However, in Phuket, where we spent most of our time, rubber is the main crop. Yes,
literally, a ‘crop’. I had never thought of rubber (or latex) as being a natural crop, but
after traveling through Phuket, the main plant you see on the side of the road and in the
fields, is the rubber tree. It is so cool – rows and rows of thousands of rubber trees. Our
knowledgeable guide explained that a hundred years ago, Malaysia was the main supplier
of rubber, but a Thai person secretly smuggled some rubber tree seeds out of the country
and brought it to Thailand. Ever since Thailand has been the world’s main exporter of
rubber.