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Phuket Island, the Pearl of the Andaman Sea
is Thailand’s largest island, glorified with idyllic beaches
and magnificent rainforests. The island located 870 kilometers
south of Bangkok, is 50 kilometers long and 21 kilometers at
its widest point, about the size of Singapore. Although populated
mainly by fisherman and pirates, Portuguese and Chinese settlements
began to appear in the 18th century as reflected
in the handsome buildings of Sino-Portuguese style that remain
along the streets of Phuket Town. In 1900, the population of
Phuket was only 6,000, but possibly Thailand’s richest
province because of its natural wealth from tin mines, rubber
and copra plantations.
The population had grown to 30,000 by the mid
1970s, though the tin had been mined out. International fame
and the beginning of the booming tourist industry came shortly
after the James Bond movie Man with the Golden Gun filmed in
part in Phang Nga Bay, showed the world the beauty of the local
area. The current population is estimated at 240,000 with tourism
the major industry and while new discos, restaurants and hotels
appear regularly, Phuket’s attraction remains its beaches
and forests and its mixture of Thai, Malay, Chinese and European
peoples.
Phuket Palace is a short 10-minute walk from
the white sandy beach along the azure blue waters of the Andaman
Sea, shopping, seafood restaurants, disco dancing, karaoke or
other night life action spots.
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