Salt, sea and spoonbills

During a morning stroll through vast salt fields in the seaside town of Samut Sakhon, I couldn't resist but take breathtaking photos of a large flock of birds. Close by, experienced birdwatcher Suchart Daengpayon (also known as Mr Tee) led a small group of foreign tourists on a trip to see the food-seeking behaviours of the spoon-billed sandpiper, an endangered shorebird species.

Fortunately, Mr Tee kindly allowed me to use his spotting scope and gave me a brief overview of bird conservation efforts in tambon Khok Kham. Over 30 years ago, he and his neighbours established the Khok Kham Natural Conservation Club after working with an international survey team which wanted to get insights on the biodiverse marine habitats in Thailand's wetlands. That's when he realised that the best spot to go bird watching was right there at home.

"After salt farming, this is my hobby. The migration season for birds runs from October to April. Around 30 different kinds of birds fly from Siberia to several Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Myanmar, while a few of them make it as far as Australia. The stars include the broad-billed sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, spoon-billed sandpiper, lesser sand plover and red-necked stint," said Suchart, a secretary of the Khok Kham Natural Conservation Club.

The swamps above the shores of the Gulf of Thailand are home to several species of small fish and worms as well as lush landscapes for temporary stays, so the short-legged birds enjoy an abundance of food in this area.

"We can see the birds all year round since some of them choose to stay longer as they aren't ready to build nests and lay eggs. A few of the native birds that can be seen here include little and great cormorants as well as great, medium and little egrets," he explained.

A short distance away, Lerphong Janthong set up the Na Klua School to educate future generations and tourists on how to craft pure sea salt, a skill that has been passed down throughout centuries. Located on the east banks of the Tha Chin River, Samut Sakhon is home to the second-largest salt farms after Phetchaburi. Additionally, Samut Songkhram, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao and Pattani also produce sea salt.

King Rama V allocated this land to villagers to grow rice and build homes. In 1938, local farmers realised that their hometown was bounded by a muddy sea, making it a perfect site for sea salt production. At that point, lush rice paddies were transformed into 20,000 rai of tile-paved salt fields.

"Our community sits near a muddy sea that is rich in iodine, making it ideal for making quality sea salt. The neighbourhoods of Khok Kham and Phanthai Norasing are home to roughly 200 salt farmers, but after natural disasters, some of them have switched to raising fish and shrimp," Lerphong said.

"Our businesses were first considered to be salt mines, so when storms or floods damaged our salt farms, the authorities failed to assist us. But as of now, we can register with the Department of Agricultural Extension as salt farmers. To establish a Thai Sea Salt Development Committee, salt producers in seven provinces signed a Memorandum of Understanding."

Uncle Lerphong extends a cordial welcome to visitors and provides a farm tour. His land is divided into six zones for salt production, which takes place between October and June. Over 10,000 litres of seawater are stored and filtered in a 15 rai pond before being moved to an adjacent 16 rai crystallisation pool where various types of salt are extracted from the seawater.

Different salts with distinct properties are produced depending on how long seawater is exposed to the Sun. For example, salt that has been dried for five Sun exposures can be used to make shrimp paste and fish sauce. Salt exposed to 10 sunny days of curing makes the perfect salt for pickling fish and vegetables, and dried salt that has been exposed to 15 sunny days is utilised in factories to manufacture paper, mirrors and ice.

"Sea salt farming is local wisdom, using elements of the Earth such as water and wind. Sea salt is generated by nature and has a lower sodium content. To maintain Thailand's cultural heritage, we wish to raise awareness of the significance of salt farming as younger generations pick other careers instead of salt farming," he said.

"We produce between 400-480 tonnes of sea salt a year. In recent years, we have become concerned about the quality of the seawater, which is impacted by the growth of industrial estates and marine plastic pollution."

Just 7km from the salt fields, I drove through a web of narrow streets to the newly refurbished Samut Sakhon Aquarium, which resumed operation late last year following a nine-year hiatus. Nestled amid a lush mangrove forest, it first opened in 2011 and now stands on a 10 rai plot of land to showcase a diversity of marine biological ecosystems found in the Gulf of Thailand.

Behind the entrance, visitors are greeted by a diverse array of vibrant aquatic animals, including blue tang, butterfly fish, blue-ring angelfish, parrot fish, lionfish and crabs. Walking through a 3.5m glass tunnel, visitors can feel as though they are on an underwater expedition viewing vivid coral reefs home to a group of tiger groupers, brownbanded bamboo sharks, golden trevally, suckerfish and cobia. Outside, there is a sizable tank with several sea turtles where visitors can observe daily routines or feed them.

After returning from the underwater world, I made my way through a mess of fish and shell farms to the Mangrove Forest Conservation and Rehabilitation Learning Center, which is situated 6.5km away. Enclosed by a tranquil mangrove forest, guests can stroll along a 1km natural path and see how the nearby seaside communities defend their houses against coastal erosion.

The initiative started in 2007 when villagers erected sturdy bamboo barriers to block waves and store sediment behind them. When the mud land recovered, villagers planted mangrove trees in 2012 to replace the decaying bamboo poles, which today stretch over 250 rai.

"To prevent coastal erosion, local communities in tambon Khok Kham and Phanthai Norasing worked with provincial authorities to find a solution. We saw the shoreline was being worn away for many years, so we developed our own bamboo barriers to fend off the waves before our homes and roads were destroyed," villager Narin Boonruam said.

"Then, we planted mangrove trees to rehabilitate the coastline and surrounding environment and established a learning centre where both residents and tourists could come and learn about diverse marine ecosystems in the Gulf of Thailand."

Here, tourists can release mangrove crabs to enhance the richness of marine life rather than fish or turtles, which we regularly see people tossing into the river for merit. Many PVC pipes have also been turned into slides to prevent visitors from walking on mud lands and harming the local aquatic life.

A white sand beach in the centre of the mangrove forest is reachable by taking further steps, but it's not a pleasant spot to set up a picnic blanket and spend vacation time next to a pile of plastic trash from the ocean. However, hawks and eagles find this area to be a tranquil and bountiful place to live.

My next stop was Phan Thai Norasing Shrine, which was only a 15-minute drive from the mangrove jungle. Here, hundreds of colourful chicken figurines honour a legendary paladin from the Ayutthaya period. Legend has it that Phan Thai Norasing navigated King Sanphet VIII through the winding Khok Kham canal as a steerman and the boat's prow unintentionally struck an overhanging tree branch due to the strong current. This was a serious mistake that carried a death sentence.

Even though the king granted him a royal pardon, Phan Thai Norasing insisted on being beheaded in order to enforce the law. The king had a wooden shrine built as his memorial following the execution and the Fine Arts Department confirmed this to be the original execution location in 1936.

After the original shrine decayed over time, the current one was constructed to house a statue of Phan Thai Norasing where people go to pray for good luck, professional achievement and success in exams. A few metres away, a range of huge old wooden boats are exhibited in a pavilion to honour local wisdom.

Before sunset, my journey ended at the Red Bridge where residents and tourists gathered along the coastline. They jostled for the best spot and held some mouthwatering chicken nuggets to entice the migrant seagulls that fly into Thailand between November and April in the hopes of capturing wonderful pictures.

Travel info

 

• Na Klua School is at 29/4 Moo 3, tambon Khok Kham, Samut Sakhon province. Call 086-524-1021.
• The Khok Kham Natural Conservation Club offers a birding tour at 1,000 baht. Call 081-005-8974.
• The Mangrove Forest Conservation and Rehabilitation Learning Center is located in the Khok Kham fishing man village, Samut Sakhon province. It's open daily from 6am to 6pm. Call 089-491-6011.
• Samut Sakhon Aquarium is in tambon Khok Kham, Samut Sakhon province. It's open daily from 10am to 4pm (except Wednesday), and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free. For more details, call 081-948-2522 or visit facebook.com/sakhonaquarium.
• Phan Thai Norasing Shrine is in tambon Phanthai Norasing, Samut Sakhon province. It's open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 7pm. Call 034-871-578.