Phuket has a rich history of visiting ambassadors who brought exotic contraptions, inventions and traditions to the melting pot of Chinese, European, Malay and other cultures.

The landmarks of Phuket's vibrant life of yesteryear still stand, but are now surrounded by modern shopping malls and entertainment venues.

One of the city's popular sites in the 1960s was the 200-room Thavorn Hotel on Rassada Road. It was Phuket's first five-star hotel and the first to have an elevator.

These days, the hotel seems like just another old building, but a peek inside gives an insight into days of yore. Beside the lobby is a series of rooms joined by wooden archways leading through a fascinating collection of antique contraptions, fading photographs and all sorts of tin-mining paraphernalia.

The items are much older than the hotel, which was built in 1961. The collection features more than 1,000 items, most of which are at least 100 years old.

First to catch the eye is an oversized "Lotus pan" with a label in Thai and English explaining it was used to cook rice for some 200 tin workers late in the 19th century.

Next to the pan is a wooden trunk that would have held the clothes and possessions of one of the workers, hotel manager Prateep Chairchai says. "This Chinese 'safe-deposit box' is more than 200 years old. It would have usually been kept locked, and coins would have been dropped into it through a slit in the lid."

The collection belonged to hotel founder, Tilok Thavornvongwongse, who also owned several tin mines in Phuket and neighbouring provinces. The antiques now belong to Tilok's son Chareon.

The antiques radiate a positive aura. Even though their makers and original owners have long departed, the relics seem still to be alive with the love and passion that went into making them.

"These artefacts are like a reminder that everyone's life will eventually come to an end, but that something will always remain to mark that time in history," Prateep says.

Historic sabres

A large metal contraption in the centre of the room turns out to be a 100-year-old movie projector. Apparently Tilok owned two local movie theatres, including the once-popular Paradise, which stood where the Ocean shopping mall is today.

Two sabres in a glass case are much older than the projector, and apparently of much greater significance. They are said to be the weapons used by Phuket's famed heroines, Tao "Jan" Thepkrasattri and Tao "Muk" Sri Soonthorn, who led islanders to victory over Burmese invaders in 1785.

The many black-and-white photographs on the walls show wide, dirt roads full of people and carts long before cars came.

There is a picture of Phuket Airport dated 1930, and an image of Ranong Road during the 1940s. The collection is large and varied.

The Thavorn Hotel Museum contains hundreds of items from a variety of cultures.

Sompratch Saowakhon

Phuket Gazette