THAILAND ( PHUKET)

Phuket is a shopaholic's paradise! The island has a great variety of shopping, from bustling open-air village food markets, noisy night markets, street stalls and local shops to western style department stores and upmarket specialist shops.

With traditional handicrafts, beautifully designed clothing, jewellery, antiques, housewares and much more to choose from, the only thing you'll regret about shopping in Phuket is that you didn't bring a bigger suitcase! 

Since a few years now, Phuket has seen a surge in shopping opportunities. No longer a twice-weekly event at a local market, shopping in Phuket is a multi-faceted affair that takes in several world-class malls with their satellite businesses, elegant boutiques selling antiques, brand-name clothes and expensive artifacts.

Add to that colourful art galleries, large lapidaries, Thai silk and textile emporiums and even furniture shops and you're beginning to get the picture.

In Phuket Town you can find items ranging from antique Asian art & crafts, clothing boutiques, household knick-knacks to bolts of famous Thai silk. Whether you are looking for a special something for yourself or for your loved ones, the following are the best places to explore.

The first area to start off is Old Phuket Town which covers Thalang and Dibuk roads. Then try Yaowarat, Rassada and Phang Nga roads and continue to the outskirts of Phuket. Wandering around the town, if only for a day, you will soon realise that Phuket is more than a provincial capital; it is also a fascinating location for enthusiastic shoppers with all kind of budgets.

A few years back when the first shopping mall opened in Phuket, locals asked “Where is it all leading to?” Nowadays, with Phuket more developed, malls are ubiquitous but happily have not smothered the Thai traditional market life on the island.

Thai people like to ‘group’ their shops so that if you are looking for a particular item there will be several shops selling on the same street.

Phuket weekend market (locally known as Naka Market), located along Chao Fa West Road just outside Phuket Town not far from Central Festival, is a fascinating jumble of secondhand goods, curios, pirated items, live animals and a large amount of great local food to sample.

It really is worth a visit even if you're not planning on buying anything. If you were to ask, “What’s for sale here?” The answer would probably be, "How much time do you have?" as the list of goods is endless.

While there are many new restaurants opening every month in Phuket, visitors who are looking to explore local culture should not miss the island’s traditional-style food centres.

Phuket Town residents will be proud to point out a few well-known local food outlets to you but the one that always stands out is Soi Lor Rong Market, at the top of Pattana Road. Here you’ll find many stalls selling all kinds of yummy treats and at very reasonable prices.

There’s a covered dining space where Thai ‘fast food’ is served such as phad thai, noodles soup, somtam papaya salad, deep-fried chicken and fried rice at Soi Lor Rong Market.

BY SITI NUR SYAFIQAH KU AZLAN 
     A13A1172