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July 2010

The Bangkok Trader Vo. 4 Issue 8

July
Written by Editor
Sunday, 10 October 2010 12:06

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 January 2011 05:52

The Cliff

July
Written by Editor
Sunday, 10 October 2010 12:05

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 January 2011 05:53

July

Written by Editor

Sunday, 10 October 2010 12:02

BANGKOK TRADER

Volume 4, Issue No. 3
FEBRUARY 2010

Managing Director: Alan S. Verstein
Tel. 081 761 9302
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Creative Director: Reid Nixon
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Executive Assistant to the Managing Director: Wiparat Jaila
Tel. 02 655 0941
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Published by Siam Gazette Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Kaewta Verstein
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Siam Gazette Main Office
Ground Floor, Vanissa Bldg, 29 Soi Chidlom
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel. 02 655 0940
Fax 02 655 0941

Cover photo of Thai amulets provided by Dave Stamboulis.
To contact Dave, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 January 2011 05:54

Escaping Bangkok - Koh Kret

July

Written by Editor

Sunday, 10 October 2010 11:44

Escaping Bangkok

Koh Kret: Not just for the dogs

by Dave Stamboulis

Sometimes a weekend trip away to relax by heading to Hua Hin, Koh Samet, Khao Yai, or even Pattaya (yet face it, nobody goes to Pattaya to relax) just takes too much effort. Crowds, traffic, and the need to spend an overnight – not exactly a respite from a busy work week. Yet while quite well-known to the Thai community, nearby Koh Kret gets little press in guidebooks, and even most expats haven’t made the easy journey out to a place where one can feel miles removed from the Big Mango.

Koh Kret is a small island in the middle of the Chao Phraya River, just north of Nonthaburi. Founded during the Thonburi era, it is the home of ethnic Mon people who were famous for their pottery, as well as traditional khanom or Thai desserts. There are no cars on Koh Kret, and weekend tourism aside, the islanders lead quiet lives, making ceramics and growing local produce and flowers, for which the isle is famed for.

It might seem to the visitor that there are more dogs than humans on Koh Kret, as every nook, cranny, stairwell, and table leg appears to have a canine hanging around. They tend to sum up the island’s

languid pace… it’s not one that involves a whole lot of motion. Koh Kret is only 6 or 7 kilometers round, with a mostly single lane alleyway circling its perimeter. Locals try to weave their motorbikes through the small lanes, and bicycles are available for rent to visitors seeking to make a full tour.

Along the riverfront, there are a lot of old wooden homes, with residents sitting on the verandahs, fishing, chatting, or preparing food. There are several restaurants on the water, serving up a variety of sweets and different varieties of fried flowers, a specialty of Koh Kret. Wandering through some of the alleyways with whitewashed walls, I felt like I was out on a Greek island rather than somewhere in Southeast Asia, especially with all the lazy dogs hanging around.

There are several Mon style wats on Koh Kret – one with a giant reclining Buddha housed inside, and a stupa which leans over the Chao Phraya, as if it’s about to fall in. There are also several small pottery villages to visit, certainly out to sell some of their well-crafted and inexpensive wares, but also places where pottery is a way of life, regardless of visitors arriving or not.

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 January 2011 05:55

July

Written by Editor

Sunday, 10 October 2010 11:41

My favorite spot on Koh Kret is the somewhat hidden Buddha Garden, an oasis of tranquility in the southeast corner of the island. Occupying a huge space, the garden houses a huge array of tropical plants and flowers – orchids and ferns hanging from trellises, algae-filled waterways glowing in the afternoon light. One can buy fresh juices made from local plants, eat in the quaint restaurant, or just find a reclining chair in one of the gazebos in the forest to curl up in and enjoy the river breezes and solitude.

Weekends can be very busy on Koh Kret, with hundreds of Bangkok residents descending on the island for shopping and strolling. But weekdays are very quiet. You might even find yourself alone, with only the hundreds of dogs for company.

Travel tips: Koh Kret can be reached from Bangkok by taking the #166 bus from Victory Monument to Pak Kret, then a motorbike taxi (or walk 500m) to the Pak Kret pier, and then the ferry across the river. Alternatively, there are Chao Phraya Express boats early Monday-Saturday mornings, 6:15-8am, from Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain to Pak Kret (then proceed as above) and returning 3:30-6pm. There is also a special Sunday daytrip Chao Phraya Express trip from 9am-3:30pm, also starting from Saphan Taksin BTS. Longtail charters from Nonthaburi are also available. There is one guesthouse on the island (Koh Kret Guesthouse, 081 8320637) should you get the urge to stay.

Dave Stamboulis is a freelance photographer and travel writer based in Bangkok. He is the author of “Odysseus’ Last Stand,” which received the Silver Medal Book of the Year award from the Society of American Travel Writers. He can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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