Sea-ing is believing

Sea-ing is believing

From crabs and fishing to mangrove swamps and ecotourism, Bangkok's coastline beckons

Bang Khunthian crabs, especially the species known as the Thong Lang crab, are renowned for their taste.
Bang Khunthian crabs, especially the species known as the Thong Lang crab, are renowned for their taste.

Most of the news about Bangkok's Bang Khunthian district in recent decades has dealt with the its persistent coastal erosion problem, which has at times overshadowed positive stories. One of these would be the area's years-long tourism campaign dubbed Kin Pou Du Thalay (Eat crab and enjoy views of the sea).

The Bangkok Post recently visited Prasert Chaweeint, director of Bang Khunthian district, to inquire about tourism activities along the coast.

The Kin Pou Du Thalay campaign has now run on 16 occasions. Could you please tell us a little bit about how it is going?

Bang Khunthian is the only district of Bangkok that has a coastal area connected to the Gulf of Thailand. The mangrove forest in the district is fertile and serves as a perfect place to hatch and nurse marine creatures, particularly sea crabs. Bang Khunthian sea crabs, especially the species known to locals as Thong Lang (Scylla serrata), taste very good when cooked. It has a light green upper shell but the lower shell also has a yellow or brownish hue.

With these distinguished marine resources, the district office has joined hands with local civic groups, the district's cultural council, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Thian Thael police station, and a group of seafood restaurants to create this project.

When it was first launched in 2001, it was called Thiaw Thale Krungthep (Explore Bangkok's sea). The highlight was taking a boat trip to see the natural beauty of the coastal area. It started from Khlong Luk Wua canal and ran all way to edge of Bangkok, next to an area set aside for a market. Market vendors sell products made by the local community using material drawn from the sea. This activity proved to be very successful among tourists.

We're still running this project but the name was recently changed Kin Pou Du Thalay to make it sound more catchy and better reflect the identity of Bang Khunthian. Every time the fair was held it enabled more people to get to know the district, and see for themselves that Bangkok's coastline is real, it does exist. It is a natural tourism site, an important seafood market and a major market for industrial goods. This project is a real success.

I've learned the project has been further developed into a new scheme called Long Reau Kin Pou Du Withi Chao Thalay Bang Khunthian (Cruising, eating crab, observing fishermen's way of life in Bang Khunthian). How is it going so far?

The project was created last year when the district office began promoting ecotourism as well as more places for tourists to visit. This type of tourism is believed to benefit the communities economically and be beneficial to them in terms of promoting upgrades to the quality of community-made products by adding value. It's also beneficial in terms of reviving inherited local wisdom. This project allows tourists to visit a royal project aimed at restoring the ecosystem of the coastal area here.

Two fairs have already been organised under this project, on May 4-8 last year and on Feb 1-5 of this year.

There you could shop for processed and fresh seafood, dine at seafood restaurants, take boat trips to see fishing communities, and go to the border of the district to take photos.

The fairs offered other highlights including a cycling trip to see the mangrove forest, musical performances, and contests involving fishery products such as giant crabs, giant sea prawns, giant Asian sea bass and a giant species of ark clam.

Visitors from other provinces got to know what Bangkok's sea looks like, and learn about the importance of mangrove forest preservation and rehabilitation. They were able to see for themselves that Bang Khunthian has a lot more tourist attractions still worth visiting.

The district's economy has been improving with more tourists coming here and spending their money. Fishermen, restaurants and other stores on Bang Khunthin Chai Thalay Road all benefit from the booming tourism in the district.

Has there been any kind of cooperation between the district office and those communities running crab and prawn farms in terms of hatching and marketing?

The office has been working together with those communities in an attempt to sustain the Kin Pou Du Thalay fair. And as for marketing and promotional work, the office has for instance provided space for the farmers and seafood buyers to meet and trade high-quality products at reasonable prices.

What are the other interesting places for tourists to visit in Bang Khunthian?

The district has broken its tourist attractions into two clusters: ecotourism and cultural tourism.

In the former category, there is a 4km-long mangrove forest trail that visitors can either trek or cycle along to explore the ecosystem there as well as learn about the lives of the fishing communities nearby.

Saen To community falls under the same category. Homestays are available for those you who want to more closely observe the way of life of the people in this fishing community.

Khun Kala statue is home to a huge population of crab-eating macaques, and tourists like to drop by to see and feed them. The spot is near Klong Chaloemchai Phatthana canal.

Other places that tourists should not miss include the Uncle Suporn sufficiency economy orchard, Uncle Sawaeng orchid farm and Montha coconut plantation.

As for cultural tourism, we have Bangkok Museum, Bang Kradi Mon (ethnic) Art and Cultural Centre, various important Buddhist temples and the Thai Raman Songkran festival (a Thai-Mon version of the Songkran water-splashing festival).

To help tourists see as much as possible of these places, the district office has been promoting a new cycling route through various tourist attractions under the name Pan Rak Thale Krungthep (Cycling and preserving Bangkok's sea).

Bang Khunthian district director, Prasert Chaweeint, in a pink T-shirt, says the district is working with locals to promote ecotourism. photos by Pawat Laopaisarntaksin

Apart from eating crab, the annual festival aims to promote natural conservation like mangrove forests to create a natural nursery for crabs and other sea creatures.

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