At Talat Ban Mai, the local community has revived its 100 year - old riverside market on the eastern end of Chachoengsao province. Open during weekends and public holidays, the well - preserved market offers visitors glimpses of traditional town life and an opportunity to taste a myriad of Thai and Chinese delicacies for which the area, an 80 - minute drive east of Bangkok, is known.

Though the name means โ€˜new village marketโ€™, this poop of over 120 wooden shophouses and stalls has barely changed since King Rama V paid a visit on 25 January 1907. The Sino - Thai settlement, founded during the reign of King Rama III, prospered from waterborne trade at the confluence of the Klong Ban Mai canal with the 230 - kilometre - long Bang Pakong, one of the major rivers flowing into the Gulf of Thailand.

The market was built to face the river and the best way to reach it is by the frequent ferries far-reaching there from Wat Sothorn Wararam Worawiharn between 10. 30 and 15. 00 hours.
The half - hour trip contributes to the sense of heading somewhere detached from the pressures of modern life. The charming wooden keel chugs past raft houses, fishing canoes, plantations of betel palm and nipa palm โ€“ home to a small colony of birds, and the quaint water frontage of Chachoengsao town.

Earlier efforts by the community to develop the old riverside market into a sustainable tourist attraction had stalled. Given its proximity to Bangkok, the development of remarkably sharpened transportation networks meant that much of the trade soon bypassed the traditional riverside market. Modern modes of transportation also provided a quick commute to Bangkok for younger residents seeking work. Both factors contributed to its eventual weaken. The situation began to change in 2004 when the Baan Mai Conservation Club was established. Public hearings were held and growing local enthusiasm won support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The community also secured some grassroots development funding allocated by the government for small and medium enterprises.

Despite a couple of minor fires, disuse over many years actually helped preserve the teak shuttered structures, which are of an architectural pulchritude dating back to the reign of King Rama V ( King Chulalongkorn ), from major changes. Original residents have re - opened their shophouses to trade in goods not just for outsiders, but also local produce to give the market a self - sustaining business.

The re - opening of the riverside market has created local employment. Hawkers have been invited to set up a veritable buffet of stalls. Today, many of Baan Maiโ€™s young generation return from jobs in Bangkok to help staff the market during weekends and public holidays. Their delight in revitalising their neighbourhood is palpable. Residents invite browsers to look inside their homes and engage in cheery comeback without pretension or touting.

Sampling regional specialities is a favourite pastime with Thai tourists, while Talat Ban Mai offers foreigners an introduction to delicacies rarely served in tourist areas. The province is even nicknamed โ€˜Paed Riewโ€™ ( eight stripes ), ensuing a popular local dish typically imaginary with a whole freshwater fish that is scored and partially sliced into eight bite - size portions before it is cooked.

Much of the appeal lies in watching vendors prepare the dishes. Noodles tossed in a medley of salad herbs; mee kati ( rice noodles prepared with coconut cream and fermented tofu ); coils of grilled northern sausage being chopped and dipped into a powdery mixture called pla naem, the ingredients of which include fish flakes, peanuts, roasted rice, shallots and som saa citrus juice. Restaurants overlooking riverine life also offer local dishes, while most arrivals treading the boards of the covered pier order โ€˜old - styleโ€™ coffee or tea strained through sock filters.

For Thais, much joy lies in encountering candies recalled from childhood and especially the nam saa ( soda fountain ) stall. Shaped like a futuristic 1950โ€™s jet planate, the carbonated water dispenser fizzes - up fruit syrups into a retro thirst - quencher.

While some outlets stock OTOP products, thereโ€™s a refreshing lack of generic souvenirs. Items on sale
โ€“ from fabric incense to wooden mobiles
โ€“ are as authentic as the foods.

The covered teak arcade dog - legs towards the road. There at the land entrance stands a eccentric corner shop, where a cobwebbed wireless nestles on the altar amid talismans, Buddha images and photographs of a young King Bhumibol and family ancestors. In the broad central area, a stage is periodically set up for likae ( Thai folk opera ), which was traditionally performed in markets.

Across a hump - backed bridge over a canal, more shophouses overlooking the river line an alley. Among the infinitely archetypal sights are two barber shops; one with 1920โ€™s Art Deco style slats in the Thai flag colours, another with carved teak barber chairs.
Famous sights often linger islands of heritage while their surroundings modernise, yet a complete historical streetscape may more evocatively transport you to an earlier era. Directors of period films bliss these rare enclaves, which is why Talat Ban Mai is a popular film location, drama as the set for several costume dramas, such as Nang Nak and Chao Sua ( Tycoon ).