Once a forgotten travel route, Prawet Canal on the eastern part of Bangkok has now become a lively weekend leisure route.
Every weekend, dwellers in Hua Ta Khe Market find their sleepy community turns busy with a number of visitors strolling around.
No, they neither visit the market to buy food nor any stuff. Most visitors come here with a strong thirst for art.
Hua Ta Khe is an old community in the east of Bangkok and not far from the city's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Prawet Burirom canal connects Bangkok with its eastern neighbour Chachoengsao. Once a main route to access Bangkok, the canal was a busy route dotted with markets and communities. However, road construction made people forget this waterway and also the markets.
However, during recent years, Hua Ta Khe Market has gradually transformed from an old quiet market into an art hub. Lecturers and students from the nearby art institute, the College of Fine Arts, as well as locals made this market the place to show their work. Gigantic murals in vivid colours fill dark corners of the market with an artful atmosphere. Lovely paintings appear on cement walls at the canal's banks. Chic cafés decorate their outlets with creative ideas.
Hop around and you will find this canal-side market filled with inspiring artwork. On the first weekend of every month, arts and crafts on display are for sale, art workshops are conducted, and art students come here to paint amid the peaceful ambience. These art lovers brought life back to this old market and community.
"You should visit here again on Sunday. We are going to organise art courses for students," Narapong Kurae invites. The lecturer from the College of Fine Arts, Bangkok Campus, rents a one-storey wooden house that he turned into an art house where he and other artists can show and sell their work as well as handicrafts.
Every Sunday, the peaceful art house always turns busy with a number of art students participating in special courses.
A short walk away is the learning centre, which also provides various courses. There, children are encircling an old man who is patiently teaching them kite-making for free. Besides basic-shape kites, he offers courses in building Thai traditional kites and leaf kites.
Once completed, the kids run to the bridge to test their flying craft, while their parents enjoy an easy stroll along Prawet Burirom Canal.
If they follow this canal to the east, they will find another weekend attraction at Talad Khlong Suan Roi Pee, or the century-old Khlong Suan Market. The market is located right on the border of Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao provinces.
The Khlong Suan Roi Pee Market dates back to the reign of King Rama V, or more than a century ago. In the past, the market was most conveniently accessible by boat from Chachoengsao. The market also was an important community centre, transit point for passengers going to Bangkok and a cargo port.
The community nearby is home to people from various backgrounds. Thus, there is a Chinese shrine, mosque and Thai Buddhist temple situated in the area, with coffee houses serving as the main place to meet and socialise.
When water transportation faded away, the market also was forgotten. Boats seldom cruise along the canal and rarely disembark here.
It was revived recently when the retro trend hit Bangkok and visitors found it a great place for nostalgic atmosphere.
The market today, which turns busy every weekend, retains its quaint charm of the old days, from traditional drug stores, old fashioned barbers and grocery vendors. You will feel transported back through time while roaming among rare items from the old days ranging from Thai traditional cuisine, toys, antiquities, older tools and items such as brass lamps, kitchenware and even an old-fashioned coffee house. After exploring the market, most visitors do not miss the chance to take a break at Pae Lee Coffee Shop. The market's landmark serves the best old-style coffee amid a nostalgic atmosphere.
Prawet Burirom Canal may not be as vibrant as in the old days. But its markets can be a nice getaway for your weekend.
The College of Fine Arts lecturer Narapong Kurae and his gallery in Hua Ta Khe Market. Peerawat Jariyasombat
Art pieces can be found widely in Hua Ta Khe Market. Peerawat Jariyasombat
Retro atmosphere of Khlong Suan Roi Pee Market. photo: Suthon Sukphisit
Travel Info:
Hua Ta Khe Market can be accessed via Soi Lat Krabang 17, a short drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Visitors can park their cars in the parking lots of the nearby fresh market. The art market is on the first weekend of each month.
Khlong Suan Roi Pee Market can be accessed via Road number 3001. For more information, call 02-739-3329 or 02-739-3253.
