About Promthep Cape (Laem Promthep)
At the far southern tip of Phuket, Promthep Cape draws a crowd every late afternoon, everyone facing west, waiting for the sun to drop into the sea. The name combines laem (cape), Prom, from Brahma, and thep (god), roughly the cape of the god. At the top stands the Kanchanaphisek Lighthouse, from 1996, whose light flashes every nine seconds, about 95 meters above the water; inside there is a small free museum.
Alongside it, under the trees, a shrine gathers hundreds of elephant statues around a golden image of Phra Phrom, the four-faced Brahma. People whose wish has come true often return bringing one more elephant. During the day, the place is much calmer.
