Welcome to Phuket

Phuket History The first records in Phuket history originate in the beginning of the 11th century. As far as historians have been able to trace, the first inhabitants of what is now known as Phuket were the sea gypsy's and theNegrito's.

Phuket Negritos The Negritos are considered by historians to be the indigenous inhabitants of South East Asia. The Negritos include tribes from the Malay Peninsula, Andaman tribes, Pilipino tribes and the Semang tribes. The Negritos were small people and were pygmy sized. They are in fact considered to be among the smallest races when looking at population size. Genetic expert consider the DNA of the Negritos to be among the purest of any human race.

Junk Ceylon Junk Ceylon. was the first name of Phuket in its history. Historians have found the original name of Phuket on the maps of Portuguese sea merchant maps. There was an earlier mention of Junk Ceylon in a book written in the year of 157 AD. The book was written by a well known Greek philosopher. Cladius Ptolemy.

The Greek philosopher mentioned that if one was to travel to the Malaysian peninsula, one would have to pass a cape which he called the Junk Ceylon. The Junk Ceylon was given a location between the latitudes of 6 N and 8 N which would be the position of present day Phuket. It seems that the Junk Ceylon was visited by sea merchant from various countries as the bay of Junk Ceylon offered a superb protection against the forces of nature and gave the merchants an opportunity to rest and restock.

Recent Phuket History Phuket become later known as Thalang after the city which still exists in the northern region of Phuket. An important part of Phuket history was during the 15th century when Phuket obtained the reputation as a leading tin mining producer. Due to the local mining industry, Phuket become somewhat of a trading hub.

Due to the large volume of European merchants and traders that were calling port in Thalang, the Thai King during that period decided that Phuket should be administered by a European. Between the period of 1681 and 1685, Thalang was administered by a French missionary named Renee Charbonneau.

Burmese Invasion Another imporrant event in Phuket history was in 1785 when enemy troops from neighboring Burma attempted to invade and rule Phuket. Two Phuket ladies decided to stand up and defend the Island in the name of the King of Thailand. The former governor's widow, Chan, and her loyal sister Muk organized a defense which lasted nearly a month.

The Burmese troops were left with no supplies after they had been unable to get past the defence for over a month. The aggresors had no other option but to withdraw as their suplies had run. The king of Thailand heard of the heroic actions of the two sisters and bestowed upon them the noble titles of Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Si Sunthon. Even in present day Phuket, the two sisters have not been forgotten and are in fact still honored and respected. In 1966 the two sisters were honored by their very own statue which stands at the Tha Ruea Intersection.
by Alexander van Eyk

Welcome to Samui

Samui Guide will show you why the tropical paradise known as Koh Samui has become one of Thailand’s premier travel destinations. It should come as no surprise to hear that so many travelers are choosing Ko Samui as their holiday location when traveling to Thailand.

Koh Samui Activities

The Koh Samui travel guide shows you the great variety of shopping, dining, adventure activities, nightlife and water sports activities that Samui offers to its visitors.

What better place to enjoy your holiday then on a tropical Thai island where the weather is always warm and the sun shines throughout the year?

Koh Samui Beaches

The beaches of Samui are still virgin and unspoiled unlike those beaches of other Thai islands such as Phuket. Enjoy the crystal clear water of the sea and enjoy the fine sandy beaches for which Koh Samui Thailand is known for around the world. More about the beaches in our section on Samui beaches.

A great benefit of choosing Koh Samui Thailand over other Thai destinations is that there are several others great but somewhat smaller tropical Thai islands near Samui. Many travelers visiting Koh Samui Thailand choose to spend a day or two at nearby Koh Tao or Koh Phangan Island.

Koh Phangan of course is famous with party seekers around the world as the legendary full moon parties are hosted each month during full moon on this neighboring island of Koh Samui.

Koh Samui Never Boring

You will discover with the Samui guide that there are simply so many activities on Koh Samui to choose from. Samui offers something for everyone.

Do you like to go thrill seeking on a rafting adventure or maybe you would prefer discovering the legendary Samui nightlife scene.? Or would you prefer watching nature while riding on top of a magnificent Thai elephant during a Samui elephant safari?

Of course you could simply choose to relax at one of the many beautiful beaches that Koh Samui has and possibly even enjoy one of the renowned Samui sunsets while sipping on a nice cold cocktail with your loved one!

Samui Resort Towns

One of the great things about the beaches and resorts towns on Koh Samui Thailand is that each has it very own unique atmosphere and characteristics. For those travelers that prefer to be in the center of activities and a lively nightlife then Chaweng or Lamai beach would be the places to stay.

Other beaches like Big Buddha beach are more laid back and offer a more tropical island experience with little loud music and few annoying vendors. Read all about it inside our Ko Samui Thailand Guide!

Welcome to Pattaya Thailand

Just ninety minutes by car from Bangkok, Pattaya allows you to shed your suit or the city stress and let your hair down. In fact it has been attracting visitors to its lovely sweeping bay for more than forty years, making it the most established and one of the most popular of Thailand's resort centres. Although Pattaya is most famous for its nightlife, there is someting for everyone here and families and good value travel packages both enjoy the fun and excitement of Jomtien beach, which is removed from the bright neon lights of Pattaya beach. The city offers some superb accomodation, including excellent hotels and exclusive condos and many foreigners now have second homes here, particularly clustered aroud the small exclusive beaches of the North.

Offshore are several lovely islands and sailing excursions are popular along with all sorts of fun watersports. But if you prefer to stay on land there are several excellent golf courses in the area as well as a whole host of cultural and family attractions.

This exciting new website will soon be launched with 100 pages of up-to-date and reliable information on Pattaya. It will include essential details for tourists on what to do, where to stay, eat and drink, meet people, relax and shop, plus information on emergency services, important numbers, business services and more. The site is still being developed and will be ready in early August, but if you are patient and return soon we promise to provide you with a first-class website.

If you have a tourist service in Pattaya then please help us to build this resource by emailing us details of your website or business so we can include you on this site.

Thank you :

http://phuket-island-thailand.blogspot.com/2007/10/phuket-history.html

http://www.samuiguide.info/

http://www.1stoppattaya.com/