Chanthaburi"s other gems

One morning during the rainy season, around 30 adventure seekers could be seen tying used tyres together. They then took these out on a raft to install them as "homes for fish" in Ban Bang Sa Kao in Chanthaburi's Laem Sing district on the Gulf of Thailand.

Ban Bang Sa Kao Community Centre in tambon Bang Sa Kao, Laem Sing district, has been in operation for over two decades. Its aim is to conserve marine life. Tourists are invited to build ‘homes for fish’ out of used tyres. So far, 800 such homes have been created and installed in the sea by the village, attracting several types of fish, including grouper and snapper. The village also runs a ‘crab bank’. It encourages locals to send catches of female crabs to the bank, where they are kept for about three days until they lay eggs. With each female crab laying up to 300,000 eggs, the bank has so far saved over 60 million unborn crabs. Visitors can experience the local way of life and savour the local seafood, including the village’s famous miang kham (a type of Thai tapas). The sea by the village has become more fertile since the ‘homes for fish’ project began in 2004. Each villager earns about 1,000 baht per day from fishing and collecting oysters. The village has been held up as a role model for preserving marine resources and discouraging locals from using push and pull fishing nets. Sathit Saensanoh, village headman, played a leading role in the project’s success and is often invited to lecture on the community’s approach, providing a model for other communities to learn and follow.

That afternoon they cut, sorted, dyed and wove reeds into mats at Ban Samet Ngam in Muang district. The next day, they headed to Tha Mai district to pick and peel snake fruit, as well as use snake fruit leaf to make cottage roofs at Rak Khao Baisri Community. Then they visited an old gem mine in search of raw gemstones.

Two days later, some 20 Chinese tourists arrived to shop and savour local dishes like kaeng moo chamuang and pad thai senchan along Chanthaburi Riverside Community. The following day, they observed organic farming and bee raising and tasted durian at Patthawi Community in Makham district. They then visited a mangrove at Khung Kraben Bay before enjoying the stunning sunset over the sea along Burapha Chonlathit Road.

Chanthaburi is now ready to attract new groups of tourists under the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s "Creative Tourism Products Campaign", which aims to attract more visitors to lesser-known areas. Located 245km from Bangkok, the eastern province boasts beautiful beaches, gems and all manner of delicious fruit.

At Ban Samet Ngam in Muang district, tourists can observe reed farming and learn each step in making a Chanthaboon mat, from planting, cutting, sorting and dyeing to weaving the mat on a traditional loom called a fuem. Chanthaboon mats are made of reed and flax using a technique learned by two Ban Samet Ngam women from Vietnamese immigrants. Reed can be harvested after two months. It is sun-dried for four days and coloured before weaving. Villagers usually weave mats outside the farming season and in their free time. Queen Rambhai Barni of King Rama VII spent 18 years from 1950 at her Suan Ban Kaew residence in Muang district and contributed a great deal to the local community. She established a mat factory at Suan Ban Kaew, helping to improve the quality of the mats and develop new products. She introduced a new colour dyeing technique and also promoted local handicrafts. At Ban Samet Ngam, villagers plant reed and flax for mat making. To ensure durability, flax is used for vertical lines and reed for horizontal motifs. Each villager is usually able to make one mat per day. Expert Chaliam Thasamet can weave up to two mats a day, earning her family 500,000 baht a year. A 2m-long and 1m-wide mat goes for around 1,000 baht. Local villages also make tissue boxes, baskets, hats and other products from reed.

Under the new campaign, TAT's Bureau of Tourism Service Development, Division of Tourism Products, has organised "Local Strength" activities in Chanthaburi to support tourist attractions under the theme "Amazing Thailand Go Local". It has been designing tourism routes for different types of travellers, including "Power Women" (females travelling individually or in groups), Gen Y, families, nature lovers, adrenaline seekers, hands-on visitors and Asians looking for new experiences.

The objective is to gauge the unmet needs of target groups and what lies behind these needs, so as to improve local competency, encourage creative ideas and integrate local wisdom.

The campaign is now in the process of monitoring tourist samples, conducting assessments before and after each trip. The results will be used by TAT and local communities to improve tourism routes, services and products. Participating Chanthaburi communities include Bang Sa Kao Community, Chanthaburi Riverside Community, Rak Khao Baisri Community, Samet Ngam Community and Ban Patthawi Community.

Ban Patthawi in Makham district is an agro-tourism attraction where tourists can visit nine organic fruit orchards under a farmers’ network following the Patthawi Model. The model focuses on conservation of the environment, farming legacies and the local way of life. Visitors can learn about organic farming, bee raising and mangosteen soap making. In the fruit season during April-June, tourists can pick and eat fresh rambutan, mangosteen and longkong directly from the trees. They are also encouraged to try ‘black durian’ (aphid-ridden durian fruit). The network is led by Ratthai Pongsak. Contact Ban Patthawi Economic Learning Centre at 063-226-2251.

Tropical fruit lovers should not miss the opportunity to visit orchards and enjoy fruit buffets during the April-June fruit season at Rak Khao Baisri Community and Ban Patthawi. Some orchards at Rak Khao Baisri allow tourists to observe how they grow and harvest organic fruit and invite them to participate in workshops.

Meanwhile, Bang Sa Kao Community has environmentally-friendly activities for nature lovers and conservationists. Visitors can enjoy seafood and observe the local way of life, such as fishermen at work or locals collecting oysters in the village's mangrove forest. Those wanting a more hands-on experience may be interested in visiting Ban Samet Ngam, a community of weavers famous for its Chanthaboon mats.

Adventure seekers will surely want to hunt for raw gemstones using old-style mining techniques in one of the many old gem mines in Tha Mai district. If anyone strikes it lucky, they can bring what they find back home. In the past, Chanthaburi was especially famous for the red gemstone known as Siam ruby. Nowadays, topaz and amethyst are still commonly found in Tha Mai and Khlung districts.

Lekphet Gem Mine in Tha Mai district this year opened its doors to tourists interested in learning about traditional gem mining. They can visit a century-old wooden house, sip coffee in the garden and buy gems. More adventurous visitors can climb down into the entrance of the old gem mine, which is over 8m deep, and look for raw gemstones in the soil. Anyone who finds any raw gemstones can take them home as souvenirs. All activities are free of charge after visitors pay the 100 baht entrance fee. During the fruit season from April to June, visitors can stroll through the mine’s fruit orchard for free and enjoy a fruit buffet for a small extra fee. Lekphet Gem Mine is open daily 10.30am-4.30pm. Admission is free for children aged under 15. Advanced booking for gem searching workshops is required. Call 086-157-6665 and 087-822-9138 or visit facebook/indystonejewelry for more information. local way of life. Visitors can learn about organic farming, bee raising and mangosteen soap making. In the fruit season during April-June, tourists can pick and eat fresh rambutan, mangosteen and longkong directly from the trees. They are also encouraged to try ‘black durian’ (aphid-ridden durian fruit). The network is led by Ratthai Pongsak. Contact Ban Patthawi Economic Learning Centre at 063-226-2251. Kaew residence in Muang district and contributed a great deal to the local community. She established a mat factory at Suan Ban Kaew, helping to improve the quality of the mats and develop new products. She introduced a new colour dyeing technique and also promoted local handicrafts. At Ban Samet Ngam, villagers plant reed and flax for mat making. To ensure durability, flax is used for vertical lines and reed for horizontal motifs. Each villager is usually able to make one mat per day. Expert Chaliam Thasamet can weave up to two mats a day, earning her family 500,000 baht a year. A 2m-long and 1m-wide mat goes for around 1,000 baht. Local villages also make tissue boxes, baskets, hats and other products from reed.

After his trip, one young Chinese man was largely positive, saying he enjoyed all the places he visited. He liked the bee farm (in Patthawi) the most and was confident that many visitors would want to sample its organic honey. However, he did express some concern over the awkwardness of the trip from Bangkok.

Meanwhile, a Hong Kong food blogger most enjoyed the visit to Chanthaburi Riverside Community because of its ambience and how the local way of life differed from that of Bangkok.

A Thai tourist who went by the name Tawan commented: "I prefer trips with workshops like this. I like this style of travel. In Chanthaburi, I like to go to the beaches and fruit orchards. The atmosphere is nice. I enjoyed every place I visited on this trip. My favourite was the fruit orchards because they are full of shade."