Thalang National Museum

The Thalang National Museum is another place we have meant to visit for a long time, having driven past many times. It's located near the Heroine's Monument, just off the main airport road, south of Thalang town in central Phuket.



Now, it's not a huge museum, but the entry is only 100 Baht, so I reckon it's worth a look. The first thing we saw outside was a pile of wreckage recovered from the tsunami, and there's a whole room full of stuff pulled from the sea in a room inside. When you see it all piled up - bags, phones, signs, cups, TV's..it does rather hit home.

Outisde there is also a kind of tsunami memorial - a sculpture (already falling apart) showing a spirit leaving a body. (See photo below)



Inside you start with general Thai history, there are some old artifacts, a history of the people of Thailand - good background information. Then you move onto Phuket history with sections about the different people - Chinese, Muslim, Indigenous (sea gypsies) etc..with mock ups of homes showing "the way people lived". There's also a big section devoted to the Heroines of Thalang who rallied the people of Phuket to defeat the Burmese in 1785. These 2 ladies are famous all over Thailand, but especially here in Phuket and more especially in Thalang where roads, temples and schools are named after them. There's also an annual Heroine's Festival in the Thalang area.

 



I'd say the museum makes an ideal stop off while touring this area of Phuket. We went from here about 15 minutes up the road to Bang Pae Seafood, and you'll also find Bang Pae waterfall and the Gibbon Rehab Project along the same road. The Ton Sai waterfall is also not far away. Nearby in Thalang town are several important temples (Wat Phra Tong, Wat Sri Sunthon and Wat Phra Nang Sang), and just south you have the Boat Lagoon, which is worth a stop if you like boats and want a nice coffee in a western style marina.

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