From Prasat Hin Phimai, our road trip through Thailand’s off the beaten track Isaan region took us north to Khon Kaen, a cool university city in the central Isaan. As the region’s silk is almost as celebrated as its food, we made a stop on the way at the traditional silk weaving village of Chonnabot.
Thai furniture and lighting designers such as Jitrin Jintaprecha (who we interviewed here) have a tremendous respect for traditional Thai arts and handicrafts, such as silk weaving and basket making.
Interestingly, traditional materials and techniques are increasingly being incorporated into contemporary designs. Jitrin does this in clever and amusing ways, for example, with a collection of light shades he created inspired by fishing baskets. Knowing that has made us even more eager to learn about Thailand’s traditional crafts.
The Isaan region rarely gets tourists visiting as it is, with weekends busiest in Chonnabot when Thais from Bangkok come to buy silk directly from the source.
We visited mid-week, in the off-season, in the region’s hottest month, at a time of year when most of the villagers, including the silk weavers, are out in the fields or doing maintenance around their farms and homes. Chonnabot was a ghost town.
We dropped into Sala Mai Thai, the first stop for most visitors to the town. Chonnabot’s official centre for silk weaving, Sala Mai Thai is dedicated to the conservation of mudmee, the weaving technique for which Chonnabot is famous.
Unfortunately, the lights were off at Sala Mai Thai and there were no weavers on site, so the staff directed us to the main street of the small village, where they suggested we try Boonmee Thai Silk, which they said was always busy.
Because Chonnabot’s textiles are regarded as some of Thailand’s finest, most of the silk-producers are kept busy with orders from the Royal Palace – the best, such as Boonmee Thai Silk, work year-round, its artisans busy weaving even when everyone else in the village has temporarily abandoned the looms for the more important task of ploughing the fields.
At Boonmee Thai Silk, we found a friendly manager and two women diligently weaving on old wooden looms out the back of the shop. We watched the two women, working in silence, rhythmically operating the antique contraptions, for a while.
I don’t know if you’ve watched silk weavers at work before but it’s mesmerizing. I can watch them for hours, wondering what they’re contemplating as, like magic, they create these splendid cloths from spools of thread.
I often wonder if they’re imagining what might become of the beautiful textile they’ve produced, what it will be made into, who might wear it – a Princess perhaps? – but I never dare to ask. I’m afraid they might answer that they’re wondering how much work their lazy husband has got done on the farm that day.
I’m especially interested in articles about Isaan – a place I have yet to visit in Thailand even though I’ve been roughly 10 times.
Hi Samuel – we’ve posted a few stories on the Isaan now, so do click back and take a look. We loved it. It’s a region that gets ignored by travellers because it’s charms aren’t obvious as they are in Chiang Mai or the islands, and they take a while to discover. Distances aren’t short either, so travellers need time. Plus, few people speak English there, so need to use smiles and sign language and a little Thai. Like you, we’d been to Thailand countless times before going. Do try to spend some time there next trip. Thanks for dropping by!
I hope the traditional Thai arts and handicrafts survive due to the large number of tourists this country gets. Those are beautiful works of art that deserve to be purchased by international travelers who want to support the local people across the world.
Hello Rahman – yes, I think silk weaving will survive as silk is worn very widely by Thais, as well as well as used for decorative furnishings. It’s also a great source of income for villagers in rural areas.
Always the best part of travel is trying new foods besides visiting tourist attractions and communicating with people. In my opinion, buying handicrafts from locals should be considered as our routine travel program to support them.
Hello Behinburg, we absolutely agree with you! It’s not only about supporting their business and the local economy, but also supporting the making of those crafts — and there are few more memorable souvenirs than something handmade from a place you loved. That craft becomes imbued with memories of the trip. Thanks for dropping by to visit :)