| Only 17 kms south
of Phuket Town along Highway number 4024, Rawai was
one of the first beaches on Phuket to attract
tourists.
Songthaew service to the beach from Tha
Krung Thep circle is offered at a reasonable fare, or
you can take a tuk-tuk but will pay somewhat more.
 Rawai
beach is somewhat rocky, and generally inferior to the
cleaner beaches at Karon, Kata or Patong, but unlike
those west coast beaches, it is safe to swim there
year round as it is not subject to riptides and
undertows during the monsoon season. Still popular
with Thai families, it is also frequented by foreign
scuba enthusiasts because it is convenient to the
piers where scuba trips to nearby islands can be
arranged.
Close to Rawai Beach is the 'Chao Leh' or Sea
Gypsies village. A community of formerly nomadic
fishing folk with their own indigenous language, many
young sea gypsy men have tended to switch to
land-based employment. Many kinds of handicrafts such
as t-shirt batik painting and souvenir stalls can be
found at the village.
Tasty seafood can be enjoyed at any of the
pleasantly breezy shacks further south along the coast
road at Rawai. You can get seafood grilled, fried,
saut?ed, baked, roasted or steamed from the 'street
food' vendors near the beach. Local foods such as 'mi
hokkian' and 'mi sapam,' local unique noodles, are
also worth a try. |
