Today we spent the afternoon at Karon Beach. From the southern end of Kata Beach it took us about half an hour walking north to reach Karon Beach. Half of the walk was along Kata Beach and half was through town, where the heat is much harder to tolerate. Once we reached Karon we walked the whole length of the beach, which took 45 minutes-it’s a long beach! It was much less crowded than Kata, mostly because it is so long that people can spread out. There are a couple crowded areas at either end of the beach, but for the most part it seems pretty deserted. It was nice weather, bright and sunny, with a little breeze to cool you off. My main complaint with Karon was that there were so many jellyfish! There seemed to be a dead one along the beach every 100 feet. On our walk back we took a few dips in the water, but we had to keep an eye out for jellies. We couldn’t tell if the ones in the water were alive or dead, but there were a bunch of them … hundreds! Question … can a dead jellyfish sting you? Sure seems that way since everyone is very careful not to touch them with any parts of their body. The answer is Yes! So be careful around them!
Next question, what do you do if stung by a jellyfish?
- Pour vinegar on the wound
- Pour lime juice or other acidic substance
- Pee on it
- All of the above
I would never believe number 3, but locals around here say its true! So the answer is 4, all of the above 🙂 To remove the tentacles from your body DO NOT use your hands unless you are wearing gloves. Instead find an object to brush them off!
The unique thing about Karon beach is that the sand there squeaks! The first time we walked on Karon we tried to place what the sound was like and came up with it sounding similar to walking in the snow in both feel and sound, but the sound is much more pronounced. One plus side to Karon is that there aren’t any restaurants or hotels built right on the beach. There’s a green belt along the beach and all the establishments are across the street. There are, however, still motor boats and wave runners.
Here are some photos:
The jellyfish are not only on Karon Beach, but also on Kata and Nai Tarn Beaches. Apparently this type of jellyfish does not sting, and it is very rare for them to be found on Phuket.