Probably the two topics that I am asked to write about the most are bars and restaurants in Phuket. I’m not too much into home cooking so I eat out in Phuket every day. The food scene in Phuket is pretty diverse, but on the whole, it lacks the real edge that you can find in Bangkok. That being said, there is still a decent range of places to eat in Phuket.

One thing you’ll notice about restaurants in Phuket is that the whole street-food scene isn’t as prominent as in Bangkok. There are vendors, but they aren’t quite as visible as in the capital. Furthermore, it isn’t as easy to grab something to eat at 3 am. It can be done, but it’s just a case of looking in the right places. The area around Robinson in Phuket Town is particularly good for grabbing late-night Thai food.

Being an island, there are countless seafood restaurants in Phuket. The quality varies, but if you’re into seafood, you’ll likely find enough places to keep you occupied. One of the most popular seafood restaurants is Laem Hin Seafood, off Laem Him Pier. I, personally, prefer Kan Eang @ Pier, which is located at Chalong Pier. The best oysters in Phuket can be found at Natural Restaurant in Phuket Town.

Then there is the usual collection of Italian restaurants in Phuket, most of which are decidedly average. I don’t really rate most of the Italian places, except for La Gaetana in Phuket Town.

Indian restaurants in Phuket are another popular choice. Kanasutra in Phuket Town is a favorite with expats and tourists alike. The place is a bit gloomy, but for the most part, the portions are generous and the food is of a high standard. The owner is a guy named Billy, who is a friendly kind of dude who knows the island well. I’d avoid most Indian restaurants in Patong because they’re usually overpriced and the food is of a low standard.

This seems to be a common theme in Patong, where everything is catered towards tourists. I get bad vibes about eating anywhere in Patong, unless it’s Thai street food. Most of the larger restaurants aren’t worth the bother.

If you’ve been to Phuket, feel free to share your favorite place to eat.

I will be away from all things Internet related for the next few days as I am taking a much-needed (short) vacation from work and this blog. I will be doing the same next weekend, so don’t expect many posts ni between. I’ve been working quite a lot recently and sleeping at the most bizarre times, so this break is really essential for my own sanity. When I return, I will need to reevaluate my sleep patterns, as I’ve started noticing that I’m perhaps doing too much to be effectively productive both in the office and out.

So, I’ll see you on the other side, at which time I should be back on the ball and feeling refreshed.

Did anyone else in Thailand see this curious spectacle last Friday? I’m unsure if it was limited to Phuket, but sure enough, there was a rainbow around the sun. I tried in vain to catch a glimpse of the rainbow with my naked eyes and subsequently spent the proceeding 30 minutes completely blind.

It was only when I was in a car that I was able to to look at the sun without blinding myself. Apparently, the rainbow was caused by ice crystals refracting light from the sun.

I was told that this sort of rainbow only occurs every 100 years or so, but I have my doubts about this claim.

Your parties to raise money for the people affected by Cyclone Nagris were a tremendous success.

When are your parties for the Chinese affected by the recent earthquake?

I’ve been keeping tabs on a certain area of the Internet recently. In this particular area, a prolific Thailand blogger is currently being sued by one, possibly two, real estate agents for defamation. This, the latest turn in a bizarre string of events, poses interesting implications for bloggers in Thailand and around the world.

While most bloggers think that they can write whatever they like without any repercussions, there are times when blogging can bite back. It is easy for bloggers to sound off about what they’re unhappy with or what annoys them, but perhaps this underlines that there are some thoughts that should be kept off the Internet.

While most bloggers wouldn’t dream of going to the lengths that this particular blogger went to, the fact that bloggers aren’t subject to the same editorial standards as magazines or newspapers means that there is still a large divide between journalists and bloggers.

However, there have been countless cases of journalists and newspapers being sued for defamation.

The latest from the main case filed against the blogger in question is that the whole thing is still in the preliminary stages. We live in Thailand, so the worst possible outcome for this blogger is a hefty fine, but there is also the possibility of deportation.

To my knowledge, this is the first case I have seen of a blogger anywhere in the world being sued for defamation.

It all seems like a bit of an expat soap opera, but there’s no doubt that there is a lot of foreign interest in this case. Anyone who publishes work, be it on the Internet or in a newspaper, can be held accountable for what they write.

The case of Kamol Kamoltrakul, being sued by Tesco for 100 million baht, has been plastered all over the media in the UK.

Kamol Kamoltrakul wrote about Tesco’s invasion of Thailand, which has been a major point of concern for locals in Phuket. Kamol mistakenly claimed that “Tesco’s Thailand operation provided the company with 37% of its global income”, when the real figure is 3.7%.

Anyone have any thoughts on any of these cases?