It’s understandable that you just can’t get enough of Phuket’s great adventures that you have to be out day and night. But sometimes, you needed to give your body a time off. And, taking time off could mean a lot of things, sun bathing, sleeping or a lazy get-together. But if you needed perking up because you are raring for more excitement, you’d better have to go to get Thai massage.

There are many Thai massages, located in the cities around the island. They are offer you a clean room with air-conditioner by experienced masseurs. Meanwhile, if you are just too tied to go out of your place, they can also come and visit you. Let’s go to relaxing. Thai massage could really help you a lot.

About traditional Thai massage

Massage has a long history of therapeutic healing in Thailand. It has been practiced for centuries as it sill is to day. The roots of Thai Massage are traced back to India. The fonder of the practice was Jivaka Komarabhacca, a doctor friend, and contemporary of Buddha, some time about 2,500 years ago. Much of what is know in Thailand about massage and traditional Massage and Traditional Massage was handed down orally and thought from one generation to the next, and teacher to student and often, parent to child. Most of the ancient medical texts were destroyed in 1776, with the destruction of Ayutthaya by the Burmese. What was left was literally carved in stone in 1832, when king Rama 3, in hopes of preserving the tradition of massage, had stone inscription set into the walls at the temple in Bangkok, called Wat Poh.

Therapeutic massage for treatment of specific conditions and diseases is also practiced , by only a small number of very skilled people. It takes several years of study and a good working knowledge of the language. The Chinese and Indians are thought to have had an influence in the therapies and treatments developed in Thailand.

The theoretical basis of Thai Massage lies in the theory of energy lines running through the body. Out of the 72,000 energy lines said to be in existence, the focus is on the 10 major lines, called “Sen” Important acupressure points are found on these lines. Treatments for the whole body, different organs and diseases are often done using the System of the Ten Sen. Working on these energy lines will help to remove any blockages and allow free flow of energy through the body.

The Phuket Bungy Jump is just one of many attractions in Phuket and gives you the chance to bungy jump from a height of 50 metres (165 feet) with some spectacular views across the green jungle of Phuket Island. The jump takes place over a lake, so you have the choice to touch the water or not. If you have a day off from diving why not take a bungy jump into the jungle!

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Pearls are a treasure of the Orient and around Phuket, the visitor often sees a hotel, a business or a tour company with the word, Pearl, in its name. But it wasn’t until 1964 when the Hiranprueck family started developing a pearl farm, that these beautiful and valuable little gems were produced locally.

“My father started this business around 35 years ago and today we have 80 to 100,000 oysters at our pearl farm on Naga Island,” explains Suchart Hiranprueck, currently the Director of Naga Pearl. “There is a lot to learn about producing a high quality of pearl so we have brought technicians from Japan to teach us how to develop a local pearl that will compete on the international market.”

Visitors to Phuket are welcome to book a tour to their pearl farm on Naga Island. It’s a great way to spend the day. First, there’s the pick up at the hotel and a twenty minute boat ride to the island. Guests are shown the pearl farm and introduced to the studio where the pearls are developed and displayed. Then lunch is served and the afternoon is spent relaxing and swimming on Naga Island’s beautiful beach.

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After having had a fascinating dive in the Andaman Sea or after a night dancing in one of Patong’s discos, a relaxing massage done by the soft hands of Thai girls will help to refresh and revive you. Thai traditional massage is one of the most famous recreational activities in Thailand (this should not be confused with Full Body Massage, offered in specialized massage parlors like Christins in Patong Beach).

Practiced for centuries and passed down verbally from one generation to the next, from teacher to student or from parent to child, traditional Thai massage has a long history.

The roots of this way of therapeutically healing and recreation go back to India. Jivaka Komabhacca, a doctor friend and contemporary of Buddha, is believed to be the founder of this practice over 2.500 years ago. The heavy Indian influence on the southeast Asian cultures including Thailand and the Malay peninsula, helped spread the knowledge about massage rapidly throughout the region. Ancient Chinese medical techniques, brought in by a large number of immigrants, had further influence on Thai massage.

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While we mainly aim this article at visitors to our part of the world in Phuket, Thailand, you can apply a lot of the advice to holidays anywhere in the world.

One of the great attractions of Thailand is that it is cheap. The Tourism Authority of Thailand can carry on pushing their vision of Thailand as a millionaire’s playground for as long as they want but still the majority of visitors will be people who have a limited budget.

In this article, we will give a few simple tips to help you make your money go further. We are not talking about the sort of penny-pinching measures that backpackers use to make their tiny budget stretch a year. We are not going to suggest you eat noodles every day. After all, you are on holiday and holidays are meant to be enjoyed. However, most people have worked hard for their two-week holiday in the land of smiles and there is no reason why they should not get the best from their money. Here are a few simple tips to make the money go a bit further.

Accommodation

If you want budget accommodation then usually you can find good deals just by walking in off the street. Walk around the side streets of any of Phuket’s beach resorts and you will find guesthouses. During peak high-season (Xmas & January) it is better to book in advance as there may not be any rooms available. Whatever you do, do not ask a tuk-tuk driver for a recommendation. They will just take you somewhere that pays them commission.

If you want mid to high range accommodation then you should book in advance. If you walk in off the street, you will pay more for your room. It may seem strange but it is cheaper to book in advance through a travel agent or internet-booking site. The internet booking sites have the best rates. An excellent tool for finding the best rates is Hotels Combined. This Australian based website does a price comparison across 30 internet-booking sites and finds the cheapest available rates.

If you are on a longer-term holiday of a month or more then it may be worth looking for an apartment. If you go further back from the beach (e.g. Nanai Road in Patong), you can find nice one bedroom apartments from 12,000 baht a month.

Flights

Finding cheap airfares is a little more complicated.

There is a lot to be said for buying a package holiday from a travel agent. They will use their buying power to ensure you get good rates for your hotels and flights. However, many people enjoy the flexibility and independence of booking their own flights.

We would like to give a link to a single site that provides cheap international flights across the globe. Unfortunately, it does not work like that.

The airlines do not give their cheapest tickets to the major international travel sites. They know that companies such as Travelocity & Priceline have the marketing power to sell tickets that are more expensive. Therefore, while these companies sell in more countries and cover more destinations, they do not have cheap airline tickets.

The airlines give their cheapest tickets to small independent travel agents. These smaller agents usually only sell flights that depart from their local country. So for example, if you are in the UK you could check cheapflights.co.uk and they will check for the cheapest flights from a range of small agents. You will probably find return flights to Phuket from ?500 or less. If you try the major international travel agents then return flights start from $2,000. Therefore, whatever country you are in, check the internet or classifieds for your local travel agents and look around.

The best international internet-booking site is ebookers.com. This site covers most major destinations and sells tickets in most countries. While their prices are not the absolute cheapest, they are very competitive.

Travel Insurance

Many visitors seem willing to travel to Thailand without travel insurance. The low medical costs in Thailand mean this is not such a big gamble as at a destination such as the United States where high medical fees and a litigious society make travel insurance an essential.

However, we really would recommend that new visitors to Thailand get some form of travel insurance. Things can and do go wrong and it is best to be protected.

Do not get travel insurance from your travel agent. They may offer good deals on package holidays but they try to make the money back on the extras and their insurance rates are overpriced.

Get your insurance from a local and reputable insurance broker. There are no international insurance brokers providing competitive travel insurance to all nationalities. Instead, you need to go to an insurance broker in your home country.

Price comparison sites are the quickest way to find a good a good deal. You need to find a site that covers your own country. So for example you could try here if you are a US Citizen or try here if you are a UK Citizen.

Rather than just getting an insurance package for your two-week holiday, it may be a good idea to consider an annual multi-trip insurance package. If you have more than one holiday a year or even a few weekends away then these can be very good deals.

Money Exchange

Do not change money in your home country before coming to Thailand. You will get a much better rate of exchange in Thailand. Bring an ATM card or travelers cheques. In fact, it is nice to have two sources of money in case of problems so why not bring both.

Do not exchange your money at hotels. They give bad rates. Exchange booths at airports also give poor rates. The best way to get money when you first arrive is to use an ATM at the airport.

Tours

The tour prices in Phuket are generally very competitive. These organised tours are a convenient and reasonably priced way to see Phuket’s tourist attractions. There are many tour shops and lots of tours so the competition keeps the prices down. Just go to any tour shop and you are likely to find some good deals.

The only problem with booking tours is you do not know the quality of the tour service. The price may be competitive but if the experience is poor then you will still be disappointed. Most of the tour organisers provide a good service but there are also a few stinkers.

If you do not want to take a shot on an unknown tour company, you could book your tours in advance with Viators. Their prices are only a little above what you will find at the local tour shops and you have the benefit of knowing you are dealing with reputable tour operators.

Tipping

Tipping was never really a part of Thai culture. It is a custom that we visiting westerners have introduced and which Thai customers have now taken up. Most western visitors over-tip.

The normal tip in Thailand at restaurants or bars is 20 baht. That may seem like a derisory sum to leave by western standards but in Thailand they do not expect any more. You are not being tightfisted by leaving so little. In fact, some claim that westerners who come here and tip big are actually causing problems for everybody else. They are creating an expectancy of big tips from westerners that never used to exist.

Getting Around
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