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Did
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That: Southern
Thailand has been inhabited since the early days of mankind by ancient tribes
who settled and or adapted their lifestyles to the local environment. Who
arrived first and who pushed out or assimilated who has kept archaeologists
occupied for a long time, and promises to keep them working for a good while
to come.
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Travelers Guide to Phuket
Phuket
Town
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Introduction
Founded
a little over a century ago by Chinese and Malaysian merchants to
service the nearby tin mines, and the harbor near Phuket was
better suited to handle larger ships than the traditional capital
city of Thalang. It spite of growing pains that come with being a
boom town and a major fire that destroyed much of the city Phuket
town grew and prospered to become the commercial, social, and
political center of the island.
The beginning of the 20th century
was a period of positive growth for Phuket. Tin mining boomed, and
the very capable and benevolent governor Rasada Korsimbi helped
diversify the islands economy and the capital city of Phuket
began its modern expansion. The town of Phuket grew rapidly, its
streets lined with handsome buildings, and ships from all over the
world called at its bustling port.
Today
the main attractions in Phuket Town are the old Sino-Portuguese
buildings, the elaborate Chinese and Thai temples, and the public
markets. Most of the buildings in Phukets city center were
constructed nearly a hundred years ago, during the period of the
first great tin boom. These building show mixed Chinese and
western influences in their architecture called Sino-Portuguese.
It is a style common to all coastal tin-mining settlements on the
Malay Peninsula. The buildings are characteristically much longer
than they are wide, and the entry ways have fancy latticework.
Many lovely examples can be found on Dibuk Road, if you take the
town walk-a-about you will pass many of the more important of
these buildings. Phukets Town Hall, Provincial Court, and
Nakorn Luang Bank are also good examples of this style of
architecture. Phukets Towns oldest public structure,
Government House, is a wonderful example of architecture from
earlier this century. Moviegoers may recognize it as the
American Embassy in Phnom Phen in The Killing Fields.
The last few years Phuket has
experienced a significant growth but has managed to retain a lot
of its original flavor derived from its multicultural roots. The
best way to appreciate the full layout of Phuket is to hike up
Rang Hill, just to the towns north.
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A
Temple Tour and Town Walk-about
Take a walk through Phukets
colorful streets. You will visit Chinese and Thai temples, and
walk past the old colonial mansions. You will stroll through the
Chinese quarter, stop to browse for unusual gifts in some truly
unique shops, or eat at any one or more of the dozens of places
that you will encounter on this walk. Remember, many of the places
along this tour are not routine tourist destinations. Many of the
people, particularly in the small food and fruit stalls, will only
understand you if you speak Thai, so just smile a lot.
If you wish to purchase something, politely point to it and they
will show you three fingers for 30 baht, or five fingers for 50
baht, etc.
From the Songthaew (Bus) stop on
Ranong Road. Begin the tour by taking a minute or so to watch the
hustle and bustle as the Thais shop, bargain, exchange gossip, and
cajole the merchants. You will be assaulted by the sights and the
pungent smells of a traditional Asian fruit market. You might want
to spend a few minutes wandering through the maze of small stalls
selling all manner of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, spices,
household goods and clothes. You will no doubt see many strange
and exotic items for sale -- piles of colorful of chilies, maroon
mounds of kapi (pounded shrimp paste), betal nuts, pickled garlic,
and tamarind -- to name just a few. Many of the street stalls
offer the traditional Phuket breakfast of Khanom chin -- rice
noodles buried under a spicy minced fish curry served with fresh
vegetables.
When you have had enough, cross
Ranong Road and walk to the left past the Thai Airways Office.
Peek at the beautiful old colonial mansion at the rear of the
compound. Continue on Ranong Rd to Wat Nua, a Thai temple.
There is an interesting bot behind the main wat , as
you leave the temple and walk along the street you will see
several examples of traditional (in this case very old) wooden
dormitories for monks.
At the next corner, cross to Put
Jaw Temple. This Chinese Taoist temple is the oldest in Phuket
and is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. Built over 200
years ago, it was severely damaged in a fire and renovated about
100 years ago. The main hall holds statues of the goddess and her
attendants
Through the compound wall to the
left is a more ornate and more recent Taoist temple, the Jui
Tui Temple. It is dedicated to Kiu Wong In, a
vegetarian god. Before the altar are cakes, oranges, pineapples
and other offerings from devotees. Also on the altar are a pair of
red wooden blocks made from bamboo roots and shaped like twin
halves of a mango. These help you make decisions. Pose a question
that requires a yes or no answer. Toss the blocks in
the air and watch how they land on the floor. If both land with
the same side up the answer is no; if they land, one up and
one down, the answer is yes. Be sure to leave a donation at
the alter. It will go towards the upkeep of the shrine. Of
particular interest at this temple are the fine carvings of
guardians on the huge teak doors. Look also at the photos high on
the left hand wall which shows the temple in its various
incarnations. This is the temple where many Vegetarian Festival
activities take place in the fall. In one of the small service
buildings on the left is parked an ornate sedan chair and a
chariot on which the image of the deity is placed before it is
pulled through the streets of Phuket during the Vegetarian
Festival.
Exit Put Jaw, turn left and
return to Ranong Road. Turn left go to the corner with the
stoplight and turn right on to Patiphat Road go one block to Krabi
Road. Turn right cross the street and walk 50 meters on the left
to the Chinese temple Sanjao Sam San which is set well back
from the road. Built in 1853, this shrine is dedicated to the
Goddess of the Sea who serves as the patron saint of
sailors. When a new boat is launched, a ceremony is held here to
bless it. It contains some intricate carvings and has a more
refined atmosphere than Put Jaw.
Continue down Krabi Road. On the
left are huge yards with beautiful old colonial style houses built
by late 19th century rubber and tin barons. At the next
corner turn left onto Stool Road. Just before the next
intersection (Dibuk Road) you will find the Phuket Sea Group
where they sell several hundred varieties of tropical fish. Across
the street is the Silk Master this large emporium sells
silk products from all over Thailand and is a common stop for tour
buses.
At the corner, turn right onto
Dibuk Road. Walk down Dibuk Road. The houses on the right are in
the style called Sino-Portuguese, characterized by its tiled-roofs
and the thick ribbings across the peak and down the roof edges.
These were built by and are lived in by old Chinese families. Look
closely at the beautiful treatment of the entrances. At the next
corner are two more excellent examples of the colonial style
commercial buildings. At this corner you have a choice , if you
wish to see several more examples of the old colonial buildings
follow the directions for the ten minute walk up and back on
Yaowarat Road, or simply continue straight on Dibuk Road and pick
up the tour at the temple on your left just past the gasoline
station. Turn left on to Yaowarat Road. A short way up on the
right in a very cramped yard is perhaps the most beautiful of the
colonial houses, a stately two story residence. Just beyond on the
right are more Chinese style shophouses and at the next traffic
light is a colonial home in a pretty yard. A even prettier one is
on the left-hand side of the street. Back track down Yaowarat and
turn left onto Dibuk Road. Halfway down on the left is Wat
Mongkol Nimit, a Thai Buddhist temple that offers a clear
contrast in style with the Chinese Taoist temples seen earlier in
the tour.
Cross the street to Soi Rammani,
this small soi is the heart of the old Chinese quarter, complete
with a traditional Chinese noodle shop halfway down on the left.
Soi Rammani exits onto Thalang Road which has a concentration of
Sino-Portuguese shophouses that are being restored as and has been
designated by the government as the "Road of Culture". The
Loft, located at 36 Thalang Road is the newest addition to a
growing number of galleries in this up and coming neighborhood.
The Loft is mainly a home decoration boutique, but it is also an
art gallery and a restaurant with excellent Italian food. It is a
charming little place to have lunch or dinner and affords a
pleasant break for the weary tourist. It has a tasteful selection
of artwork from Vietnam, Burma and Thai celadons, and Chinese
porcelains.
Continue down Thalang Road and
turn left on Yaowarat Road where a few feet down on the left you
will find the 88 Ancient Art gallery, which displays a
variety of ceramics, including Vietnamese celadon, Chinese Ming
vases and Cambodian Buddha images from the Bayon period. Finding
interesting and exotic artwork is the specialty of the this
gallery. Across the street at 51 Yaowarat is Ban Boran Textiles
which features fabrics from six countries in the region. While
most of the textiles are in long pieces, some have been made into
stylish shirts, trousers and scarves. Many of the fabrics
displayed here can only be found in the remote villages where they
are produced. At 39 Yaowarat Road you will find a very interesting
selection of art objects at the Ban Boran Antiques shop
They import gold jewelry from South India, Buddha images from Sri
Lanka and Burma, and silver from Pakistan and Egypt. On a recent
visit there were a set of old opium weights, said to be very
difficult to find, and some very old and delicate examples of Thai
folk art. On the same block at 27 Yaowarat Road is the Touch
Wood Antique Furniture shop which sells colonial antique
furniture mainly from neighboring Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Most of
the stock seems to be either Victorian or Edwardian designs but
many other examples of teak and cane furniture are on display. At
the intersection turn left on to Phang Nga Road and walk a few
feet to the Puk Shop at 7-9 Phang Nga Road. This venerable
old shop is a Phuket institution and a true treasure hunters
dream. A eclectic mix of everything from Chinese and Thai antique
ceramics acquired from Phuket residents decades ago, to regular
items found at any tourist stall. Many regular customers stop by
often so as to not miss some of the more unusual items that pass
through. On a recent visit there were some very rare Burmese
manuscripts, and some exquisite Chinese ceremonial chests, that
were not expected to be there for very long. You never know what
to expect when you browse through this crowed shop. Down the
street at 68 Phang Nga Road Antique Arts is another long
time Phuket institution and has an exquisite collection of Chinese
porcelains, brass and lacquerware. For almost a quarter century
the owners of this shop have been offering quality antique
furniture and art objects most of which are imported from China.
Frequent buying trips are made to the Hokkien region of China to
uncover the type of quality items that regular customers have come
to expect. From here go one block south to Rasada Road. You are
now several blocks from the traffic circle near the market where
you started. As you go west on Rasada toward the traffic circle
you will pass gift shops that offer local Thai products, generally
at better prices than the shops in the tourist areas, one on each
side of the road. At the traffic circle look for a tuk-tuk (taxi)
because for the next stops on the tour you will want a ride. If
you are feeling very adventurous you might try a motorcycle taxi
as they are faster and cheaper.
If by now it is near lunch time,
or if you are hungry, you might consider taking a short side trip
to enjoy lunch at the top of Khao Rang Hill which overlooks the
city and offers a panoramic view.
To continue your walk-a-about
tour of Phuket town take a taxi to the Phuket Provincial Court.
This beautiful old building is still being used, a relic of the
past. On the ground floor, peek into the antiquated courtroom with
its wooden judges bench, unchanged since the last century.
Return to the street. On the opposite corner, across the large
lawn, is the Provincial Hall, home to a number of provincial
offices. This elegant 90 year-old building is famous for its
unique architecture, having 99 doors and a history nearly as old
as Phuket Town. Movie fans may remember it, as it served as a
replica for the French Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the film
"The Killing Fields".
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Khao
Rang Hill
Offers not only a sweeping view
of Phuket town and the island to the south, but several good
restaurants, a exercise park and the largest sculpture of Buddha
on the island. Famous for its view of the surrounding area it
is a pleasant place to catch a cool breeze and watch the sunset.
On the north side of the hill about half down is a giant nine
meter tall seated figure of the Buddha in the Suppression
Evil" pose.
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Saphan
Hin
Another place for rest and
relaxation in the city where Phuket Road meets the sea. It is the
site of the monument to the Australian Captain Edward Miles who
brought the first tin dredge to Phuket in 1907. The monument
commemorates 60 years of dredging in Phuket and shows the
importance of tin mining, even comparatively recently played in
the islands fortunes. A prolonged recession in the price of tin
has however, resulted in the virtual extinguishing of the industry
on the island, and except for the continued operation of a single
refinery, all other tin mining activity in Phuket has ceased.
Saphan Hin is also the location
of a sport center, large playing fields, many fine restaurants,
and the islands boxing stadium. It serves in addition as the
site of two colleges, Phuket Community College and Phuket
Vocational College.
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