PHUKET: We could have been the first to cross the fine new bridge linking Phuket and Phang Nga, but it was plain that a steady stream of locals on motorcycles had already beaten us to it.
Reports elsewhere that the bridge leading off Phuket will open this week do, however, seem a bit premature. Anyone who tries it will have to burst through a crash barrier the way stuntmen do in the movies, then find the final road surface has yet to be sprayed and laid.
From the new Phuket bridge, though, it's possible to look down on the old bridge . . . and it really does look good. The middle section is being elevated and the whole structure is being converted into a walking bridge, which will be great for viewing sunsets and fishing.
Workers are clambering about with their usual remarkable agility, and paving stones are being put in place around a couple of handsome stairways and some fancy ballustrades.
We reckon that once the bridges are both complete, there will be a surge in people stopping off to take in the sunsets and enjoy the views out to the Andaman.
There are thriving local communities on both sides of the bridges. The first Phuket-Phang Nga fair, held this year, is likely to grow into an annual event that attracts tourists and builds on Phuket's reputation for local festivities all year long.
''Greater Phuket'' trips off the tongue more naturally when the future of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi as a single strategic group is taken into account.
If you seriously wish to be among the first to cross the new bridge, July 20 seems a reasonable bet . . . provided there's not too much rain in the meantime.
Reports elsewhere that the bridge leading off Phuket will open this week do, however, seem a bit premature. Anyone who tries it will have to burst through a crash barrier the way stuntmen do in the movies, then find the final road surface has yet to be sprayed and laid.
From the new Phuket bridge, though, it's possible to look down on the old bridge . . . and it really does look good. The middle section is being elevated and the whole structure is being converted into a walking bridge, which will be great for viewing sunsets and fishing.
Workers are clambering about with their usual remarkable agility, and paving stones are being put in place around a couple of handsome stairways and some fancy ballustrades.
We reckon that once the bridges are both complete, there will be a surge in people stopping off to take in the sunsets and enjoy the views out to the Andaman.
There are thriving local communities on both sides of the bridges. The first Phuket-Phang Nga fair, held this year, is likely to grow into an annual event that attracts tourists and builds on Phuket's reputation for local festivities all year long.
''Greater Phuket'' trips off the tongue more naturally when the future of Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi as a single strategic group is taken into account.
If you seriously wish to be among the first to cross the new bridge, July 20 seems a reasonable bet . . . provided there's not too much rain in the meantime.
