Baan Kien village is connected to Phuket's history and the honorable brave deeds of the two heroines, Sri Thalang. The following tourism activities will be conducted by the community’s philosophers on the topic "The tourism route of Baan Kien community". Initially, the travel route to Baan Kien starts at Phra Nang Sang temple, the old temple over a hundred years old. It used to be the battlefield where Ya Mook and Ya Chan set up camp to fight against the Burmese. Inside Phra Ubosot, there’s the principal Buddha image that was created by the local artisan. And they also found 3 ancient tin Buddha images known as Phra Nai Phung. Then, head to Phra Thong temple or Phra Phud temple. It’s the old temple that's famous for housing a half-buried golden Buddha statue called Luang Poh Phra Thong (Golden Buddha), one of the unseen in Phuket. Next, travel to Thalang Chana Suek Memorial and Wat Muang Komanraphat. Their histories are related to the Nine-Armies War.
At that time, the Burmese army defeated Siam at Pak Phra camp. Lady Chan escaped to Thalang and gathered the troops to fight against the Burmese soldiers. This fight was led by Lady Chan and Lady Mook. The Burmese army set up camp at Khok Burma, which is opposite to the current Thung Na Luang. While Lady Mook and Lady Chan used the cannons to hold off the invasion for many days, the Burmese food supplies were steadily diminishing. The Thalang’s soldiers also deceived the Burmese army with a hoax strategy. The women's troops disguised themselves as Thai soldiers holding weapons made of the tin-coated wooden sticks and walked to Thalang city during the daytime. The Burmese army thought that reinforcements were coming every day. Therefore, they miscalculated the strength of the Thai army. The battle lasted more than a month, and the Burmese army was short of food supplies, exhausted, and eventually lost in the end.
Another place that is related to Thalang’s war history is Nob Nang Dak dam. “Nob” refers to the dam, “Nang” represents Lady Mook and Lady Chan, and “Dak” is the water barrier. Therefore, Nop Nang Dak is the embankment to stop the water from flowing away. During the war, the enemy’s ships were unable to enter because of the dam. The water was diverted to the rice fields. The fields were all muddy, which made the enemies difficult to walk. This strategy has been recorded as the only one in Thailand that was able to win the war.
Moreover, Thep Kasatri & Si Sunthon’s house, or simply called "Ron-Ya," is how Ron refers to the house. Then, Ron-Ya is the grandmother’s home. Since the Ayutthaya period, the nobility’s houses were called “Rong Chang." Within the house, you will see the different floor levels on both sides. “Rong” is the reception area for guests, and at a lower level is the walkway. The ancient house will have the front entrance’s stairs and the back entrance’s stairs so as not to pass by the guest area.
In the past, Thalang and Baan Kien had a total area of 96 rai, or 153,600 square meters. Nowadays, these areas have become Phuket's nine heroes’ memorial park. All nine figures are the important historical people of Phuket. They are the supreme commander, division leaders, and division controllers. Accordingly, there are a lot of ironwoods in the Baan Kien area, and Phra Nang Sang temple also has a lot of Burma padauk trees.
Another place that is also related to this community is "Na Luang" (the royal’s rice field). Before, the king allotted rice fields to governors, military commanders, and court officials in payment for their services to the crown, according to the Sakdina system. And if somebody broke the law, these prisoners would be punished by having to work in the paddy fields, and the rice production must be sent to the royal property.
Accordingly, the famous local cuisine of Baan Kien is Khao Lam (baked sticky rice in bamboo), and the highlight food is Som Tum Prik (chili) or Som Tam Khey (shrimp paste). Speaking of Som Tum’s (papaya salad) ingredients, normally, people would think of garlic, chili, and pickled fish. But here they add shrimp paste, tamarind paste, and pepper. Pepper is an ancient recipe. They believe that pepper will not cause “Soh-Thong” symptoms, meaning diarrhea, and will help to extinguish the shrimp paste odor. In addition, the set menus that they prepare for the tourists include Mueang Lang chili paste, fried fish, and Tom Som (or sometimes Tom Kati; Thai coconut soup with local vegetables).
The sugar palm garden here is the only landmark of Thalang. So, the main dessert should be made of toddy palm, “Kanom Tan." There are also other traditional desserts, like Kanom Tian (the stuffed dough pyramid), and Kanom Ton Tai, which will be made on the festival of the tenth lunar month (Sat Duan Sip). And the desserts from Chinese culture; Huad goy and Eiw Pueng. The outstanding product of Baan Kien is the natural tie-dyed fabric from mangoteen peels, which won the award in the national contest and is the community’s pride.
We are happy to welcome you all to Baan Kien. Our location is in the middle of Phuket, on the route between the airport and Phuket town. We would like to change the passing location to be the resting destination. Exploring the historical story, paying homage to the Buddha at the temple, enjoying the activities with the locals and supporting the local wisdom and products. If you are interested, please contact Wanna Tansakul, Tel. (+66) 81271 3796.
Phone: 08 1271 3796
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950 THB/Person
