One of the better preserved traditional markets in Thailand can be found in Suphanburi Province. It is called Sam Chuk 100 Year Market and it still has its original wooden shophouses that date back to the reign of King Rama V. In those days it was a bustling market alongside the Tha Chin River. This was a main thoroughfare between the north and Bangkok. However, with the building of roads both the importance of the market and the number of customers dwindled. It got to the point that the local authority were contemplating on pulling down the old houses to build condominiums.

Fortunately, the local people decided to work together to revive the market. They have done such an outstanding job that this year UNESCO gave them an Award of Merit in recognition of their achievement. It is certainly one of the better old market that I have visited. These days, markets in Thailand seemed to all sell the same thing with clothes and tacky objects for the home and kitchen. Markets open for tourists also tend to have the same cheap souvenirs. However, Sam Chuk Market is more of a living museum where they have carefully blended the past and present.

The highlight of any market for me is of course the food. Sam Chuk certainly doesn't disappoint you in this department. In fact, some people drive up all the way from Bangkok just to eat at the market and to enjoy the authentic surroundings. As well as noodles and roast duck, there are also many famous Thai desserts. Some of the more popular restaurants are very crowded at the weekend and you might need to wait for a seat. After a meal, you could visit a coffee shop to try a drink made the traditional way.

One of the things that I liked about the market is that it is spread out. There are about 300 houses in the market on the four main lanes. This gives you a chance to get away from the crowds and do a bit of exploring. Some of the smaller shops out of the way are just as interesting. As well as the food shops and coffee houses, there are kitchenware shops, photo studios, clothing shops, beauty parlours, traditional medicine shops, antique shops, blacksmiths and a lot more. There are also some shops selling good quality souvenirs.

This old photo studio is a good example of a shop from days gone by still being used successfully today. In one of the three storey wooden shophouses they have put together an interesting community museum. There is a scale model of the market as well as pictures of days gone by. Sam Chuk is a good example of how the local people can work together to produce a successful tourist attraction and thriving market even in the middle of a recession. I have only been there once but I will certainly go again to explore more.

Sam Chuk community market is accessible through Highway 340, from Bangkok via Bang Bua Thong district in Nonthaburi to Suphan Buri. It is located on the riverside and adjacent to the Sam Chuk District Office. You can catch a bus heading north from Suphanburi. Many thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for taking us to this market and for looking after us so well. You can view more of our pictures as well as a video over at the Paknam Web Forums.

One way to experience the traditional lifestyle of Thai farmers is at the Buffalo Village in Suphanburi. In Thai it is called "baan kwai". Thai farmers, and their trusty companions, the buffalo, are considered the backbone of the country. Although buffaloes have been the butt of many jokes in classrooms across the country (to be called "buffalo" is the same as being called "stupid") the buffaloes have in fact been hardworking animals that all farmers can rely on. The use of buffaloes was starting to die out on farms as farmers turned to other means of ploughing such as using tractors. However, when fuel prices started to rise then some farmers decided to go back to the trusty buffalo.

Thais have made use of buffaloes since before the time of the Kingdom of Sukhothai. They were not only used in farming as was seen during the famous siege of Bangrachan just before the fall of Ayutthaya. Thai farmers are as fond of their buffaloes as most people are of their dogs or cats. In the past it was unthinkable to slaughter buffalo for meat. Farmers would look after the animal until it died. Only then would they use the meat as food. They would also keep the horns of the buffalo as a kind of memento. After the farming season finishes, there would be ceremonies to bless the buffalo. Farmers would sing its praise and treat it with a big feast and fresh water. Some farmers even referred to the buffaloes as their children, which shows how much respect they had for them.

It is not always easy or convenient to go and learn about the role of buffaloes on a farm so that is why they created the Buffalo Village in Suphanburi Province. So instead of visiting a farm, you can now learn about traditional farming at this theme village. They aim not only to raise awareness of the important role the buffaloes have played but also to help conserve the dwindling breeding stock. The main attraction here are the daily buffalo shows which last about 30 minutes. To be honest, as I grew up on a farm, I didn't find the show that interesting but the audience that day did enjoy it. Apparently not many independent foreign tourists come this way which probably explains why the show was only in Thai. However, the management told me that they get lot of tour buses passing through with foreigners and they put on special shows for them including demonstrations of rice planting. Other highlights of the Buffalo Village is the group of traditional Thai style houses.

The shows are at 11 a.m and 3 p.m. during the week and 11 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the weekend. Although the show was only in Thai language, they have decided, for some reason, to charge foreign tourists a higher price. Full price, including entrance, show and buffalo cart ride is 300 baht for foreigners and 60 baht for Thais. Foreign children are 210 baht and Thai children only 10 baht. I personally found the entrance fee to be too high and I don't believe it would be good vlaue for money. Luckily I didn't have to pay! I would like to thank the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for inviting me on this trip and being such kind hosts. Click here to see the Buffalo Village marked on google maps. More information about Suphanburi Province at our www.ThailandGuidebook.com website.

In my hometown, I am familiar with one temple in particular. Not only is this temple a destination for those studying Thai traditional paintings from educational institutes such as the Suphanburi College of Fine Arts where I teach, it is, in my opinion, the finest place for those studying traditional Thai wall murals in the entire province.

These murals are the works of royalist compositionist experts from by-gone days. Since each one has been meticulously painted, they are a fine source for research and analysis for students of traditional Thai art. Moreover, every piece stretches from the artist’s imagination in a unique and personal way.

Wat No Phuttangkul is located in Tambon Phiharn Daeng, Suphanburi Town on the western banks of the Tha Cheen River. No-one knows, however, the exact year the temple was built and by whom.

According to local legend, Laotians from Vientiane who had fled their homeland due to revolt there, settled down in the vicinity of Tambon Phiharn Daeng. And it was here that they established a house of priests chapel. Again, the actual year is unknown.

After, a royal Phraya founded a temple named Wat Makham Nor. The temple kept this name till a new abbot called Phra Suvarnvernkhun arrived and took charge - he renamed the temple, as it is known to this day, Wat No Phuttangkul.

Legend goes that an old abbot of the temple had the murals crafted in the late Ayutthaya era as the style is similar to that time. The imaginative murals can be found on the interior and exterior walls of the chapel. It is said that the murals are chiefly the workmanship of royalist mural compositionist Nai Kham who had been one of the original Laotians who fled Vientiane for Suphanburi.

Supposedly Nai Kham had 3 siblings but was parted from them during their hazardous trip to Siam’s new capital Krungthep. When it became known to local civil servants that Nai Kham had been a former muralist in Vientiane he was ordered to start painting at Wat Suthat.

On completion of the murals at Wat Suthat, Nai Kham intended to trace his 3 brothers. It was then that he found out that they had settled in the north-western province of Suphanburi just a 2 days boat ride from the capital. He finally managed to locate them in Tambon Phiharn Daeng.

When Nai Kham himself decided to settle down in the district he became aware that the local temple needed some work done on it, and it was then that Nai Kham took charge of the abbot’s wishes. Unable to complete this stupendous task alone, Nai Kham invited other mural compositionist relatives of his from Krungthep to assist on the project. When the murals were finally finished Nai Kham ventured to work on other craftsmanship at near-by Wat Pratusarn.

These exquisite murals include mainly the legendary Buddhist era which depicts the 10 lives (10 Jakatas) of the Lord Buddha before he was born into human form. They are:

1. Temiya Jataka - Temiya, the mute Prince
2. Mahajanaka Jataka - Mahajanaka, the lost Prince
3. Sama Jataka - Sama, the devoted Son
4. Nimi Jataka - Nimi, the noble King
5. Mahosadha Jataka - Mahosadha, the clever Sage
6. Bhuridatta Jataka - Bhuridatta, the Naga Prince
7. Canda-Kumara Jataka - Canda-Kumara, the honorable Prince
8. Narada Jataka - Narada, the great Brahma
9. Vidhura-Pandita Jataka - Vidhura-Pandita, the eloquent Sage
10. Vessantara Jataka - Vessantara, the charitable Prince

Over recent years the temple and murals have twice come under repair, the last time being 2007. And so, murals which had once been rather dilapidated have now been returned to their original form. Wat No Phuttangkul is under the protection and preservation of the National Commission of Fine Arts.

I would care to invite everyone with an interest in traditional Thai art to visit Wat No Phuttangkul in Tambon Phiharn Daeng in Suphanburi Town. Situated just a few kilometers from the main market area, it can easily be reached by samlor or tuk-tuk. For further information on visiting this beautiful temple contact www.thai-blogs.com. Click here to see the location marked on a map.

Ajarn Phaen Ekchit teaches at the Suphanburi College of Fine Arts.

Translation by Stephen Cleary.

One of the hidden gems of Suphan Buri is Chawak Lake at the northern end of the province. The Bueng Chawak Chalermphrakiat project was initiated back in 1994 to celebrate H.M. The King's 50th year accession to the throne. The three main projects surrounding the lake are "The Wildlife Extension Center", "The Garden of Indigenous Vegetables" and "The Exhibition Center for Aquatic Animals". As I mentioned before, Suphanburi is not featured at all in the Lonely Planet guidebooks, so if you do manage to get out to this excellent park, you will probably be the only foreigner there.

At the weekend, it is a popular destination for local Thai people despite the fact that you won't find any public transport to get here. One of the best things I liked about this place was that it was so cheap. The above picture was taken at "The Garden of Indigenous Vegetables" which had free entry. If you are interested in herbs and plants for eating and medical benefits then you will be fascinated by these gardens. You can walk around freely or rent a bicycle.

The highlight for me was the aquarium. There are over 110 aquatic animals, both native and foreign and also some exotic fish. We were there on a weekday so it wasn't that crowded. This made it easy to take your time in wandering around and studying the fish in each of the display cases. It was also light enough to take pictures quite easily. I loved the tunnels where you walked underneath the fish. I actually prefer this aquarium to that small one in the basement of Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok. Of course, the best thing is that Siam Ocean World is a very expensive 850 baht whereas this aquarium is only 30 baht!

At Bueng Chawak your money does go a bit further as there is also a crocodile pool outside. Here they have about 80 crocodiles. If you come at the weekend, you will be able to watch a crocodile show here. They have four rounds starting at 11 a.m. It was a shame we missed this and also the show in the big fish tank which again they only have at the weekends starting at 10.30 a.m. However, we couldn't complain as the admission price was less than US$1. And anyway, we didn't actually have to pay as we went there as guests of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

After the aquarium, we drove over to the Wildlife Extension Center. The animal center is ideal for families. Here you will find animals such as tigers, lions, camels, zebras and ostriches. They also have a 25 meter high aviary which has about 50 species of birds. We didn't have much time to spend here but I will certainly go back again at a later date. The admission was only 20 baht which is so cheap compared to the 700 baht you have to pay to go to Safari World. The best thing is, it only costs an additional 20 baht to take pictures of your kids sitting with a baby tiger or an orangutan. Other zoos will charge you something like 250 baht, though they give you a framed picture for that price.

Also at the lake is this beautiful resort. These treehouses cost 1,300 baht during the week and 1,600 baht at the weekend. Pretty good value for money. If you want to stay here at the weekend or during holidays, be sure to call ahead to book. Their number is 035-430099. I will certainly come back here again and spend more time exploring the area. During the week it is very peaceful and a great place to ride a bicycle or just walk. Visit our free Thailand Guidebook for more information for this tourist attraction and others in Suphan Buri.

I wish to thank the TAT for arranging our trip to Suphanburi and also for paying for all food and accommodation during the trip. If anyone has a tourist attraction or resort and would like us to do a site inspection then please contact us through our website at www.paknamweb.com.

One of the latest major tourist attractions to open in Thailand is the “Dragon Descendants Museum” in Suphanburi Province. Like the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan that is shaped like a three-headed elephant, this museum is also a “Wonder of Thailand”. One of those rare places where perhaps the building itself is more interesting and beautiful than the artifacts it holds within. In the case of this museum, the building is in the shape of a giant dragon. It dominates the landscape as you drive towards the city pillar shrine. The brightly coloured dragon, which is made of fiberglass, is 135 meters long and 35 meters high. It is 18 meters wide.

The museum had it official opening on December 24th 2008. However, we were invited up there the day before for a special tour led by Khun Weerasak Kowsurat, the ex-minister of tourism and sports. This has been a special project that he has personally helped with since the initial concept ten years ago. The museum was the brainchild of Banharn Silpa-archa when he was the prime minister of Thailand back in 1996. He decided that he would build a unique museum that would celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the People's Republic of China and Thailand. The museum took ten years to plan and 600 days to build.

Khun Banharn Silpa-archa is a native of Suphanburi. The story goes that he left the city for Bangkok as a youth with only 15 baht in his pocket. Before he left, he stopped at the city pillar shrine to make a wish that he would have a successful life. He also promised that if he became rich that he would come back to Suphanburi and donate money to both beautify the shrine and the city too. As it turned out, Khun Banharn did become a successful businessman and also the 21st prime minister of Thailand. He also kept his promise and did a lot of work in developing Suphanburi as a model city that would be the envy of all Thai citizens. The “Dragon Descendants Museum” is undoubtedly his jewel in the crown.

The museum was designed to showcase the unique history of the Chinese people together with their culture and wisdom. Khun Weerasak told me that they decided to build the museum in the shape of a dragon as it is a symbol of China and recognizable around the world. It is also not the normal kind of museum where you wander around by yourself. You have to join tours that leave on the hour and every hour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The multimedia experience is unique as it takes you through the history of the Chinese civilization though the use of light and sound shows. We started at the cradle of the creation of the world and then as we walked from room to room, we passed through various dynasties covering a period of 5,000 years. The final room told us of the origins of the Thai-Chinese people and how they have integrated with the people of Thailand. Chatting afterwards, Khun Weerasak told me that he hoped that the museum would inspire people to try and learn a bit more about the Chinese culture.

There is no doubt that the outside of the building is very impressive. It is certainly an important attraction for Suphanburi if not the whole nation. It also serves well the purpose of strengthening ties between the Thai and Chinese nations. The presentation of information in the museum was done in a unique and fascinating way. I was impressed with this though I did have some misgivings. Each round can cater for only about 20-25 people at a time. With seven rounds in one day, then that means it can only cater for a maximum of 175 people per day. Not really a realistic number considering other museums can cope with thousands of people per day. I did bring this point up with Khun Weerasak afterwards. He told me that in theory they could have rounds setting off every ten minutes. But the system hadn't been tested for that yet.

I think a museum of this kind would be of great interest to young students as the information is presented in a lively and interesting way. However, you cannot really have more than 25 people in one group which is not really practical for school parties. In total there are twenty rooms that we passed through and we had to keep to a strict schedule. We had a tour guide that ushered us through from room to room. She introduced each exhibit and then let the multimedia presentation explain in more detail. Some rooms were quite dark and only lit up certain places as the story progressed. For most of the time I had a good view. However, there were a few times when I wanted to pause to take a picture of an exhibit and I was handicapped either by the tour guide rushing us along or the lights being switched off automatically. The doors behind us were also automatic and we had to be careful not to be left behind!

The whole tour was just under 90 minutes which was surprising. The time flew by quite quickly. Even if you have just a passing interest in Chinese history and culture you will find the museum worthwhile. The presentations were impressive and even interactive at times. At one time we were standing on the deck of a Chinese junk and the floor beneath us swayed with the waves of the sea. My only complaint was the lack of information in English, and surprisingly, Chinese. The tour guide only spoke Thai and all of the video presentations were in Thai too. Unlike the excellent Museum of Siam in Bangkok, there were no subtitles on the video. A missed opportunity. There were a few rooms that had signs in English however I didn't always get time to read them before the lights were switched off. I brought this point up with Khun Weerasak. He said that foreign visitors would be given audio devices to help them follow the story. They would also train Chinese speaking guides if there were large groups of Chinese people. I am afraid I am a little skeptical on how well this would work.

The “Dragon Descendants Museum” is one of those rare places in Suphanburi that has a two price system. I thought that was a bit of a cheek considering that Thai people would get far more out of the experience than foreigners. I know the building was largely funded by donations from local Thai people. But, when I was in Suphanburi about two years ago, I too made a donation at the city pillar shrine towards the building of the dragon museum. So, I feel a bit of it also belongs to me. The admission price for adults is 299 baht for Thai and 499 baht for foreigners (including Chinese people). For children it is 299 baht for Thai and 149 baht for children. The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday and also on public holidays. As it is in a public area, you can view the outside of the dragon and also take pictures for free.

I think Suphan Buri is starting to have enough tourist attractions now to warrant a visit. Maybe even an overnight stay. You can find out more information over at our website www.ThailandGuidebook.com where we have a large section on Suphan Buri. If you have any questions about how to visit or where to stay, then please post them in our ThailandQA Forums where we have people waiting to answer your questions 24/7. Many thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for organizing and sponsoring this trip. Click here for more information and pictures.

In my last blog I talked about the defeat of the Thai by the Burmese in the 1760s. Conflicts with Burma are a recurring theme in this area. A short distance away, at Don Chedi in Suphan Buri, is a memorial to the 1592 victory over the Burmese.

We spent a pleasant day taking in some of the sights in Suphan Buri, but really just scratched the surface. Writing this blog, I realise that one of the themes for the day was animals.

Our first stop was the complex of attractions at Bueng Chawak. There are many things to see here, an aquarium, various animals, birds, and plants. Of course, we only saw a fraction of it. It would probably take a whole day to do it justice. It was a popular place, full of children, parents, and mini-van loads of monks. Even a talent show. Though it wasn’t the destination I would have picked if I had been on my own (I would have gone for more history) it was a nice feeling: Thai families having a day out.

Our next stop was the Buffalo Village. This has been described as a tourist trap, and it is true that they charge farang prices, even though my Thai friends bought the tickets.

The village contains some pleasant gardens and examples of traditional Thai houses, but the main “attraction” for me was the buffalo show. It occurred to me that this is the sort of thing that we sell to foreign tourists in New Zealand. In our case it is demonstrations of sheep shearing, rounding up sheep with dogs (sheep are big in New Zealand), and ploughing (with tractors). But here the buffalo do the ploughing and I didn’t see any foreign tourists, just local Thai people, including the ever-present monks.

It would be easy to make fun of the show, but, like the shows back in New Zealand, it is always interesting to see real animals at work. And of course we got to feed them in at the end. Feeding animals, especially fish, seems to be a popular pastime in Thailand.

The sun was getting low by the time we got to Don Chedi. It was immediately obvious that this was a popular and important site. To get to it we had to pass a gauntlet of stalls selling everything from electronic equipment to handbags. My friends insisted that I try the fried bugs so I was soon wandering around with a bag full of grasshoppers and various other invertebrates. I’ve eaten bugs at “wild food” festivals back home, so I was a little disappointed that in this case the cooking process had vaporised all of the flesh. Only the exoskeletons remained and the mixture was sprayed with syrup. Not unpleasant, but very sweet and I did not manage to finish the bag.

But on to the monument. There is a lot of detail about King Naresuan, and his 1592 victory over the Burmese in an elephant battle here and in this blog. The impressive pagoda was constructed in the early 20th century, over the remains of a much older monument.

Inside the monument there are many displays, in Thai and English, and some very realistic-looking models of the battle. Almost like being there. Of course, the Burmese are the ones in red in the picture above getting the worst of it.

Outside there were some real elephants, giving a better feel of the scale. And, of course, we got to feed them.

After that it was time to feed ourselves, at yet another excellent roadside restaurant. Another interesting day in Central Thailand. And not another foreigner in sight.

On the way back home from our trip to Suphanburi, we stopped at a really amazing temple complex called Wat Pai Rong Rua. It is popular with people from Bangkok who drive up here for the day. It is quite easy to find. Just take highway 340 and then look out for the turning on the left for Song Phi Nong. The temple presented itself a long time before we arrived at the front gate. This was because the massive 54 metre high sitting Buddha could be seen miles away. I am pretty sure that this must be the largest Buddha image in Thailand. The only other big one I have seen is in Ayutthaya and that is a measly 19 metres high!

I think Carl Parkes got it right in his guidebook when he described this place as a “surrealistic Buddhist theme park more reminiscent of Disney on acid than Buddha in nirvana”. Scattered around this 200 acre park we discovered literally hundreds and hundreds of Buddha images of all shapes and sizes. It is actually a good place to come for people with an interest in Buddhism as there are also replicas of important Buddhist shrines and buildings. In one section of the park, there is a depiction of Buddhist hell. Here you can see what will happen to you in the afterlife if you perform certain bad deeds. These were very similar to the temple I visited in Bangsaen. However, I think the models here were more explicit and gorey.

There is a lot to do and experience at this temple to keep you busy for several hours at least, if not half a day. We were there at the weekend so it was quite busy with people. If you prefer to avoid the crowds then come during the week. It looks like the monks are continually adding more structures. In this photograph, you can just make out the shoulder of a gigantic Reclining Buddha which will surely be the longest in Thailand once it is completed. Another record breaker at this temple is the largest metal cast Buddha image in the world called "Phra Phutthakhodom", which has a lap width of 10 metres and a height of 26 metres.

You can visit this temple as a day trip from Bangkok or on your way to Suphanburi. You could also use that city as your base as we saw a songtaew arrive at the temple which had just come from Suphanburi.