Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

My grandma has been visiting Thailand for a few weeks in January/February for a few years now, and this year was no exception. She always sends me postcards from her holidays, too, which is really sweet of her. I have to say I wouldn't mind being somewhere that warm at the moment myself!



Patong Beach refers to the beach and town on Phuket's west coast. It is the main tourist resort in Phuket, and contains an important center of Phuket's nightlife and inexpensive shopping. The beach became popular with Western tourists, especially Europeans, in the late 1980s. Numerous hotels are located there and the area has expanded into a large tourist mecca.

Patong Beach is famous for its nightlife and 3.5-kilometer beach that runs the entire length of Patong’s western side. Nightlife is centered on two main areas Bangla Road and 'Paradise Complex', with Bangla Road being predominantly straight and Paradise Complex gay. Both roads are lined with many bars, discotheques and go go bars.

On December 26, 2004, Patong Beach along with many other areas along the western coast of Phuket and Thailand were struck by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The wave caused a great deal of destruction to the waterfront of the beach and immediately inland and many people were killed. Patong was one of the worst affected areas of Phuket, although the destruction was not as bad as nearby Khao Lak. Patong has largely recovered since the tsunami.

Phuket, Thailand

My grandma has been in Thailand for the past four weeks, she is coming back this week. I knew she would be sending me a card at some point as mum told me she'd asked for my address. And now it's here :) I really like her choice, too, this is such a cute card! Speaking of my address... It seems like our postman definitely knows me by know - grandma had forgotten to put our house number in the address, but the card still arrived. Perhaps because no one else with my postcode receives so many postcards?! :D



Elephants seem to be pretty important animals in Thailand. These two are from Phuket. Phuket, which is approximately the size of Singapore, is Thailand’s largest island. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges. It is situated off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism (and is evidently pretty popular; grandma said that it's a lot more expensive than Hua Hin where she was last year).



The stamp is from a set of 10 definitives issued last year.

Hua Hin Railway Station, Thailand

My last card for today was sent to me by my grandma last year. She's actually in Thailand at the moment again, staying there for a while. She told me she needed to go somewhere warm and apparently Thailand is one of the only places where you get guaranteed sunshine. :D (That, and it's not overly expensive over there. I don't think grandma could afford the Caribbean...) So yeah, I might have another postcard coming from Thailand soon. :)



The Hua Hin Railway Station is one of the oldest railway stations in Thailand. Its most striking feature is the unique Royal Waiting Room in Thai architectural style. The Royal Waiting Room was built in the reign of King Rama VI in order to welcome the King and his entourage. The outstanding feature of the station is the pavilion constructed in in the reign of King Rama VI; it was originally named as "Plub Pla Sanamchan", and it was initially situated at Sanacham Palace in Nakorn Pathom Province. The Royal Waiting Room, the original building built in the same architectural style as Maruekkhathayawan Palace, stands adjacent to the station, and is a favourite spot for taking pictures for both Thai and foreign tourists. [source]



The smaller stamp is from a set of 6 "Greetings" stamps issued in 2010. The bigger stamp is from a miniature sheet of 12 stamps issued in 2008, with the subject Chatukham Rammathep.