“Are you really Thai? Meal time chili can’t you be small like this?” challenge me to Tey, a Thai girl who accompanied me on a walk around Chantaboon that morning.
“I can stand if it’s sour, but if it’s spicy, no okay,” he replied.
“C’monnn. Just one. Here, put it in the spring rolls,” I put the cayenne pepper into a kind of wet spring roll. He gave up. After that his face turned red and started cursing at me.
And my morning started with laughter after playing pranks on local residents at the Chantaboon market which is said to be over a hundred years old.
**
Chantaburi, is the province in eastern thailand that I visited after Rayong. Only about two hours away by car from Rayong. I was staying in the Chantaboon old town area. A small town that is quite rarely visited by tourists, almost the same as Rayong, which feels like we are the only foreign tourists there.
The city has Chinese, Vietnamese and French cultural influences, evident in its architecture and food. Chantaboon has the feel of a romantic riverside town, golden domed temples wedged between old French buildings, or Pho stalls — Vietnamese noodle soup — next to Thailand’s largest catholic church.
I want to tell you about my inn first. her name BAAN LUANG RAJAMAITRI HISTORY INN. This 150 year old inn seemed to take me back in time, it felt like staying in a museum. There are only 12 rooms in this inn. Each room has a unique name and has its own history.
The funny thing is, this inn is located in a small alley where if two cars pass at the same time they have to hide their mirrors when they pass so they don’t crash. In front of this inn there is a hawkers selling food such as pad thai (btw, wait for the next post, I’m taking a cooking class in bangkok hehe) with a grandmother busy with the frying pan.
“Are you serious about staying here?” I muttered.
Back to the market. After having fun snacks trying all kinds of street food, of course, closed with thai tea, I continued to walk around Chantoboon.
Not far from the market, there is a fairly large church. This Catholic Church is called the ‘Cathedral of Immaculate Conception’. It was built in 1906 by Vietnamese immigrants who moved to Thailand due to religious problems in their country.
The largest cathedral in Thailand has a Neo Gothic style and has a height of about 20 meters. In the past, the two towers were ‘cut’ during the war between France and Thailand in the 1940s because they were too conspicuous.
In addition to the majesty of this church, what attracts the most attention is the statue of the Virgin Mary which is located to the right of the altar. This statue is made of kilograms of gold and various kinds of high-rust gemstones — as well as symbolizing Chantaburi, which is famous as a center for the precious stone trade.
The sun is rising. We were still walking near the church. The architecture of the house here is stylish gingerbread commonly found in Thailand in the 1800s. When we were busy taking pictures here and there, suddenly there was an old man, from inside the wooden fence, who was waving while speaking in Thai to us. Luckily I was with the locals. He invited us into his house.
This house has a wooden structure. Starting from the floor, walls, to the ceiling. It feels very sturdy and feels like it will never crack even in an earthquake. The grandfather proudly told how this house had been established since 150 years ago.
Satisfied to see Grandpa’s wooden house, we rushed back to the hotel for breakfast. But on the way, Tey met a middle-aged woman who suddenly asked her to talk. After talking, I know that this woman is the manager of Chantaboon Learning Centre, a kind of museum that keeps the history of Chantaboon’s past from ancient times.
“Today is closed, but he will open a special museum for us today,” said Tey. In this museum, there are many photos that tell the change of Chantaboon from time to time, there are also some objects from the past such as telephones and typewriters from France.
In the evening, I accidentally saw the loi krathong ceremony carried out by local Chinese people while walking while taking photos. At the temple near the market I also saw a vegetarian festival, which I also saw in Bangkok’s Chinatown two days earlier.
Hundreds of people in white clothes stood by the river. Right on the edge of the temple called Wat Chan Thanaram. Each of them let go of Loi Krathong with a candle on it while closing their eyes and asking something from above. Looks very magical.
Chantaboon is one such place to say off beaten pathits thai. It’s a bit far from Bangkok about 3-4 hours by bus. But the atmosphere of the old city, the mix of Vietnamese-French-Thai culture, the food, and of course Tey’s smile makes me want to come back here one day.
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