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For the longest time, travellers to Thailand have traditionally headed to the north of the country for jungles, wilderness and mountains and to the south for sea, sand and sun. Yet with Khao Sok National Park right on Phuket’s doorstep, it doesn’t have to be like that – it’s actually possible to sunbathe on Phuket’s lovely beaches in the morning and find yourself in the almost untouched wilderness of Khao Sok in the afternoon.

And getting to Khao Sok is easy: Most tour operators can arrange transport and, with local roads in good condition (in the dry season), renting a car and driving yourself is also an option. The latter also gives you the opportunity to explore the national park on your own once you get there.

A network of smaller or larger trails snake their way through the park and, if you’re lucky (and stay quiet), you might be able to see some of the park’s rare wildlife. There is a 300-baht entry fee which comes with a detailed map of the park. If you’re not comfortable with roaming around on your own, guided tours can also be arranged at the park entrance.

Covering more than 700sqkm, Khao Sok National Park is a nature-lover’s paradise. It’s covered by one of the oldest evergreen forests in the world – believed to be over 160 million years old – complemented by huge limestone mountains that rise up here and there, dramatic waterfalls, inviting and cooling swimming holes, deep lakes and mysterious caves. With all this wilderness, the park is home to an astonishing array of wildlife, including wild elephants, gibbons, tapirs, tigers, deer and wild boar.

For mango emulsion
½ mango | ½ pc orange juice | 1 tsp lemon juice | 1 tbsp honey | ½ tsp Dijon mustard | ½ tsp red wine vinegar | salt to taste | 6 tbsp olive oil

For foie gras
Two foie gras, each ½ inch thick | black pepper | sea salt

For sweet cracked almonds
25gm butter | 25gm red sugar powder | 20gm brown sugar | 10gm orange juice | 13gm flour | 20gm almonds

For apple in honey red wine
30gm small apple balls | 20ml red wine | 3 tbsp honey | 2gm orange peel | cinnamon

Located in the Strait of Malacca, just off of Malaysia’s northwest coast, Penang’s strategic setting saw it become a thriving destination for traders travelling to Asia from Europe and, further afield, from the Middle East. Nowadays the island’s population has grown to 1.6 million and Penang still retains its role in the region as a melting pot of colonial architecture with delicious food, plenty of beaches and a rustic, almost vintage, urban style.

In September 2014, Phuket and Penang became sister cities. The decision was based on their historical parallels of Chinese immigration, rubber tree plantations and tin mines, as well as both housing a variety of interesting Sino-Portuguese shop-house buildings. Recently, Phuket was recognised by UNESCO as one of their ‘Cities of Gastronomy’ and, coincidentally, Penang’s George Town was granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2008 for its long and cosmopolitan history. A two-hour flight from island to island, Phuket’s eclectic sister city Penang is ideal for an interesting, and different, break.

Penang is a veritable explosion of cultures; everywhere you look there are Chinese, Malay, Dutch, Indian, British and Portuguese influences; this is truly an island that functions on sensory overload. The streets are filled with hustle and bustle and around every corner there’s a Chinese shrine or Hindu temple with the familiar smell of incense wafting out.

The small lanes and alleyways of Penang come alive in the morning and maintain their momentum throughout the day; vendors sell everything from steamed buns and old-style black tea to rolled tobacco and Chinese herbal medicines and elixirs. There are flower vendors on every corner, fresh markets displaying exotic fruits and vegetables to wander through, a temple to visit or a coffee shop to settle down in with a good book and a cup of strong, local coffee.

Phuket Botanic Garden should be on your list of attractions to visit while in Phuket! The garden is in the Chalong area not far from Chalong Temple and features an amazing horticultural display split into 30 zones, each containing different species.

There’s a butterfly garden in addition to various other gardens: Herb Garden, Orchards, Sufficient Garden, Orchid Garden, Fern Garden, Cactus Garden, Rainforest, Japanese Garden, English Garden, Bali Garden, Water Lily Garden and a Palm Garden.

The Phuket Botanic Garden also serves as a research centre for many rare plant species. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy these immaculately kept tropical gardens. Open from 9am-4.30pm. Closed on Wednesday. The entry fee for non-locals is 500 baht for adults and 300 baht for kids.

Ingredients:

• 500 gm Phuket lobster
• 30 gm galangal
• 30 gm lemongrass
• 3 gm kaffir lime leaves
• 40 gm mushrooms
• 100 gm capsicum
• 10 gm young peppercorn
• 10 gm chilli paste
• 20 gm fish sauce
• 20 gm soya sauce
• 20 gm oyster sauce
• 2 pc lemon
• 20 ml fresh cream
• 2 gm coriander
• 10 gm red chilli
• baby tomatoes
• canola oil

Method:
Tom yam: Place stock, herbs and chilli paste in a saucepan and bring to boil. Add lobster shell and season with salt and fish sauce. Add mushrooms and tomatoes and finish with cream and lemon juice.

Phad med: Place the wok on heat and add oil. Add lobster, capsicum, mushrooms, onions and season with oyster sauce, soya sauce and chilli paste. Cook the stock for about 2-3 minutes and finish with 2-3 drops of lemon juice.

Phad prik Thai dam: Place the wok on heat and add oil. Add lobster, yellow capsicum, mushrooms, onions, young pepper corn and season with oyster sauce and soya sauce. Cook the stock for about 2-3 minutes.
Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Although already popular in the Western world, these culinary vehicles represent a fairly recent phenomenon in Phuket. The island (and indeed Thailand) has long had a vibrant street food scene but the arrival of these food trucks has upped the ante with regards to mobile culinary choices. It’s always been easy to buy your favourite Thai dish at street stalls, whether it be noodle soup, phad thai or papaya salad, however nowadays – because of these newcomers you can find such Western delights as juicy cheeseburgers, thin-crust pizzas, Chicago-style hot dogs with loads of mustard and relish, sushi and Korean fried chicken as well as carefully thought out exotic cocktails and local fruit smoothies.

The food trucks scattered across the island are convenient and serve their fare up quickly ideal for those who are super hungry or workers who have limited time to dash out for a lunch break. They’re also on the scene late in the evening which quite literally makes for a great midnight snack.

You’ll come across them simply by driving along the west coast of the island. In both beach neighborhoods of Kata and Karon, there are vintage Volkswagen campers that have been converted into trendy cocktail trucks which also serve fresh fruit, healthy smoothies, and simple snacks.

With its spirit-possessed mediums performing shocking acts of self-flagellation, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is a colourful spectacle that’s become famous around the world. But a month before the Veg Fest is a more gentle, less well-known yet no less important, event for the island’s Hokkien Chinese community: the Por Tor Festival.

The Por Tor Festival has a long, rich tradition in Phuket and similar festivals are held throughout Southeast Asia, China and Japan. Known also as the Hungry Ghost Festival, it starts on the first day of the waxing moon on the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

During this month it’s believed that the gates of hell are opened, allowing ghosts trapped inside to return to earth to enjoy feasts prepared by their living relatives. It’s also a time to help those who may be wandering lost in a deathly realm: the forlorn spirits of those who died suddenly or died away from family, or otherwise missed the chance for a proper send-off.

The festival’s first day is typically spent at the family home, where an elaborate feast is prepared. The table is set with all the dishes placed in the middle, plus a plate of rice for each of the departed relatives. Sticks of incense speared into each serving of rice are lit, then all the family members sit off to the side or go to another room. When the incense is burned through, it indicates the ghosts have finished dining, allowing the living relatives to come to the table to start their meal.

We meet at the beachside setting of the Phuket Yacht Club, with stunning views over Chalong Bay. Home from home for Scott Duncanson. Why? Scott is a household name among the local sailing fraternity. Not only is he Commodore of the Phuket Yacht Club (formerly ACYC), but a dedicated racer who has just returned from winning the prestigious Coronation Cup at Jomtien Pattaya, one of four annual regattas which make up the Platu 25 One Design Championship..

Scott talks enthusiastically about Thailand’s largest fleet of one-design keel boats. Designed by New Zealander Bruce Farr specifically for Thai weather conditions, it is a mono-hulled, 7.5 metre design named after a famous Thai fish, Pla-Tu.

In the course of the Pattaya regatta, helmsman Scott and his four crew defeated teams from Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and the highly fancied Easy-Tiger team from Sydney, Australia. A sweet victory. Incidentally he is the only skipper to have won this event back-to-back and this 2016 victory made it a history-making three-peat in his boat Kingdom Property. Asked about his number of triumphs in sailing events, Scott modestly declined to remember… They are many. His prowess as a sailor is legendary.

He describes his most recent triumph in the following terms:“Winning a one design regatta such as the Coronation Cup stirs up different emotions, especially after all the hard work in creating a programme to attract sponsors, countless hours of boat preparation, forming a crew, training, tuning and racing…As you cross the finish line there’s a huge relief of pressure and stress, then there’s the blurred celebration with the crew and competitors at the presentation ceremony and finally … then realisation that we did actually win.”