Unlike many Thai provincial capitals, Phuket Town fairly shines
with personality and nowhere more so than its Old Town.
In this historically rich part of town you will find shrines, temples
(Buddhist and Chinese), ornate and beautifully preserved 'shophouses',
quaint cafés, tiny printing shops, impromptu private and
public museums and even a mini ex-red light district.
Phuket Old Town was built on riches reaped from Phuket's tin boom
of last century, when the metal was an extremely valuable commodity.
In this quarter of the town you will see grandiose Sino-colonial
mansions, once occupied by Phuket's tin barons of 100 years' ago.
Phuket Old Town is compact enough to stroll around in. The best
time to do this is early in the morning or after the day has lost
its heat. There are enough restaurants and cafés to provide
you with refreshments so don't bother taking a picnic along!
Sino-Portuguese Architecture 
At the heart of Phuket's Old Town is Thalang Road, the commercial
centre of Phuket's past. Here, you will find various fascinating
shophouses selling such exotic wares as Chinese herbal medicine
and handicrafts. One aspect to note about this architecture (so
often called 'Sino-Portugese' but in reality 'Sino-colonial') is
that the shophouses and residences in this area are many more times
longer than they are wide, with residences featuring heavily accented
latticework entries.
The cooking and bathing area is at the back of these buildings,
open to cooling breezes and each residence has an air shaft that
goes up through the centre, ensuring ventilation. Of course these
shafts let in rain which is collected in a sort of in-house pond
often containing exotic fish. Many old town roads and streets have
covered arcades ('noh-kaa-kee') or archways that join shops together
and provide cover for passers by. (Read
more...)
 Soi Romani
Just off Thalang Road lies Soi Romani, an interesting little
back lane that has an interesting past - this was once a red light
district for the many Chinese labourers who came to work the tin
mines.
The name of this soi is intriguing as 'romani' is an old-fashioned
Thai word, roughly translating to 'naughty with the ladies'. This
soi was the first in the area to be renovated.
Thalang Road
Thalang Road, Soi Romani and nearby Krabi Road play host to a yearly Old Town Cultural Festival every February
that celebrates Phuket's ties not only with China but with the 'Baba'
(Straits Chinese of Malaysia and Singapore). Locals dress up in
traditional 'Yaya' style and there is a nightly history-based son
et lumiere show in a nearby mansion.
On Krabi Road stands the Chyn Pracha House - a fine example
of architecture from a bygone era and open to the public. Locals
call this type of building 'angmor lao', literally meaning 'red
hair house'. The term refers to foreigners who were living or had
lived in this type of residence.
 Thalang Road
The road directly to the north of Thalang Road is Dibuk Road.
Here again, Phuket's past is evoked - 'dibuk' being Thai for 'tin'.
This road features textile and arts shops and a French restaurant
- called the Dibuk. Further south lies Phang Nga Road where you
will see an old Phuket establishment, the On On Hotel.
The On On is famous for being famous: many backpackers choose
to stay there, in spite of the rather meagre facilities, less-than-cheery
staff, gloomy rooms and other, cheaper and brighter alternatives
close by. Perhaps people are drawn to it because of its star quality
- the hotel featured as a Bangkok flophouse in the movie The
Beach.
Other Phuket edifices that have starred in Hollywood are the Phuket
Government Buildings on Damrong Road, and the Governor's Residence
on Thepkassatri Road, both featured in The Killing Fields. Baan
Chinpracha on Krabi Road has also appeared in Heaven and
Earth as well as TV's Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
 Shrine
of the Serene Light
A few doors up to the west of the On On Hotel is the Shrine
of the Serene Light but you will not notice it unless you walk
down a short alley to it. This shrine was built in 1889 by a local
Chinese family and is relatively little known due to its concealed
location.
Location: Next to On On Hotel on Thalang Road
Further east, where Phang Nga Road meets Thepkassatri Road there
is an old vacated bank building facing a police station. The police
station was purposely built there after dissatisfied tin mine workers
threatened to loot the bank.
 Thavorn
Hotel Museum
On close by Rassada Road (named after Ratsada Korsimbi Na Ranong,
Phuket's forward-thinking governor of 100 years' ago) in the Thavorn
Hotel you will find a fascinating collection of miscellaneous
memorabilia in its lobby and adjoining ground floor rooms. Here,
there are strongboxes, ancient-looking typewriters, antique postboxes
and toys as well as photos from past eras to admire.
At the western end of Rassada Road stands a traffic circle with
what looks like large green guns mounted on it. This is the Suriyadate
Fountain and the water-spouting 'guns' are in fact what used
to be extremely powerful water cannons that blasted top soil and
rocks away in the tin mining process.
 Jui Tui Shrine
Carrying on further west and past the now closed-down day market,
you will come to the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine. This shrine
is where people use bamboo blocks to obtain advice from the shrine's
oracle. Ask a 'yes or no' question then throw the blocks gently
in the air. If both blocks land on the same side the answer is 'no'.
If one lands up and the other down the answer is 'yes'. A small
donation to the shrine is appreciated.
Next to the Jui Tui shrine is Pud Jow ('God Talks') Chinese
Taoist Temple. Built 200 years ago, it is the oldest of its sort
in Phuket. (Read more about temples...) By now you should have worked up a healthy appetite: no problem
- there are so many eateries in this part of town you may have to
throw bamboo blocks in the air to decide in
which one to eat.
The streets
of Old Phuket Town are lines with 100-year-old shop houses that are home to restaurants,
guesthouses, printing offices, gold shops, art galleries,
coffee shops, and personal residences - among other things. It's well worth a look; some people consider Old Town to
be the best part of Phuket. (Read
More...)
A must-do in Phuket is a walk in the old part of Phuket City,
around Thalang, Dibuk and Krabi roads. The beautiful architecture
along these roads will take you back the charm of a century
ago. According to Pranee Sakulpitpatana, a lecturer at Phuket
Rajabhat University and one of the island’s premier historians,
the architecture is a reflection of European influence on
the island. Europeans including the Portuguese and the British,
had been interested in Phuket’s tin wealth since the
16th century. (Read more...) |
Sino Portuguese Architecture
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