WONDERFUL WANDERLUST I think, I travel, I wonder

A grumpy taxi driver dropped me off at the end of Thalang Rd. near a hostel I have been booked. The weather in early November is enough to make me tighten up my jacket. This place seems deserted. I see no one on the street. The wind blows and flickering streetlight worsen the atmosphere. I look at my mobile screen, it is already 9pm and without wasting any more time I hurried to the hostel.

Here I am, in Phuket Town, an old Chinatown located in Phuket, Thailand. Phuket has become a home for foreigners because of its rich natural reserves. It attracted explorers, traders and villains from diverse places such as Arabia, China and Portugal. Phuket Town was built in the last century when tin was redundant and metal was a very valuable commodity.

Phuket Town is less popular if compared with well-known beaches in Phuket, even travel agents told me not to stay there because it is just an old china town without interesting attraction. But I decided to enjoy the remnants of its past glory.

The next morning, I am walking along Thalang Rd. towards Krabi Rd. I find Chinese and Buddhist temples, museums, cozy coffee corners, ornate and beautiful old houses. Heavy raining is pouring down as I walk out of Thai Hua Museum. An umbrella I have borrowed from the hostel is no longer useful, so I am waiting for the rain to stop in front of one old house. Rainwater is pooling on the side of the road because of a clogged gutter. Brand new cars are honking its horn, speeding past through old buildings while a woman and her 5 years old boy are walking to a Buddhist Temple with ease.

The rain refused to stop, I keep on walking. At the end of Dibuk Rd., a delicious smell makes my stomach growls. I walk towards the source of the smell, it comes from a small food court. I order seafood tom yum and prawn spring rolls. While eating, I think that this small town is a center of civilization in the past and with its own rhythm and pace trying to keep up with changing times.