Lonely Planet correspondent Austin Bush skipped the beaches and discovered the charms of Phuket’s capital. Here’s his report from Phuket Town, highlighting the best things to see and do
For more than 20 years, I was based in Thailand, from where I contributed to more than 30 guidebooks for Lonely Planet. These days I’m mostly based in Lisbon, Portugal – but a few months back I found myself back in Thailand, to wrap up work on a cookbook about southern Thai food that I’m writing and photographing.
Phuket, an island in southern Thailand, is one of the most visited places in the country. With its famous tropical beaches in mind, however, relatively few of those visitors make it to Phuket Town, the island province’s landlocked capital. This is a real shame, as it’s one of the most charming urban centers in the country.
Home to beautiful Sino-Portuguese architecture, unique cuisine that blends Chinese and Thai elements and a really fun cafe scene, Phuket Town offers plenty to check out. Best of all, it’s compact enough to explore on foot – as I did.
I usually start the day in Phuket Town with…
A visit to the fresh market. Even in a food paradise like Thailand, hotel breakfasts can be pretty dire, and my policy is always to grab my first meal of the day at a local stall. The basement level of Phuket Town’s fresh market is home to several vendors selling local sweets and rice and noodle dishes, including some regional items you won’t find elsewhere.
And my favorite place for breakfast is located just at the edge of the market. Mingalar Coffee Shop is a small cafe run by Burmese immigrants who serve up such dishes as puffy naan paired with a dip made from pigeon peas, along with tiny glasses of sweet tea – exactly the type of breakfast I ate while on assignments for Lonely Planet in Myanmar.
In Phuket Town, you must try…
Muu hawng. Phuket Town is a…
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