Day 5-The Giant Buddha

On our last day, our plane did not leave until 7:35 pm, so we decided to make it a day of more sightseeing and shopping.  We hired a driver to take us to see the Buddha and some temples.  You can see the Buddha on top of a high hill overlooking Karon Beach to the west and Chalong Bay to the east.  He stands 42 metres high and can be seen from many miles away as a beautiful white statue sitting astride the green ridge that forms a backbone to Phuket.  It is made of 50,000 pieces of Jade as well as marble and is still not fully completed.  It was a great clear blue day and the view from the base was truely stunning.  The structure is being built in honor of the three jewels:  Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha as well as in honor of His Majesty King Adulyadej.