At Talat Ban Mai, the local community has revived its 100 year-old riverside market on the eastern end of Chachoengsao province. Open during weekends and public holidays, the well-preserved market offers visitors glimpses of traditional town life and an opportunity to taste a myriad of Thai and Chinese delicacies for which the area, an 80-minute drive east of Bangkok, is known.

Though the name means ‘new village market’, this network of over 120 wooden shophouses and stalls has barely changed since King Rama V paid a visit on 25 January 1907. The Sino-Thai settlement, founded during the reign of King Rama III, prospered from waterborne trade at the confluence of the Klong Ban Mai canal with the 230-kilometre-long Bang Pakong, one of the major rivers flowing into the Gulf of Thailand.

The half-hour trip contributes to the sense of heading somewhere detached from the pressures of modern life. The charming wooden boat chugs past raft houses, fishing canoes, plantations of betel palm and nipa palm – home to a small colony of birds, and the quaint water frontage of Chachoengsao town.

Earlier efforts by the community to develop the old riverside market into a sustainable tourist attraction had stalled. Given its proximity to Bangkok, the development of vastly improved transportation networks meant that much of the trade soon bypassed the traditional riverside market. Modern modes of transportation also provided a quick commute to Bangkok for younger residents seeking work. Both factors contributed to its eventual decline. The situation began to change in 2004 when the Baan Mai Conservation Club was established. Public hearings were held and growing local enthusiasm won support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The community also secured some grassroots development funding allocated by the government for small and medium enterprises.

Despite a couple of minor fires, disuse over many years actually helped preserve the teak shuttered structures, which are of an architectural style dating back to the reign of King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn), from major changes. Original residents have re-opened their shophouses to trade in goods not just for outsiders, but also local produce to give the market a self-sustaining function.

The re-opening of the riverside market has created local employment. Hawkers have been invited to set up a veritable buffet of stalls. Today, many of Baan Mai’s young generation return from jobs in Bangkok to help staff the market during weekends and public holidays. Their delight in revitalising their neighbourhood is palpable. Residents invite browsers to look inside their homes and engage in cheery banter without pretension or touting.

Sampling regional specialities is a favourite pastime with Thai tourists, while Talat Ban Mai offers foreigners an introduction to delicacies rarely served in tourist areas. The province is even nicknamed ‘Paed Riew’ (eight stripes), after a popular local dish typically prepared with a whole freshwater fish that is scored and partially sliced into eight bite-size portions before it is cooked.

Much of the appeal lies in watching vendors prepare the dishes. Noodles tossed in a medley of salad herbs; mee kati (rice noodles prepared with coconut cream and fermented tofu); coils of grilled northern sausage being chopped and dipped into a powdery mixture called pla naem, the ingredients of which include fish flakes, peanuts, roasted rice, shallots and som saa citrus juice. Restaurants overlooking riverine life also offer local dishes, while most arrivals treading the boards of the covered pier order ‘old-style’ coffee or tea strained through sock filters.

For Thais, much joy lies in encountering candies recalled from childhood and especially the nam saa (soda fountain) stall. Shaped like a futuristic 1950’s jet plane, the carbonated water dispenser fizzes-up fruit syrups into a retro thirst-quencher.

While some outlets stock OTOP products, there’s a refreshing lack of generic souvenirs. Items on sale – from fabric incense to wooden mobiles – are as authentic as the foods.

The covered teak arcade dog-legs towards the road. There at the land entrance stands a remarkable corner shop, where a cobwebbed wireless nestles on the altar amid talismans, Buddha images and photographs of a young King Bhumibol and family ancestors. In the broad central area, a stage is periodically set up for likae (Thai folk opera), which was traditionally performed in markets.

Across a hump-backed bridge over a canal, more shophouses overlooking the river line an alley. Among the most archetypal sights are two barber shops; one with 1920’s Art Deco style slats in the Thai flag colours, another with carved teak barber chairs.

Famous sights often remain islands of heritage while their surroundings modernise, yet a complete historical streetscape may more evocatively transport you to an earlier era. Directors of period films prize these rare enclaves, which is why Talat Ban Mai is a popular film location, acting as the set for several costume dramas, such as Nang Nak and Chao Sua (Tycoon).

Before meandering back, visitors stop at Wat Leng Hok Yee, a Chinese shrine with papier-mâche sculptures of two Chinese deities in permanent meditation, both shrouded in billowing incense. It was named Wat Cheen Prachasamosorn by King Rama V, who bestowed the important Sampohkong Shrine as Wat Apaipatikaram.

Depending on how much you eat and photograph, you could spend an hour or three at Baan Mai.

It makes an easy day-trip in combination with surrounding attractions focusing on traditional Thai lifestyles. These include the Khao Hin Sorn Royal Development Study Centre, the Chao Phya Apaipubed Herbal Museum, Irrawaddy Dolphin spotting at the mounth of the Bangpakong River and Wat Sothorn Wararam Worawiharn, a newly renovated Royal temple housing a famous Buddha image.

Acknowledgements
Story by Philip Cornwel-Smith

Map please click to expand

Contact information:
Bangpakong River Tour
Bangpakong Charter Co., Ltd.
Tel: +66 (0) 3851 4333
Mobile phone: 0 9936 3343
Fax: +66 (0) 3851 8881
E-mail: bpkcharter@hotmail.com
Web site: www.bpkcharter.com

Ban Mai Riverside Market - Bangpakong River Tour Schedule
Weekends and public holidays:
10.30 - 12.30 / 11.30 - 13.30 / 13.00 - 15.00 / 14.00 - 16.00 / 15.00 - 17.00

Bangpakong River Tour Schedule
Monday - Friday
11.30 - 13.30 / 14.00 - 16.00

Ban Pa Nu by the Bangpakong River (restaurant)
Tel: +66 (0) 3851 1006

TAT Central Region Office: Region 8
Areas of responsibility: Nakhon Nayok, Sa Kaeo, Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao
Tel: +66 (0) 3731 2282, +66 (0) 3731 2284
Fax: +66 (0) 3731 2286
E-mail: tatnayok@tat.or.th