Picture by Mon_M&MSee Google Map of Chachoengsao
Go back to a time, when life was slow: Ban Mai Market ( ตลาดบ้านใหม่ ), founded by Chinese settlers in Chachoengsao, is more than 100 years old and dates back to the days of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). The original architecture seems intact: Old teak houses and a promenade along the river Bang Pakong. As "The Nation" observed, the sun filters through the high-ceiling roofs give a glow that is very different from the cold fluorescent light in today's supermarkets. Old restaurants cook with firewood instead of gaz. The market is well known for its local noodles and more Thai and Chinese specialities. Only qualified hawkers are allowed to sell authentic cuisine. If you look for a quiet place, see this market on a weekday, on Saturdays and Sundays it's very full with visitors. "On weekends and public holidays the market buzzes with the chatter of Baan Mai's young generation returning from jobs in Bangkok to help out their families", notes "Bangkok Post". Also filmmakers love the ambiance of Ban Mai Market. "Nang Nak" was shot here. And then it's famous for Leng Hok Yee shrine with its papier-mache sculptures.
Picture by เด็กหอ5ห้อง4
Pictures by เด็กหอ5ห้อง4
Picture by 2ชีวิตจิ้มพริกเกลือ
Picture by Mon_M&M
Picture by Mon_M&M
Picture by chachoengsao.go.th
Picture by เด็กหอ5ห้อง4Find your way: By Train from Hua Lamphong Railway Station in Bangkok to Chachoengsao. By bus from Mor Chit 2 Bus Terminal in Bangkok. First and second-class air-conditioned buses leave every 40 minutes between 6am to 5pm. Regular buses leave every 30 minutes starting 5:40am until 7pm from the Eastern Bus Terminal in Ekamai. By car: Highway No. 304 via Min Buri (82 kilometres), Bang Na-Trat Highway (turn left before reaching the bridge over Bang Pakong River onto Highway No. 314, 100 kilometres) and Highway No. 3 via Samut Prakan and Bang Pakong (then turn left to Highway No. 314, 106 kilometres).
Open: Every day.
Read about another old market nearby: Khlong Suan Market on Khlong Prawet Burirom
See also: Famous and hidden markets in Bangkok
Discover more in Bangkok: Your Guide to Bangkok
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