THE bridge which links Thailand's largest Island, Phuket, with the mainland also very effectively cuts off the spectacular Pang Ngha bay from boat traffic wishing to access it from the Andaman Sea.

It also means that traffic approaching Thailand from the Indian Ocean and wanting to use the Phuket Yacht Haven, one of only two marinas in the area, will have to spend an extra two days circumnavigating Phuket

The frustration is that it does not have to be this way. The opening of the new two-lane Thao Thepkrasattri-Thao Srisoonthorn Bridge, which runs alongside the old Sarasin Bridge and gives over 15m of headroom, is proof or that. The proposal for a replacement for Sarasin has been approved since December 2005, and budgeted for in January 2006, yet remains no more than that, a proposal.

The Yacht Haven operators, much to their credit, have carried on regardless. Despite the prevarication over the new bridge they have worked hard on their facilities since the tsunami wreaked it's havoc in 2004.

Open since 1997, and already having the capacity to handle 150 boats, late 2006 will see them add a further 12 x 12m finger berths, plus 650m of alongside dockage, to their already impressive facilities. They are the only marina in the area capable of handling the larger, up to 80m LOA, mega yachts.

The bridges themselves, whilst providing a degree of inconvenience to visiting yachts, are both interesting.

Sarasin is something of a suicide hotspot and has become a macabre tourist attraction. Some 50 years ago a young courting couple bound their hands together and leapt to their deaths after their families forbade them to see each other.

The incident later became the basis for a movie and a popular song. Many superstitious Thais now hold their breath and make a wish when crossing the old Sarasin Bridge.

The new bridge, Thao Thepkrasattri-Thao Srisoonthorn, is named for two sisters who were instrumental in defeating the invading Burmese in 1785. Legend has it that the sisters dressed up all the local women as soldiers, fooling the Burmese into believing that reinforcements had arrived from Bangkok; and into a tactical withdrawal.

The City raised a statue to the pair in 1967 and it stands today on a traffic island in Phuket city, almost all visitors to the area will see them.

It might be that, with the budget in place, the project will be getting underway some time soon. Given the current political situation in Thailand though, don't hold your breath. That said, maybe the Thais have it right and holding your breath whilst making a wish is the way forward just now?

Those heading for Thailand may be concerned at that political situation, but the reality is that anybody arriving in the country unaware of recent events would find nothing had changed on the ground.

In September 2006 the then Thai government of Thaksin Shinawatra was replaced by a military administration in a bloodless coup. Whilst this seems alarming, it is the 18th such event since 1932 and is viewed in Thailand as part of the fabric of politics in the country. Thailand remains a perfectly safe, welcoming, destination for foreign visitors.

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