Over the past year or so I’ve been invited by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to emcee media events such as this year’s Ultimate Thailand Explorer’s Challenge. In addition, I’ve also had the good fortune to be named a tourism ambassador for such events as the revitalization of tourism following the 2005 tsunami, or more recently following Bangkok’s political demonstrations as an internet-television host for interviews about tourism in Thailand.

Another occasion arose to get in the game of revitalizing Thailand’s tourism image this past weekend during the “Smile@Ratchaprasong” Festival coordinated by the TAT and the Ratchaprasong Business Community. The Ratchaprasong area of course is where the Red Shirt demonstrations took place this past spring (perhaps you heard about it?), which left a temporary sour note in one of Bangkok’s ordinarily more vibrant neighbourhoods. The “Smile@Ratchaprasong” Festival sought to bring people back by way of a town fair– type atmosphere: live music concerts, games, competitions, crafts workshops, photo contests, retail space, moms & tots, etc. In addition, the TAT invited a wide range of media to the event, from traditional TV, newspaper and magazines, to the active social media influencers around town who were vital in reporting on-the-scene truths during and after the demonstrations this past spring. So, in an inspiring step forward, the TAT sought to recognize the importance of this new media vehicle and build bridges into this community. I was to host them on the first morning of the festival, followed by an informal lunch with the Governor of the TAT, Suraphon Svetsaranee, as well as Deputy Governor Prakit Piriyakiet, Executive Director Sugree Sithivanich, and Director of Communications, Thapanee Kiatpaiboon.

Some of our guests on the outing included local social media notables Michael, Richard, John, Greg, Jack, Anthony, Trevor, and more.

Social media celebrities unite!

So, how do you impress a group of seasoned locals and keep them interested for a half-day of visiting the very neighbourhood where many of them live, work and play regularly anyway? Enter Smiling Albino!

As an enhancement to the festival, Smiling Albino was asked to provide some entertainment and information to this group of bloggers, tweeters, online travel gurus and iWizards. So, rather than bludgeoning them with miles and miles of retail and music, we did what we have always thought travel should be about anyway: get involved with the locals.

Using the Ratchaprasong neighbourhood as our canvass, we drafted up a simple walking adventure, mixed with a private boat trip and a few sneak-a-peaks into local villages, shops, homes, boat piers and focused on the life and times of the local people who live, work, and pray in Ratchaprasong. In a two-hour jaunt we tasted the local food, heard the stories of the local shopkeepers, cooks, villagers, and spoke to boat drivers and pier custodians about life before and after the demonstrations. Some of us even tried our hand at making the curious kanom tokyo snacks. Nothing fancy – just an opportunity to get in touch with the community, and make the locals the stars for a day. The concept was “live, eat, work and pray in Ratchaprasong”

Here’s a quick breakdown of the trip:

Pray 1 – start at Erawan Shrine – the venerable spirit keystone of the entire neighbourhood. Flanked in untold mystery and curious history, the open-air goodness emanating from this corner of Ratchaprasong is a must for any walking experience in the neighbourhood.

Eat 2 – from here it was time to walk along Ratchaprasong Ave across from the recovering Central World Complex, currently getting a new make-over to grace Bangkok’s retail block once again. Here we spoke with Khun Tan, the lady who has run a small clothing shop (read: clothes hanging on a pole beside a tree along the roadside) for many years. Over the past few months her revenues have been cut in thirds, and she is improvising with a new Thai sweets stand selling kanom tokyo.

Greg steps into to street-hawker shoes and makes kanom tokyo

Greg kindly showed us how it was done and may have even sold some of his innovations to the passers by. This is a great strip of Bangkok to sample all kinds of street food, from kanom krock (the ping pong ball-looking coconut snack), to moo satay (pork skewers that taste better than they look) beyond the canal bridge, to Isaan-cum-urban dweller favourites, som tam and gai yang (papaya salad and grilled chicken).

Live 3 – Tao Phu Village

From here cut across the street into what looks like a construction site across from the canal bridge over the Saen Seab Canal. Beyond this cement factory is a narrow series of streets that pass through the Tao Phu Village (cement mixer village in Thai, named after the giant factory that dwarfs its sensibilities to the north). This oddly peaceful pocket of Ratchaprasong was a hotbed of activity during protests last spring, and the locals were happy to share their stories and demonstrate that they were ready to step into a fresh new chapter. A few hundred families make up this community, sequestered between the factory, Central World, and the edge of the Centara Complex to the west. Just another one of those places you’d never knew existed in this amazing city…

Tao Phu Village - stuck between a cement mixer and mega-mall

Work 4 – from Tao Phu Village cross back to the boat bridge and meet Mr Lert, the long-time manager of the boat station which serves as a main hub for what is Thailand’s longest canal, Khlong Saen Saeb. Mr Lert runs 60 boats up and down the canals from Bangkapi all the way to the Phan Fah Bridge in Banglampu, near Democracy Monument and Khao San Road. On our SA mini-adventure we hired a private boat to take our guests down the canal to famous Hua Chang Bridge station at Siam Square and the Bangkok Art & Culture Center. It was nice to see the boat business back at full throttle again, and Mr Lert kindly gave a couple of quick interviews before returning to his liquid thoroughfare office.

SA's Bank aboard a canal water taxi towards Siam Square

Live 5 – at the Hua Chang Boat Stop, one exits the boat stand into a small but lovingly cared for garden area run by Khun Rampui. She is the jovial lady who runs the red fridge with cool drinks and snacks for boat passengers. She graciously invited us into her wooden two-story house which precariously lurches out over the water. She has been there for many years and in exchange for rights to live and work in the space, she is also the custodian of the boat pier, hence the greenery and generally nice atmosphere.

Work (and shop) 6 – from here we walked along Rama I Road and checked out work on the rebuilding of retail space around the old Siam Theater. Many of the tenants who lost their space after the spring fires have set up a mini strip mall of canvassed cubicles on Siam Square Soi 4, while work is done to rebuild more formal retail space beside the theater. Life is marching on – and the resiliency of Thais and the smiles on their faces was a positive reminder that indeed The Land of Smiles is back in business! Travel here now!

Pray 7 – We ended the walking trip in an affirming manner, giving alms to monks at the Pathum Wararam Temple. This deep garden sanctuary is cocooned between Siam Paragon and Centara Grand/Central World complexes.

Wat Pathum Wararam's garden walking paths

It was also a safe haven for the fleeing protesters during the sweeping up operations which ended the demonstrations last spring. We thought it was a fitting ending to end this mini adventure on a high spiritual note, and a chance for a nice stroll through the temple gardens, and to use one of the nicer bathrooms in the neighbourhood.

From here along the skywalk all the way to the Grand Hyatt Erawan for a lunch with the TAT Governor and friends to discuss tourism initiatives and how to bridge ties into the social media world. All up – a good morning.

Long table discussion with TAT Governor Suraphon Svetsaranee

There was some positive discussion during our luncheon about how the social media community can get involved in the revitalizing of Thailand’s tourism industry, and more importantly how the TAT can catch the slip string of this momentum and make positive inroads into this exciting medium. Great work from Kae, Bank and Scott in the SA Office to get this mini-adventure off the ground last week, and special thanks to Bank for being a great host and trip leader for our media guests.

Great to have you all on board guys and thanks for the extra photo support, John!

by Scott Coates

Thailand is famous for markets. Small, large, along roads, under tin roofs, on canals, there’s a plethora of them. One of the most unique markets is Talad Rom Hoob, or the Railway Market. Located in the center of a small city, Samut Songkram, located about 80km southwest of Bangkok, the market is one of the city’s modern claims to fame.

Situated just a few kilometers from the Gulf of Thailand along the Mae Khlong River, which is formed upstream by the Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai Rivers from Kanchanaburi, the economy here revolves around fishing and agriculture. Water is the lifeblood with 391 major canals serving as transport lanes for small paddle boats and daily life. As the birthplace of King Rama II, the second King of the current Chakri Dynasty (Rama IX is the current King), the province has been a longtime tourist destination for Thais, but is catching on with foreign visitors.

Sandwiched between the bus and train stations, literally on and along the train tracks, Talad Rom Hoob is a one of a kind that must be seen to be believed. Like most Thai food markets, vegetables, fruit and ready-to-eat dishes abound, with prices per kilo clearly displayed and everything being very fresh, fresh, fresh. The train tracks serve as the walking area for customers until of course the train comes…

The Mae Khlong Route which runs from the town of Mahachai (about a 1 hour journey) has been in operation since 1901, serving as a vital lifeline between the Gulf of Thailand and Bangkok. With modern highways and the popularity of cars not as many people use the train today as once did but it’s still quite popular with locals going between the two centers, many of who connect to a second train in Mahachai which goes to the capital. The ride is free for Thai citizens as a government service and 10 Baht (about $0.30US) for foreigners – a true bargain and great way to see some nice rural scenery on the way.

The train makes the journey four times per day in each direction and when it pulls in or out of Mae Khlong Station the real fun begins. Vendors scamper to fold up umbrellas, awnings, pull their stalls back (most are on wheels) and make sure their goods do not get run over by the train. They have the process down to a science and it only takes about 30 seconds to set up or tear things down. The train literally hangs over vegetables as it goes by with retailers knowing how close to the tracks they can leave things without them getting damaged.

The market is a great stop after visiting one of the many floating markets nearby (Damnoensaduak, Aphawa, Tha Kha) as you can easily pass through Samut Songkram on your way to/from Bangkok. To find the market drive through town and stop at (not on but nearby please) the train tracks which you have to pass over when driving through town. Walk down the tracks towards the sea and you’ll walk right into the thick of things. Truly a unique market and experience.

Want to see the market in the most comprehensive and fun way possible? Email Smiling Albino and we’ll make it happen.

by Scott Coates

The image of women in colorful clothing, wearing large woven hats, plying their wares from small boats, is an iconic Thai image.

Until roughly 30 years ago canals played a much larger role in daily Thai life than they do now. People lived along their edges, relied on them for transport, washed their dishes, clothes and selves in them. They truly were the lifeblood of communities – the highways of yesteryear. Progress has its price and many canals, especially in city centers, have been filled-in and paved-over since the early 1980s, making way for cars and a faster paced life.

While tourism posters for Thailand regularly feature pictures of floating markets, few remain and even less are truly authentic. The most famous, Damnoensaduak floating market, is located just over 100km southwest of Bangkok and is open seven days a week. It’s not much more than a bunch of shops built on land along the edge of the canal, selling the same tourist souvenirs you’ll find on any corner in Thailand, but you’re paddled around on a boat. If seeing a floating market is a must and your travel days limited, this might be the only option. Other, more authentic options do exist though.

While designing a new Smiling Albino experience, Bangkok 1910, which will focus on Bangkok and its greater basin from the perspective of 100 years ago, we visited a lesser-known floating market that recently caught our attention.

Tha Kha floating market (named after a long water grass native to the area) is also about 100km southwest of Bangkok and midway between Damnoensaduak and the town of Samut Songkhram. Follow a series of signs 6km from the main Rama II highway and you’ll quickly slip back in time as you make your way over canals and through lush palm plantations. Until recently Tha Kha only opened six days per month: on the 1st, 7thand 12th days of the Thai Lunar Calendar, which change month to month. Recently they’ve decided to also open every Saturday and Sunday in an effort to attract people wanting to see a real, authentic floating market. This is a welcome addition to the overcrowded and overdone floating market scene of the last 20 years.

Starting about 06:00 until roughly 11:00, mostly women row small wooden boats from their canal-side homes to Tha Kha. Traditionally people would meet to trade produce and sell extra to neighbors and friends. This is still the case here. Buy a snack and watch as vendors trade with each other in between selling to visitors along the canal’s edge. Here the market comes to you. Boats are equipped with scales and lots to sell. One wonders how they get it all there without tipping? From a boat selling one simple item like cucumbers, to one equipped with a gas burner selling hot noodle soup with all the fixings, it’s truly incredible what can be done with and from a small wooden boat. Slowing down is the best way to enjoy the market. Take a seat, stand on the bridge over the canal, sample lots of snacks and be amazed at this traditional activity as it was way back when.

A nice addition is the recently formed association of boaters in the area who offer charming paddled excursions through small subsidiary canals. Sounds of birds fill the air, the air is thick, lush palms are everywhere and you’ll see people living much like they have for hundreds of years.

Less is definitely more then it comes to Tha Kha. There are about 50 boats over a rather small area, but this is the real deal. Lets hope the extended days of operation don’t bring the tour buses.

Want to go to Tha Kha with Smiling Albino? Send us an email and we’ll make it happen!

See some more photos from the market.

by Scott Coates

In July 2009 a group of friends assembled in Portland, OR, for Smiling Albino Director/Advisor Todd Kuipers’ 40th birthday. The weekend centered around sampling microbrew, but one afternoon in between pints a friend and I discovered something special.

Shawn, from San Francisco, who is the last guy you’d expect to end up at a Haberdasher, out of nowhere said, “I need a Panama hat.” A few minutes later he had directions to a men’s store that sold hats. A ten minute stroll and we came upon John Helmer, a Haberdashery established in 1921. The shop is still family owned, in its third generation. I’d heard of such shops but had never been in one. And in through the door we went.

A well-dressed man in his late-twenties, with a dashing bowtie gave us a warm greeting immediately and asked how he could help. Shawn expressed his need for a Panama hat and that’s where things began. We were then schooled in Panamas, different weaves, natural and manmade fabrics and more. Who knew there was so much to a Panama hat?! The best part was the salesperson’s vast knowledge of product, extremely welcoming demeanor and incredibly helpful spirit. The two of us were by no means dressed to be in a fine men’s store, but you would have thought we were wearing three-piece suits by the way we were treated. He spent the next 30 minutes showing us hats, answering (silly no doubt) questions about hats, giving us his opinion of how we looked in hats and on it went.

With two hats in-hand each we drifted to the suit section and I was mesmerized when I laid eyes on the Seersucker Suit. This was a suit for hot locations. This was a suit for those with something to say. This was a suit for the tropics. This was a suit for me! The salesperson told me lots about the suit, helped me try it on and assured me I could pull off wearing it. One small problem, they didn’t have it in a 44 Short. A quick phone call and he offered to have it ordered and mail it to Bangkok for a nominal $50US fee.

The experience at John Helmer was one of old class and tradition that I’d

My Seeksucker

never experience before. It transported me back to a time when men were gentlemen and they went to stores with style. A time when men treated one another with respect and offered thought and touch to making every man look his best. Hats-off to the Helmer team for an incredible experience! If you’re ever in Portland and in need of fine men’s clothing or a neat experience, be sure to drop in.

Back in Bangkok I eagerly await the arrival of the Seersucker and strutting my stuff on Bangkok streets.

Chatuchak on a canal – with a little more style

Vintage Amphawa, circa 2009

Last Sunday, Nan (our UK-Thai intern-connoisseur-culture-guru-food-master) and I took a quick trip down to Amphawa in Samut Songkram province. The town of Amphawa has become a local darling amongst Thais as a nostalgic step back in time to the dreamy canal life of early 20th central Thailand. Apparently 60 years ago the town was a thriving site for canal-side, a predecessor to our modern – and slightly more commercialized – floating markets. Part of the appeal is that it reports to be uncorrupted by commercialism like so many other aesthetically-challenged market attractions in Thailand. So, after much heralded fanfare we finally went down the check out the fuss.

The town of Amphawa itself is non-descript, except for those nice canal-side lanes and of course the buzzing commercial center along the narrow stretch of the Mae Khlong River. This is the Amphawa that everyone is talking about. On a busy weekend this single stretch of canal, straddled on both sides with shops galore, food galore, and floating seafood hawkers galore, could almost be described as Chatuchak on water, but with a little more style. A quick walk through the main retail strip revealed no one selling English Premier League jerseys. We really liked it!

The old market strip

There are a few spots around town that suffer some chaotic weekend traffic, but not like Bangkok. Visitors are mostly Bangkokians escaping the congestion and street-side retail madness of the city for the canal-side retail madness of Amphawa. The market district featured the greatest selection and variety of Thai food I have probably ever seen in one place, including hundreds of different types of Thai sweets and desserts – many of which I tried and enjoyed – sold from crammed riverside stalls and wooden kiosks. Traditional coffee and Thai iced tea, old wooden buildings and shop fronts, lots of vintage furniture and nostalgia shops, etc., and one outrageously narrow little shop selling paper and cloth animal-figure mobiles. It is just wide enough for one person to walk down. The store is jam-packed with two customers and nearly intolerable if an employee is also present. Thankfully the shop’s single employee stayed out in the front of the store, encouraging people to heed the sign above the door in Thai saying ‘please don’t stand in front of the door and take photos of our little shop’. Who could resist? I took two photos.

some great eats at Amphawa Ha Hae

Amphawa has many claims to fame, including having the best sugarcane juice and coconut milk in Thailand. This point shouldn’t be overlooked, for in a country with such a highly cultivated sense of taste, coconut milk especially forms an integral part of many Thai dishes and its world famous curries. So, Amphawa’s coconut milk is the gold standard and the locals spare no effort to produce dozens, hundreds of different kinds of traditional Thai snacks and desserts with it.

We made real efforts to meet real locals, not just merchants from Bangkok who’ve capitalized on Amphawa’s growing popularity to set up shops, but the locals who’ve been there for generations, some of whom actually remember Amphawa as it was in the post-war era. The change took place with the construction of south Bangkok’s major highway program to Petchburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan. Bridges were built, canals closed, road traffic moved from the river-side communities to the new expressways, and Amphawa quickly became a forgotten town from a different era. Though it never lost its stature as a food capital, its floating markets were quickly overshadowed by larger commercial markets such as Damnern Saduak. As one local, Mr Ouan from the Kumpan Restaurant pointed out, the floating market style of trade you see at Amphawa more closely reflects the traditional Thai floating market, in which hawkers would line the banks of canals and sell to local businesses and residents, rather than the modern boat-to-boat versions we see today. Not that one is more authentic than another, but the re-invigorated modern Amphawa certainly retains some nice threads of the past. Mr Ouan then took us a few blocks from the main market street to his family’s wooden house along a wider stretch of the Mae Khlong River. He was a fountain – or river – of knowledge and seemed genuinely intent on making sure we knew how seriously local families are in preserving their native town. This was refreshing. We then met some other local business people manning local shops, photo stalls or ice cream booths, seemingly unfazed by the swarms of visitors around them, and carrying on cheerily on their own terms. It was like meeting members of an unofficial fraternity called Friends of Amphawa. They love where they live and seemed quite thrilled that we liked it too.

fish cakes

Another interesting thing was the lack of western visitors. You could count them on one hand. Again, the presence of western tourists does not by any means diminish the authenticity of the location you’re visiting, but more so the flock of Thais taking part in the weekend festivities can’t help but leave an impression on the visitor that this is a special place, a local place.

Various members of our Smiling Albino team have been back and forth to Amphawa, Mae Khlong and Khlong Kone at the Gulf of Thailand a lot recently in preparation for our cool nostalgia trip called ‘Bangkok 1910′. This vintage excursion is a nice way to enjoy a couple of days experiencing old Bangkok, Chinatown, and also Amphawa, the traditional floating markets, etc.

Now back in Bangkok, I am eager to get back down to Amphawa again. After all we missed the evening market hours and boat paddling excursions that have become popular. Besides, every Thai person I’ve talked to since then has scolded me for not bringing back some of Amphawa’s legendary desserts and snacks. It is as good a reason as any. Be back soon….

by Scott Coates

Having lived in Thailand since 1999 I’ve been to most markets in Bangkok but it’s surprising the number of new places that continue to pop-up.

Pratunam Market (literally meaning ‘Watergate’ due to the canal that runs through the area) has been famous for years for its street-side and alley markets. Teeming with clothes, bags and everything else under the sun, it’s one of the city’s most vibrant venues for shopping, people-watching and great deals. The last few years have seen a couple proper malls open in the area, notably Platinum Fashion Mall which specializes in clothes/fashion at wholesale prices.

A friend from Singapore was recently in town and wanted to ‘shop for inexpensive fashion’. Having never been to Platinum Fashion Mall we headed in that direction. Wow, what a lot of people and stuff! Eleven floors make up Platinum and it’s a paradise for shoppers (notably females) who love deals and lots to choose from. To get the best price you usually have to buy at least three items but things are priced to sell. Belts for 100B ($3.5US), simple dresses for 200B ($7US) and on it goes. Be sure to bring a cool drink and your love for crowds and more crowds as this place is packed, especially on weekends. That said, there’s something for everyone here that loves clothes and fashion (again, notably females).

Another noteworthy and quite famous place in the area among tech experts/fanatics is Pantip Plaza, a large shopping center devoted to IT, computers and electronics. From name-brand hardware to knock-off software it’s all here. Again, crowds can be large so bring your patience and love for being around others.

Bangkok certainly reigns as SE Asia’s shopping headquarters and the Pratunam area is sure to fill your bags with lots of neat stuff, go easy on the wallet and give you a good look into Thais and their love of shopping.
Ready, set, shop!