phuket town - thailand

Three nights in Patong was more than enough for someone who does not care too much for the beach and tourist scenes. I wanted to go and see something more cultural and historic. Phuket Town it was.

this local bus took me from Patong to Phuket Town - figuring which bus to ride and the route is a huge challenge

 like the kitschy charms inside and outside

the lady conductor insisted my suitcase cannot go inside - it stayed here precariously while i bit my finger nails the whole trip

 On On Hotel made famous by the movie Beach - it is closed for major renovation

 one of the few Chinese temples

there are a few art galleries

What is wonderful about Thailand is in many places you get to see things that has long vanished from the ravage of progress. This shops are like frozen in time from 50 years ago.

 you cannot escape the sight of the evil kitty

 one of many remaining stately residences - i read that this one now is used for illicit businesses

 this estate was open for public years ago but no more

 museum with exhibits of the town's rich history, especially the tin mining that brought an early population of Chinese migrants

 beautiful classic Chinese wood bench

a mockup of the interior of the shop-houses in the old town

 the typical shop-house is very narrow but extremely deep; some can be a few hundred feet deep

 the outside toilet - this picture is not safe for work

 this is a shop-house building right next to the museum

 you can see how deep the building

 in fact this one continues into almost the entire length of the museum parking lot

Hong Kong has the Toyoto Hiace but Thailand has also the larger Commuter; it can carry up to 16 persons and delivers 30 MPG with it's 4 cylinder turbo diesel

 found this very popular roti place

i went there every morning; curry chicken and (plane) roti; while very delicious, roti is not too healthy due to a lot of fat; at least this place use palm oil (orange one as opposed to the worst clear one used by processed food industry in the West)

 yellow rice

 current chicken and a side of clams - the clams are very small so there is hardly any meat

 a nice swift

 old-school hardware store

one hall mark of these architecture is arch way between the shops on the sidewalk; however most has long since been blocked up

 you can see the generous balconies and large windows designed for the hot and humid climate

Chinese neighborhood society used to be common place in Chinatowns in oversea countries; they provide support of the people far away from the motherland; you can get a glimpse of the immense depth of the shop-house building

 this one has been gentrified as a upscale cafe for tourists

 chinese medicine store

 the owners were preparing a make to order Chinese herbal medicine mixture that are wrapped into individual portions

selections of ointments for external use

 beautiful classic package design

 this purchase would prove useful to stop mosquito bites later in my trip

 the Thai brand on the left vs the very popular Hong Kong brand on the right

 i think the kids are having their morning exercise class

 another estate

 this one has been transformed into a restaurant

 this beauty is up for sale

 love the fence - almost too modern for the historic property

 Madison Avenue in Thai fashion

they are out in full force to promote some upscale condominium

this Commuter is very decked-out; full of add-ons; for some reason they like to replace the factory hood with this rather gaudy looking aftermarket one that looks like a devilish face mask.

 another high-capacity transporter

see the immensity of the plantation estate

thai royal post

i want to bring one of this back

 i ate at this place two nights

fresh seafood is for the more expensive dishes here

the garlic and chili fish is good but not great - the lady misunderstood what I wanted

 next night i had this steam hot, tangy, and spicy fish instead - it is very good; so is the giant prawns

the fish was a fresh grouper which is the amongst the most expensive

 like most Asian cuisines, thai don't discard the flavorful heads

 not a tourist to be found here

there was a parade on the street for schools

next morning i took the government bus to Khao Lak 60 miles to the north to meet my Thai friend and his family; the fair of this government bus was a mere 50 bahts - yet i paid 3 time this for the tuk tuk ride to the bus terminal less than a few km

 a beach in Khao Lak