BALI vs PHUKET

張貼日期：Jun 16, 2017 2:39:51 PM

BALI vs PHUKET

Sum Tsen

    Like many travelers hungry for an affordable beach break, you might be tossing up between a trip to Bali and a trip to Phuket. Flights cost the same from Malaysia and many cities across Southeast Asia to Bali and Phuket. So what sets these two places apart?

       In terms of weather, Thailand’s monsoon storms last for days, and at times, weeks. The heavy tropical showers are unforgiving and last all day and all night. Bali, in comparison, has a rainy season between November and April, but there are more days of sunshine than rain.

   The hard truth of the matter is that Phuket’s beaches suffer from rife plastic pollution. When it comes to which place has the best beaches, provided you’re not a surfer, Bali wins every time.

    In terms of food, Thai cuisine is an international export. But Thai food in Phuket is on another planet of amazing. Whole trips could be dedicated to exploring the flavors of varying regions throughout Thailand. As for Bali, beyond the fantastic babi guling (slowly roasted piglet, cooked for hours over charcoal and glazed with sugar water. The crackling is out of this world), local dishes are often fresh and pack a punch of the flavor front, bursting with ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and lime. That’s if you can resist a heaped serve of authentic Indonesian cuisine favorites like fried rice or fried noodles.

   In terms of culture and spirituality, Phuket’s been a tourist haunt for much longer than Bali. At every turn, it’s evident that its cultural heritage has been repackaged for the benefit of the deep pocketed tourists. The Balinese, on the other hand, are much more cautious about preserving the purity of the culture and customs that make them unique.

   In terms of fashion and shopping, when it comes to shopping in Phuket, it’s really good for two things: fake designer bags and men’s tailoring. They do a great job of copying designer suits and they have a great range of fabrics to choose from. What’s on offer in the fashion department in Bali, is world class couture. You’ll find exquisite dresses and fresh off the runway looks from Paris and New York, crafted in top quality fabrics and created to style the international jet setting crowd. All for less than the cost of a premium label dress at Zara.

   For those who love fine dining restaurants, when it comes to the dining scene, the dining scene in Phuket pales compared to those in Bali. The choice, variety and freshness of Phuket’s dining scene has struggled to move beyond club sandwiches and Pad Thai. Undoubtedly, you will be deliciously spoilt for choice in Bali across a range of cuisines and budgets. In Bali, you’ll find a huge selection of international cafes, affordable fine dining restaurants and organic juice and salad bars. I can only speculate that the younger and more entrepreneurial wave of Bali expats, compared to Phuket retirees, is the reason for better eating.

  As a conclusion, I will definitely visit Bali during this summer break in July. There’s a reason I decided to regard Bali as my second home and it’s everything I have mentioned plus so much more. I guarantee you that you will never regret visiting Bali are you’ll keep coming back to the island of the Gods.