Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [547]
The year was 1785, and Burma and Thailand were locked in a series of wars for regional supremacy. Thai soldiers had repelled Burmese forces from Phuket a year earlier, but now the Burmese were returning in an enormous fleet. Captain Light spotted them and alerted the governor’s office. But the governor had recently passed away, so his wife, Kunying Jan, took charge. She and her sister, Mook, assembled the forces, and, according to legend, disguised the local women as male soldiers, which made Phuket’s military manpower seem invincible to the Burmese scouts. They attacked anyway, but quickly lost heart and left after a short siege. King Rama I awarded Kunying Jan with the royal title of ‘Thao Thep Kasattri’, and she and her sister are honoured with the Heroines Monument at the Thalang roundabout.
In the early 19th century the tin-mining boom took Phuket by storm and attracted thousands of Chinese labourers. The Chinese brought their culinary and spiritual traditions with them, and when they intermarried among the Thai, a new culture was born. The first and future generations of the ethnic Thai-Chinese are also known as the Baba people. Although their roots were in the mines, many Baba descendents became merchants. They built up Phuket Town ( Click here), erecting enormous homes with Portuguese and Chinese accents. Tin, along with rubber, remained the dominant industry in Phuket until the 1970s, when the beachcombers began arriving en masse after Club Med invested in Hat Kata and Thai Airways began offering daily flights from Bangkok.
Tourism remained strong until the tsunami hit on 26 December 2004. On Phuket, 250 people died as Patong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Nai Thon and Nai Yang all suffered major damage. As a result, Phuket’s economy briefly suffered, but in 2006 resort development skyrocketed once more.
Orientation
Phuket’s stunning west coast, scalloped by its trademark sandy bays, faces the crystal Andaman Sea. The island’s quieter east coast features gnarled mangroves rather than silky sand.
Patong, about halfway down the west coast, is the eye of the tourist storm, while Phuket Town, in the southeast part of the Phuket, is the provincial capital.
Phuket International Airport is in the northern part of the island, while most long-distance buses arrive and depart in Phuket Town. For information on getting around the island, Click here.
We have organised Phuket’s sleeping section to follow the island’s natural geography. Listings start with the northern beaches (from south of Hat Nai Thon down to Hat Kamala), moving south to Patong, then the southern beaches (Karon, Kata, Nai Han and Rawai), and finally the inland Phuket Town. The island’s eating section is organised in a similar manner.
Information
BOOKSHOPS
Bookazine Karon ( Map; 0 7633 3273; 23/7 Th Karon, Karon; 10am-11pm) The Bookazine chain’s Karon location where you can to buy English-language maps, guidebooks, magazines and newspapers.
Bookazine Patong ( Map; 0 7634 5833; 18 Th Bangla, Patong; 9.30am-11.30pm) If you need more beach reading, you’ll find a wealth of English-language titles – from bestsellers to regional fiction and nonfiction –at this local chain.
Books ( Map; 0 7621 1115; www.thebooksphuket.com; 53-55 Th Phuket, Phuket Town; 8.30am-9.30pm) Offers English-language magazines, guidebooks and novels.
Kata Bookshop ( Map; 0 7633 0109; 82 Th Kata, Kata; 10am-9pm) Great selection of new and used books, and helpful service.
EMERGENCY
Police ( Map; 191, 0 7622 3555; cnr Th Phang-Nga & Th Phuket, Phuket Town)
Tourist police ( Map; 0 7634 0244; Th Thawiwong, Patong)
INTERNET ACCESS
Wi-fi access is widely available on Phuket. Most hotels and guesthouses offer free wi-fi connection for their guests, and several cafes (including the zillion Starbucks) and bars do the same. If you’re travelling without a computer, it won’t be hard to