Phuket is my home. I love it for all kinds of reasons but its the non-mainstream things that make it stand out for me. Its an island that attracts all kinds of people both Thai and western and it has a vibrant alternate culture that is found in the bar scene, the food scene and the street art that is all over the city. Phuket has some well known home-grown artists also, both on the graffiti scene and proper paint on canvas too.
Here's one of my favourite outdoor murals in Phuket....
This is pretty hi end stuff and for sure the artist was hired specifically for this piece and no doubt quite well paid. But if you know where to look there is also plenty of wall art on abandoned buildings all over the less touristed areas. Like these two awesome artworks on some rotting buildings in Bang Tao Beach....
There is a fantastic artist that has a very cool gallery in the heart of the old town and his work is often seen in exhibitions around the island and often I come across his work in peoples homes....
Street food in Phuket and for that matter all of Thailand is crazy good. Some places you have to queue to eat there, and because of that I have never tried it - call me a cynic but no street food is worth queuing for haha. What makes it even better is the price - you will be hard pressed to spend more than 4$ on any meal on the street in Phuket.
How about this spicy fish curry with a bowl of soup and a fried egg? 2$
The hands down favourite of every tourist and arguably the dish that put Thai food firmly on the world map in the 1990s. A green curry. 2.50$
Papaya salad and BBQ'd fish - 4$
Living in Phuket is just great. And at the end of the day there is always a white sandy beach with an ice cold beer for sale in any direction. It is for me simply the best place in Asia to be based. And if ever this Covid bullshit stops I will once again try to find other places equally worth visiting but I'm pretty sure my heart will always be here.
