History of PHUKET

nalexadre (48)in #travel • 4 years ago

Today I propose you a brief history of the land of smiles (Thailand) and more especially of the island of Phuket.

Mentioned since the 12th century in the annals of Malaysia as Ujang Salang which could be translated as a peninsula then Thalang under the reign of King of Thailand Ramkhamhaeng (Rama the Bold).

_{Fun fact, there is still a town in the north of the island called Thalang.}

Then Junk Ceylon by the Europeans as can be seen on this old map below from the 18th century French cartographer Jacques Bellin.

_{Fun fact, Junk Ceylon or rather Jungceylon is the name of Patong's big shopping mall.}

It ended up taking the name of Phuket in the 19th century.

Map of the Kingdoms of Siam, Tunquin, Pegu, Ava Aracan

source: World Digital Library

It's during this period that the island undergoes a strong demographic change. Following a strong demand for labor in the tin mines of the island (one of them has been turned into a museum) many Chinese came to settle on the island.

More specifically in the center of the island, which resulted in the relocation of the local Muslim populations to the coast.

The other consequence was that there were almost twice more Chinese people on the island than locals, which is why today many locals (I'm not talking about the seasonal people who come to work on the island) that you will meet on the island will tell you that they have Chinese origins.

It is only in 1947 that the first regular commercial flights between Bangkok and Phuket are created and 1967 for the construction of the Sarasin Bridge connecting the island to the mainland.

The seventies saw the arrival of tourists with the Americans, then hippie backpackers who enjoyed its high THC marijuana and abundance of opium.

In the eighties, mass tourism began and Club Med settled on Kata beach.

Since the beginning of the millennium, real estate projects have been escalating with rising prices and a population that continues to grow and take the place of nature. Even the deadly tsunami of 2004 did not put an end to this tourist enthusiasm for the island.

Patong Beach late70s

Fortunately everything is not so bad and Phuket remains a great place to visit and live (in my case).

You only have to climb a little to realize that 😉

With for example below the view of Chalong from the hill of Big Buddha

Or the view of Karon and Kata.

Personally, I never get tired of the sunsets that can be seen from several points on the island (below, a view from Karon).

Walking around and getting off the beaten track you can see some nice scenes like this elephant in the wild (which is quite exceptional because the owners in general don't give their elephants any freedom).