Phuket Town 
Phuket Town was founded a little over a century ago by Chinese and Malaysian merchants to service the nearby tin mines, and the harbor near Phuket was better suited to handle larger ships than the traditional capital city of Thalang. It spite of growing pains that come with being a boom town and a major fire that destroyed much of the city Phuket town grew and prospered to become the commercial, social, and political center of the island. Today the main attractions are the old Sino-Portuguese buildings, the elaborate Chinese and Thai temples, and the public markets. Most of the buildings in Phuket's city center were constructed nearly a hundred years ago, during the period of the first great tin boom.
|
 |