Sainamyen Road - Patong, Phuket, Thailand

Red songthaew buses, scooters and people on foot pass the shops and food stalls lining Sainamyen Road (ถนนสายน้ำเย็น) in Patong, the busiest beach town on the Thai island of Phuket, a few streets back from the sea.

Patong was a quiet stretch of coast until Western travelers, especially Europeans, discovered its 1.8-mile (2.85 km) beach in the late 1980s. Today it's Phuket's main resort town, and its nightlife centers on nearby Bangla Road.

On December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami badly damaged Patong's waterfront, making it one of the worst-hit parts of Phuket. The town has since largely recovered, and around 19,000 people are registered as living here.

Did You Know? Phuket is Thailand's largest island, and Patong sits on its west coast, facing the Andaman Sea across a wide, sandy bay.

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