Yesterday, I started a photo tour in the famed Thalang Road in Phuket Town. You can read that Part 1 here. Welcome to Part 2. :)
This oldest herb shop in Phuket was established in 1917 and has been operated by the same family for generations. They mainly offer Chinese herbal medicine, though they also specialize in combining western and eastern cures. Every time I travel back to the Philippines, I always check with my family if they want me to bring special herbs like ginseng or astralagus as their prices are significantly cheaper. The store's signage is quite simple and can be easily missed, but the waft of earthy herbal aroma will surely lead you to it.
As one of the busiest roads in Phuket Town, not to mention one of the oldest, this 600m long road is the center of Sino-Portuguese architecture that dates back to the 1500s when Phuket is a hub for Tin Mining Industry in Southeast Asia.
You can easily spend hours hunting for trinkets and souvenirs in the craft stores or watch the day go by with a beer on hand.
The mismatched vibrant colors of the shop houses and intricate architecture gives you the illusion of time travel to when this is the center of trade centuries ago.
"Teddy" (shown above) is proudly wearing her Baba clothing. Baba culture refers to descendants of Chinese-Malaysians who migrated from Penang, Malaysia to join the flourishing Tin Mining Industry. Later, these immigrants intermarried with Thais resulting to a fusion of traditions. The son is referred to as Baba and the daughter as Nyonya.
Okay, back to my main purpose of coming in Thalang Road. Limited parking forced me to park at the next block, giving me a chance to walk down the whole road before reaching my favorite roti place. Though it was scorching that day, I enjoyed the scenic walk and photo opportunities. And we are here....
See the food I ordered in Aroon Restaurant in the final installment of this series.