Thailand has a number of examples of lifestyles that have existed for centuries and continue to exist in the present day…
Must see
Thailand is a modern country firmly established in the 21st century. Despite this, there remain examples of lifestyles that have existed for centuries and continue to exist despite the advent of modernity. In and around the capital there are still a number of communities that are as they ever were - the Ban Bat community (where monk’s bowls are made) and the pottery community of Koh Kret are examples. Of course, beyond the capital traditional ways of life flourish. The hilltribes of northern Thailand are certainly communities that have resisted change, as are the seafaring communities of southern Thailand. Thailand also has a lot of communities based around occupations and trades that have profited from maintaining their traditional work approaches.
Mae Salong in Chiang Rai is very reminiscent of parts of China and much of the area’s history has a strong Chinese connections. When the Communists took over mainland China in 1949, remnants of...
The Golden Triangle was an expansive area taking in parts of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. The region was famed for providing an estimated 50% of the world’s illicit heroin and opium supply....
To some it can be a strange experience visiting a group of people as a tourist attraction. There are numerous debates about the rights and wrongs of this type of tourism, but the fact is that...
Known as the ‘land of ceramics’, Dan Kwian is Nakhon Ratchasima’s main ceramics centre. Previously an area where bull-carts would stop on their way to nearby Khorat, generations of Dan Kwian...
Thailand is a modern country firmly established in the 21st century. Despite this, there remain examples of lifestyles that have existed for centuries and continue to exist despite the advent of modernity. In and around the capital there are still a number of communities that are as they ever were - the Ban Bat community (where monk’s bowls are made) and the pottery community of Koh Kret are examples. Of course, beyond the capital traditional ways of life flourish. The hilltribes of northern Thailand are certainly communities that have resisted change, as are the seafaring communities of southern Thailand. Thailand also has a lot of communities based around occupations and trades that have profited from maintaining their traditional work approaches.
If you are in Thailand for a longer visit and you have more time to explore, the following communities might be worth a visit.
The daily ritual of monks walking along the Sois of Thailand to collect alms (donations of food) is one image that lingers in the memory of many a visitor to Thailand. Barefoot and dressed only in...
Although officially located in Nonthaburi Province, Koh Kret is reasonably accessible from Bangkok. An island in the middle of the Chao Phraya River, Koh Kret was founded in the Thonburi era and...
As both of these attractions are related to the local handicrafts industry and are relatively near each other, they are usually approached as a single trip and often on an organised tour. Borsang...
Doi Pui - Hmong Tribal Village is located on Doi Suthep, a 1676 meter high mountain that is the focal point of Doi Suthep and Doi Pui National Park. The village is about 4 kilometers away from Wat...
Doi Hua Mae Kham is home to a number of hill tribe villages along the Thai Burmese border. Although the inhabitants of these villages are predominantly of the Lisu tribe, a number of...
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Located 60 kilometres southeast of Khon Kaen, Chonnabot is famed for its world-renowned ‘Mudmee’ brand of Thai cotton and silk. The brand name comes from the unique process involved in producing...
Located in Tha Li district of Loei, Ban Na Kraseng makes its living preparing rattan furniture and handicrafts alongside traditionally woven fabrics. These days these activities are driven by the...
The Tai Dam Cultural Village is home to an ethic minority that came to Thailand from Laos in 1905. Their traditional lifestyle has been maintained through their arts and crafts that have...
Despite this age of high technology and automation, it is a little known fact that the bulk of silk produced in Thailand is spun by hand in silk villages using traditional techniques. Pak Thong...
Located on the small island of Koh Surin Tai live the ‘Morgan Sea Gypsies’ – a seafaring tribe that has a number of communities in countries around the Andaman Sea (particularly Indonesia where...
Located off the coast near Phang-nga town is the island of Koh Panyi. Set amongst a series of ‘Karst’ (small limestone islands that have eroded away to create strangely shaped rock), Panyi is a...
Must see
Thailand is a modern country firmly established in the 21st century. Despite this, there remain examples of lifestyles that have existed for centuries and continue to exist despite the advent of modernity. In and around the capital there are still a number of communities that are as they ever were - the Ban Bat community (where monk’s bowls are made) and the pottery community of Koh Kret are examples. Of course, beyond the capital traditional ways of life flourish. The hilltribes of northern Thailand are certainly communities that have resisted change, as are the seafaring communities of southern Thailand. Thailand also has a lot of communities based around occupations and trades that have profited from maintaining their traditional work approaches.
