I think before I get into the photos and stuff, a little bit of the history of Phuket.
The British called the place Junkceylon. The British East India company were looking for a port to use, they eventually decided against Junkceylon and settled for Penang instead (thank Christ).
The name Phuket is derived from the Malay word ‘bukit’ which simply means hill. Phuket’s old spelling, still occasionally seen is Bhuket, which is closer to the root word.
Phuket is the second smallest province in Thailand, yet, is the second richest province in the country with only Bangkok more affluent.
Phuket has been a wealthy place long before tourists got here, making it’s primary riches from rubber and more especially from Tin.
Tin actually isn’t that common. The only places where it’s been found is a few spots in South America, the South-west of England, with the vast majority on the Malay Peninsula extending up through Southern Thailand.
Before the second world war, Phuket was supplying 40% of the world’s tin.
Tin mining has shaped this island, both physically and socially. The Straits Chinese migrated up the peninsula in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Firstly, to work in the tin mines, later owning and running tin mining companies. They brought their architecture with them and Sino-Portuguese houses and shops are one of the fading legacies . They also brought their temples and way of life.
Today, Phuket is dominated by five major and two minor Chinese families that all got rich on tin and rubber. They have huge land-holdings here and have carved up all the lucrative dealerships and distributorships between them.
Anyway, the first place to look at is PhuketTown, the provincial capital. It is now officially PhuketCity, but, I’ve known it far loger as PhuketTown, so, PhuketTown it will remain.
Phuket Town has grown a hell of a lot in the last twenty years, most of the new buildings are unremarkable and can be found anywhere in Thailand.
For me, PhuketTown is the Old area, dominated by Sino-Portuguese shophouses. Too late, the authorities have just woken up to the fact that Sino-Portuguese architecture is great for tourists. They are now trying to encourage owners to restore their shophouses to their former glory. Unfortunately, a lot of the skills needed have been lost, especially the art of making intricate moldings.
A typical row of everyday shophouses.
Here are some that have had some restoration. Originally, all these rows of shophouses had a covered arcade you could walk through, sheltered from the rain, or sun.
This next photo is a bit of a cliche, as you will see it in lots of travel mags.......course, mine can't compare.
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This one has been restored. Dodgy colours are part and parcel of Sino-Portuguese shophouses.
Some of the details on a door. Another reason renovation has been slow to catch on, is the expence of hiring skilled craftsmen.
Another door.......
Right. Just going to upload some more pictures.........