Most sightseeing activities in Phuket revolve around the ocean in one way or another, including snorkeling, scuba diving, speed boating and visiting various islands all of which are out of the question for me.

The Phuket Sea Shell Museum is easy to spot from the highway.

Getting on and off boats and bouncing in rough waters is definitely not logical at this point as I continue to heal from the spinal injury of June 1 in Bali. Even the slightest movements can send me into a tailspin as I diligently avoid bending at the waist.

The entrance to the museum.

Yesterday, when I was feeling considerably better in the morning, I  mindlessly did a little more around the house only to find myself struggling from 4 pm well into the night. Today, I’ll proceed with more caution.

Based on what I’ve described, our readers can easily see how sightseeing has not been foremost in our minds with most of it requiring activities I don’t dare undertake at this time. 

How I ever got through the river cruise tours baffles me. I guess it was the case where many of us just “bite the bullet” and carry on when we have chronic pain or conditions. I have no doubt many of you have done the same on many occasions.

When I think back to the cruise, I realize some of what we may have done further exacerbated my condition extending the recovery time which I’m paying for now. In any case, this is the way it is for now.

When we were running low on photos of Phuket to post each day, we decided to embark on the easiest possible outing, a trip to the Phuket Sea Shell Museum as described here at this site:

“The Sea Shell Museum near Evason Resort in Rawai contains and displays valuable seashells from all over the world. Many are among the most sought-after by collectors and are from Phuket and Thai waters. It’s a perfect attraction to keep kids and adults entertained on a rainy day. 

The museum is very well put together and is located in the basement of the large building. It has four main exhibitions, all information in both English and Thai. The entry fee is reasonable.”

The entrance fee for both of us was US $11.50, THB 400. It certainly was worth this reasonable cost when we easily spent a few hours perusing the enormous displays, reputed to be one of the largest and most comprehensive seashell displays in the world. 

With rave reviews at TripAdvisor we knew we were in for a treat finding the collective opinions of many tourists generally as “spot on.” The only challenging aspect to the venue was walking down a few flights of stairs and standing on my feet for so long. 

We were the only tourists on site during the entire period we spent in the air conditioned facility. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with one another as we perused the breathtaking displays as we shot many photos. Tom, with his good eye, often spotted photo ops I may have missed making the experience all the more meaningful.

I apologize for not explaining the source and technical descriptions of each type of the shells of the photos we’d taken.  Although there were detailed descriptions on signs near most of the shells, the time it would have taken to take double the photos would have been difficult when I knew I could only stand for so long. As a result, we haven’t included captions on the photos.

All of the displays were encased in clear glass making photo taking challenging when reflecting light made it nearly impossible for a good shot. None the less, we took over 100 photos saving the best to share here over the next few days.

Little did we know, as we wandered about the facility that only hours earlier 11 bombings had occurred in Thailand, two of which were nearby, especially when after the museum we headed to the Makro superstore to shop for the upcoming week. 

It was only after we’d returned home, put everything away and sat down to relax and read news on our laptops, did we see what had tragically transpired here in Thailand in the prior 24 hours. 

So far today, thank goodness, everything is quiet. Yesterday, (Sunday) three un-exploded bombs were found in shopping areas in Phuket. See the news story here.

We remain cautious in everything we do and everywhere we go during our remaining 18 days in Phuket never foolishly putting ourselves in public arenas that may be targeted.

You stay safe as well.

Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2015:

There were several bodies of water along the edges of the rain forest we visited in Queensland, Australia. For more photos, please click here.