IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BABA

Strolling Through Old Phuket : Phuket's Old Town is about the narrow streets. There's sweet, romantic Soi Romanee, an alley with restored Sino-Portuguese relics, fabulous cafes and outdoor jazz concerts on the last sunday of the month in the high season. Soi Soon Utis is another favourite, but few tourists roam this quiet residential street that ends at a canal. you should, because at the end of the road you'll find a box of almond cookies that might change your life. And no matter what,do not miss the Shrine of Serene Light, the most ethereal and transport-ing of all the Chinese temples in the roughly 10 square blocks that comprise Phuket's enthralling Old Town.


     There's something special about strolling through a town rich in history and culture, but if you stick to Phuket's tourist enclaves, Where most of the Thai residents are from other parts of the country, you may never know that Phuket has a culture of its own. It devel-oped more than 100 years ago when Chinese merchants and labour-ers sailed from southern China and landed here to work for European mining companies.
     Over the next generation the Chinese and thai intermarried, and their cultures fused. Their offspring became the first genera-tion of Baba (local Phuket) people. They built large, airy and shady homes with European facades, and Chinese temples to honour their Taoist lineage, even while many were busy converting to Buddhism or Lslam. Their food was likewise a melange of southern Chinese and Thai tastes with sweet and smoky curries and an abundance of noodle dishes. And, of course, there are the Baba sweets-crafted from peanuts,cashews, almonds, coconuts and dride fruit.
     If you take the time to walk along yaowarat, Phang-Nga, Thalang, Rasada and Dibuk roads, diverting down all the little alleys you can find, you will discover all of the above. And you'll also come across countless art galleries, fashion boutiques, fusion restaurants, and charming bars and pubs that indicate this attractive town with a past also has one hell of a future.