Chantaburi - Thailand's Gem Town

Tiny `pla khao san' fish to dry in the sun, at the estuary at Tha Mai

The staff gave a fish-feeding demonstration and seemed happy to answer any questions visitors posed.

Apart from various species of oysters, one can also see huge pla chon thalay (cobia), sea turtles, leopard sharks and butterfish housed in enclosures. After that we drove along the beach to the fishing village of Hua Laem, so called because it overlooks the mouth of a river.

The village boasts its own chedi. There we saw a fisherman unloading his catch of squid from the previous night, while another was unloading poo ma, a crab of the species Portunus pelagicus, and giant mud crabs.

Driving farther along the coast to Tha Mai district, near an estuary of the Chanthaburi River, we spotted fishermen spreading that day's catch of small pla khao san fish out to dry in the sun.

Our next stop, Ban Samet Ngam, is famous for its five-star Otop (one tambon, one product) mats made from bulrushes. We watched the villagers weaving and were surprised when informed that it takes a whole day just to fabricate one two-metre length. 

The bulrushes are first peeled, then dyed. After a mat

has been woven, it undergoes a stone-polishing process to make its surface glossy. The price of a mat, two to three metres long, varies between 550 and 1,000 baht. Ban Samet Ngam is also famous for its fragrant and sweet okrong mangoes.

An important landmark in the town is the Catholic cathedral, which originally stood on the other side of the Chanthaburi River, in what is now Vietnam. The first structure was erected in 1711.

It was subsequently renovated and expanded four times before it was relocated to its present site in 1903, following the mass ingress of Vietnamese Christians fleeing religious persecution back home. Built in the Gothic style, it is the largest of its kind in the country.

In the town's public park stands a statue of King Taksin. Chanthaburi's place in Thai history is of great significance. When Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese for the second time, Phraya Vachiraprakan (the man who would later accede to the throne as King Taksin) retreated to Chanthaburi to regroup his troops. There he assembled a 5,000-strong force and built new ships. His fleet then sailed to Ayutthaya to defeat the invaders.

The area around Tha Luang pier is still redolent with the ambience of yesteryear. Parking our car at Wat Chanthanaram, we crossed the bridge over the river and turned left. Here there was once a flourishing commercial community, we were told. All the houses used to face the river but later, after a sealed road was built, the residents switched things around with the result that the fronts of all the houses now face the road.

Old shop houses still line both sides of the road. The furniture one can see through open doorways reveals the age of these structures. There are still a few gem-cutting outlets around but they're becoming a rarity.

Although Chanthaburi was occupied by forces from French Indochina between 1893 and 1906, I saw little evidence that they'd ever been here apart from the distinctive architecture of the Catholic cathedral and a few other buildings.

But if you're really keen on your history take a trip out to Laem Sing, 30 minutes' drive from the town's old quarter. The Tuek Daeng (Red Building) there, a fort built in the reign of King Rama III was subsequently turned into living quarters and a military command post by the French. Today it's used as a public library.

Chanthaburi is 266 kilometres southeast of Bangkok along the Chon Buri-Ban Bueng-Wang Chan-Klaeng route. From Klaeng take Highway 3 to Chanthaburi. It is about three hours' drive.