya Bay, Loh Samah Bay, Bamboo Island, Monkey Beach and Viking Cave.
Tourists get to experience nature through the trip from early in the morning to the evening, usually from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The price ranges from 700 bahts to 1,500, depending on which boat _ from long-tail boat to ferry _ they ride on.
The speed boat is the most expensive option but is most recommended because it costs less time for transfer, which means more time to look around places and to spend time in the water.
Another must-do activity in Phi Phi Islands is to see the sun-set from the “Viewpoints.”
There are three viewpoints at the top of the mountain that can be reached in about an hour from Rassada Pier.
The climb isn’t very long but quite intense since the pinnacle point is located 186-meter above the seas level. The steep flight of stairs to the panorama will definitely make you sweat, but the breathtaking overview of the islands in the end is definitely worth the effort.
After the staircase climb, you have to pay 20 bahts for an entrance fee to go further.
At the “Viewpoint 2,” which is the top of the mountain, there is a shop where the climbers can buy snack and water.
Environmental issues
Most people come to Phuket, expecting a pristine island paradise.
However, even around Karon beach, which is much less developed than Batong, the environmental pollution is very evident.
Although the seashore still remains relatively clean, rubbish is easily found everywhere. Some people leave bottles and cans of beers at the beach, not to mention outside of it, but no one calls them to account for littering behavior.
Most tourists take garbage with them voluntarily, but given that Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, the amount of accumulated trash still seems threatening.
The problem looks even more serious in some parts of Phi Phi Islands.
After the movie, “The Beach,” was released in 2000, Phi Phi Leh immediately became a hot spot for many tourists worldwide.
Locals as well as the Thailand’s tourism officials have been happy to see more visitors because more people mean more money. But the result cost the original beauty of the island.
Right off the bat, it is easy to see the difference between the island now and how it used to be about 10 years ago ― trash is found around the beach and the water color is no longer resembles that of sapphire.
On Bamboo Island, tourists cannot access its center because putrid water was is collected in many holes; it almost covers the island. So toilets in the middle of the island seem unused for years.
Even for an hour, many people came and left the small island. And the environmental damage there already seems irreversible.
Some may attribute the damage to the tsunami that hit the many parts of the country, including the island, in 2004 and killed over 4,000 people and left thousands injured. But it seems like the tsunami happened only a few weeks ago.
Also, from Andaman Coast to Phi Phi Islands, it is easy to see plastic bags and styrofoam floating on the surface of the water.
Tourism has been a major part of the Thailand’s economy, making a larger contribution to nation’s economy than that of any other Asian countries. However, the negative environmental impact of tourism in Thailand is increasing, and the government’s overall effort for dealing with the related problems is obviously not sufficient.
Phuket still is gorgeous. But if the government does not step up to balance between protecting the nature and developing the commerce now, the beauty of the island will never be the same – and the unwanted change won’t take long.