The odd blend of roses kick boxing and thai culture at sampran riverside

What would roses have to do with kick boxing when they are on opposite sides of the spectrum? Bangkok is famous for the unusual; therefore it is not unusual to find just such a mix in a tourist attraction in Bangkok City! While you are in Bangkok and not sure of what else that would be of interest aside from the regular temple tours and shopping sprees, give the Thai Cultural at Sampran Riverside Tour a try for something of the unusual. It is one of the sightseeing in Bangkok attractions that offers something of the unusual that you would normally have to go out of your way to the rural countryside to experience but can find it right here in Bangkok City. Quite a number of the attractions at Samphran are a lost art but brought to the venue for the education and entertainment of tourists so that they can better understand Thai culture and traditions.

A visit to Sampran Riverside which was formerly known as the Rose Garden starts off in the afternoon. Tours for Sampran Riverside can be booked online from the Thaitourismguide website and it is best to book in advance. Transfers are available from any hotel in the central business district (CBD) of Bangkok which makes it easy for tourists to visit the place as it is quite a distance out of the city. The tour starts daily at 12.00pm to 6.00pm and is one of the also popular tours for sightseeing in Thailand among tourists. Your arrival at Samphran Riverside would be warmly greeted with a refreshing drink and cool towels to freshen up before heading for a tour of the facilities. The concept for Samphran Riverside is a blend between cultural, ecotourism and agro tourism. They are well noted with numerous certifications for organic farming and if your tour falls on a weekend, you will have the opportunity to visit the farmers market and the floating market. On regular week days there are still ample activities to keep you fascinated during the entire tour.

The shows at Sampran Riverside are divided into two sections; one is a cultural show with more than one hundred and fifty performers while another section provides demonstrations of cultural handicrafts, traditional Thai foods and a sampling of traditional herbal remedies from their organic farms. First item on the itinerary upon your arrival at Samphran Riverside is a walk to their auditorium. The ring side seats at the auditorium gives you a good all round view of the stage where the performances are held. The Thai Village cultural show consists of traditional ceremonies, cultural dances, rituals and sports. The show lasts about an hour and guests will have a chance to see and experience the Thai heritage, culture and way of life.

See what a Thai wedding is like! The lively performance follows the ancient Thai marriage customs which depicts the courting of the bride by the groom, the arrival of the bride and groom to the family house and the ritual of the marriage vows. These customs encompass all the Thai values of being humble, filial, joy of togetherness as a family and friends as well as all the pageantry that goes along with the custom. It is a noisy and colourful event shared not only by family and friends but also the community. Did you know that if you would like to have a Thai traditional wedding in Thailand it can also be a formal marriage registration complete with just such a wedding ceremony? Or maybe you would like to renew your wedding vows with a Thai wedding ceremony!

Next up is a form of Thai martial arts. Kick boxing or better known as Muay Thai is now fast becoming a popular sport even in the Western countries. However, Muay Thai is a martial arts sport that has a lot of beliefs, customs and traditions embedded in the sport. It was a form of self-defence during the warring years of old Siam but now a popular form of extreme sport and recreation. The rituals leading up to the actual kick boxing performances are steeped in a unique form of ceremonies where homage is paid to the deities of each fighter and also their masters. The kick boxing sport requires a very high degree of stamina, endurance and physical fitness and the kick boxing matches are action packed but always with a good example of sportsmanship. Fighters use their hands, elbows, feet and knees as weapons of attack and self-defence. You will get to watch the rituals and ceremonies leading up to the kick boxing demonstration and even get the chance to try a few practice moves with the boxers themselves if you dare!

Another martial art performance is the Thai traditional sword fighting that is practiced by both men and women warriors and it dates back almost six hundred years in Thai history. The skills of each warrior are honed to perfection and in the performance you will get to observe the intricate moves and skills with the swords by these men and women performers.

Following this would be the Thai cultural dances from the north, south, east and west of Thailand. Each of these dances differs in their costumes, moves and music. The elegance of a Thai dancer is quite bewitching to watch and these performances were a form of entertainment in olden Siam especially in the royal courts and on special ceremonial days.

Outside of the auditorium is the elephant show where you can have the opportunity for an elephant ride or to watch a short performance by the elephants on the type of work roles that used to be done in the logging industries. The show is kept to a short minimum so as not to tire or agitate these docile mammals. For most part of the day they are sheltered, fed and bathed by their caretakers and actually enjoy a semi-retired status at Samphran Riverside.

The other interesting activities at Samphran Riverside are their demonstration workshops where guests are given a tour of the various cultural and traditional activities, some of them now considered a form of lost craftsmanship. One such workshop is where you can learn to weave traditional toys from bamboo leaves and rice stalks. The skill is in the weaving of the leaves to form items like fish and grasshoppers which are then attached to dried stalks. These toys were made for children mostly in the rural areas or in the olden days to keep them entertained. There is also a workshop that teaches you how to make medicated balms and massage balls which are used in traditional Thai massages. The ingredients of herbs and various roots are picked from the organic farms at Samphran Riverside. You can make these medicated balls and take them home as a souvenir to be used for joint pains and a light herbal massage.

Those interested in Thai cuisine can see a demonstration for fruit carving at one of the booths. The Thai people are noted for their intricate fruit and vegetable carvings that accompany the table dressing for a colourful culinary display. If you are also interested to know how certain traditional Thai desserts are made, there is a stall where you can learn how to make a grilled banana and coconut dessert. You can sample the dessert at this stall. There are also clay work stalls where you can make small pots and figurines or even learn how to make flower decorations from orchids and other sweet smelling flowers.

A must not miss place is the organic Rose Garden of Thailand in Samphran Riverside where they have the biggest variety of roses now grown and cultured successfully at Samphran. Some of these roses are award winning varieties that you do not often see elsewhere such as the Black Rose.  There is also a tour of the rice growing section where you can experience rice growing and harvesting activities. Try your hand at the wooden mills that are used to separate the husk from the rice grains and you will appreciate the efforts and hard work that goes into that serving of fragrant rice on your plate the next time you eat a plate or bowl of rice!

There are demonstrations of bamboo stick dancing for those who feel energetic enough to participate. It is a lot of hops and skips to a rhythm and can be quite fun to try. Otherwise you can take home a picture souvenir of yourself in traditional Thai costumes at the traditional dressing booth. If you are not afraid of snakes you can take a picture with their resident albino snake which is a fairly large sized python, this is not for the squeamish!

Before departing back to your hotel, the tour ends with a visit to the local product and produce retail outlet where you can buy memorabilia and souvenirs to remember your trip to Samphran Riverside. Most of the products here are made by the local farmers who are learning how to do organic farming methods. You can purchase items such as balms, organic soaps and skin cleansers as well as local produce such as honey, snacks and even t-shirts and decorative items.

All tours to Samphran Riverside include full transfers from hotels located in the city centre and the tours to Samphran require advance booking from Thaitourismguide in their online site. The tour duration is a good five hours or a little more but the amount of activity makes it a well worth visit. The Thai culture at Samphran Riverside is one of the attractions for sightseeing in Bangkok activities for a lot of tourists who would like an agro tourism experience that is not too far out of the city. So the next time if you are visiting Bangkok, try not to miss this tour to Samphran Riverside and have an eye opening cultural and traditional experience the Thai way!

A cultural farming experience at the annual jim thompson farm fair

The word “Farm” conjures images of sheep, goats or expanses of crops and a sweaty day in the outdoors. If you are looking for an agro cultural tour in Thailand, then the Jim Thompson Farm Fair experience is one of the highlights of the agro industry in the country. This agro farm experience in Thailand is only open to the public once a year for a month and falls in the winter month of December to January. ‘Winter’ in Thailand means the cooler months where the temperature hovers around 20 to 25 degrees Celsius with a fairly cool breeze blowing. It is a much awaited farm fair in the country and from opening day to closing, it is packed with local and foreign tourists who manage to find their way there.

Situated in the province of Nakhon Ratchasiman in the Pak Thong Chai district, the Jim Thompson Farm is a good two hour drive from Bangkok City. Visitors keen to join this agro farm fair would need to find a way to get there either by self-driving or to join special tours that would make all the necessary arrangements for transportation. Thaitourismguide is one such tour group that arranges private tours to Jim Thompson Farm annually as part of their sightseeing Thailand tours but it means you will have to book ahead. Despite the difficulty to get there, it is still worth the effort as the tour to Jim Thompson Farm is a whole day affair that has ample activities for the whole family.

The name Jim Thompson is synonymous with the silk industry in Thailand and the brand name of some of the finest silk fabrics and clothing with stores worldwide in some of the famous fashion houses of New York, Paris and Milan. However, the Jim Thompson Farm is not just all about silk. Did you know that the Jim Thompson Farm also produces some of the best melons and pumpkins in Thailand as well as signature teas, rice and a wide variety of organic vegetables? The Jim Thompson Farm Fair is open daily during this season from 9.00 am in the morning to the last guided tour at 5.00 pm in the evening and this year 2015 it is open from the 5 December till the 10 January 2016.

The idea for the Jim Thompson Farm was first established as a one stop centre to supply all the necessary raw materials that were needed by the company to produce the silk fabrics for their outlets. Within this farm in the early days of 1988, a form of silk worm culture was developed known as “sericulture” which meant the development of self-sustaining mulberry plantations and the breeding of good quality grade silkworm eggs through a breeding method to produce hybrid silkworms for sale and distribution to the company silk worm farming contractors.

A ride out to the Jim Thompson Farm is an enjoyable ride albeit a little bumpy in the off roads but rewarding in the picturesque scenes along the way. As the farm is situated in the Isaan territories, you will get good views of the mountains and bamboo groves along the way and at the farm itself which occupies 280 acres of land. There are two areas to the farm, one is the actual farm area itself and the other which is open for camping and outdoor activities a little further down. The idea to include ecotourism into agrotourism was to encourage the younger generations into a more outdoor lifestyle rather than an urban lifestyle and to encourage agro industrial vocations.
The silk industry in Thailand is one of the most notable products to come out of Thailand, thanks to the efforts of the legendary Jim Thompson. A visit to the Jim Thompson Farm would be an eye opening experience where you will get a first-hand glimpse into how silk is produced from the plantations of mulberry bushes all the way to the production of the beautiful fabrics. However, the silkworm and silk producing industry is not just the agenda of the farm. There are a lot of other activities for the whole family as well as an abundance of food and shopping to be done here not to mention great photography opportunities.

Once you get to the Jim Thompson Farm and have presented your entry tickets, there are guided coaches every 15 minutes to take you on a tour of the farm which is divided into five different areas. Bear in mind that the hard working staffs of the farm have spent a whole year to prepare this wonderful event for you so you can expect fresh organically grown vegetables and fruits, games, cultural shows, a farmers market, retail shops and off course plenty of Isaan food during this farm tour experience! So hop onto one of the coaches for a great tour of the farm.

First stop along the way is the Giant Pumpkin Patch and Maize farm. Here you can stroll around the pumpkin patch where the pumpkins are all ripe and ready for harvest. Among the pumpkins are also a beautiful field of marigold flowers which turns the whole area nice bright orange as well as golden sunflower fields. There is also a huge hay stack climbing facilities for the kids to enjoy themselves. If you are a little tired have a seat on one of the brightly silk covered hay bales which are ample around the place or have a drink and snacks at the coach stop. You would also not believe the varieties of pumpkins they grow on this farm of different shapes, sizes and colour.
Next stop is the Isaan Village tour where there are a good collection of antique teak Isaan and Korat style wooden houses, padi fields and games along with cultural shows. Where the coach stops, walk down a little to meet the resident friendly water buffalo named “Boonlai” who is more than happy to give you a nuzzle. Water buffaloes are the working backbone of the farming industry in Thailand and revered by the farmers. A walk up to the village is divided into two sections. The one on the left through the padi fields brings you to the rice harvest and milling stations. Here you get a chance to experience rice harvesting and milling using the traditional wood mill method. Did you know that the Jim Thompson Farm produces a variety of red and brown rice which is not only nutritious but has a unique fragrance when cooked? You can later buy some of this rice at the farmers market along the way if you did not mill your own harvest at the village! This village is part of the conservation project by Jim Thompson Farm to preserve the fast disappearing teak wooden houses which are being replaced in favour of the modern brick houses and apartments all over the country especially in rural northeastern Thailand. The Isaan community is a blend of Thai and Laotian cultures and unique in their traditions, lifestyle and cultures, all of which you can watch and experience right here at the farm. There are culture shows, games, ceremonies and sampling of snacks for you to complete the experience. If you make one round of this village, try your luck at the lucky draw tree. This was a form of entertainment at fairs in the villages in the olden days. Pieces of paper with numbers are formed into beautiful origami birds and hung on a big tree. For a mere few Baht, you are given a long stick to try and get one of these “birds” off the tree. If you are lucky, your number will correspond with some of the wonderful prizes prepared such as packs of red rice, vouchers and other goodies! The tree is also beautifully decorated with yards of colourful silk fabrics hung from the top to form a silk tent and worthy of a great picture. One thing you will note is the effort to decorate the whole farm area from the entrance all the way in and back again with whimsical handmade decorations of rice stalks, silk fabrics and farm produce to make your visit to the farm even more colourful and memorable. Do not forget to drop by the retail shop where you can buy beautiful silk fabrics, clothes, bags and other knick knacks or have a drink at the café while watching people try their luck at the “Lucky tree”.

The Weaving village is next on the list of the guided tour. Here are a series of wooden and brick buildings that house the silk production facilities. The entranceway to this weaving village is fascinating with its spider web like weavings of silk threads along a metal arch frame and interspersed with decorations of rice stalk ornaments of various bright colours. Take a peek into the silk worm breeding rooms if you are not squeamish about caterpillars. The silk worms are bred from top grade silk worm eggs and fed with mulberry leaves until they are matured and form cocoons. The Jim Thompson Farm produces two varieties of silk worm cocoons such as the Golden Yellow Silk cocoons which are a Thai Hybrid and the Chinese White cocoon. Villagers in Isaan who supply to the Jim Thompson Farm are provided with these varieties of silk worms which they breed and harvest to be sold back to Jim Thompson Farm. The cocoons are formed in round slotted rattan baskets to make them easier to sort out and remove. Once removed, they are placed into vats of boiling water to loosen the threads of silk and unravelled. The threads are they sent for dyeing into the various bright colours that will be used to weave the silk fabrics. Here you can learn how the various coloured dyes are made and used. Most of the colours come from natural produce such as flowers, spices and minerals to give them that unique colour. Then head out to the weaving looms where you will have a first-hand experience of how silk is woven on hand looms to form the beautiful silk fabrics. The new looms are a modification of the old hand looms in the mechanism for threading the silk threads row by row. Where it used to be hand slide mechanism it is now a slide carrier to make it a little faster in the weaving process but note that all silk fabrics are still hand woven!

The highlight of the tour is also the farmers market. Here are two big blocks of open market space where you can buy fresh produce or products from the weaving village. The first market block is where you can find a good variety of freshly harvested and pesticide free vegetables and fruits. They are all grown organically and the variety available is quite impressive especially the melons, cantaloupes and pumpkins. There are also fresh mushrooms from their mushroom farm, all manner of gourds, snacks and a personal favourite is bottles of fresh honey still with their combs intact. There is also an open space here for you to have a meal of authentic and traditional Isaan food. The food menu has been specially picked for you to get the best eating experience of traditional village Isaan food varieties. Some of the dishes are a little spicy but a favourite is the Isaan sausages which are all hand made from spiced meats. You can enjoy your meal here after a day in the outdoors exploring the farm area and sit down to a good meal with a view of the mountains and mulberry plantations to entertain you. The next block is the product market. Once you get inside, take a look at the ceiling, and marvel at the beautifully handmade silk lantern shades hanging from the rafters. Makes you wish you could buy a few of them to bring home but unfortunately these are not for sale! Instead there are hand woven silk carpets, silk cushion covers, straw mats, clothing, bags and other home decorative items for sale here that make good mementoes of your trip to the farm and bring a signature Jim Thompson product back home.

Last but not least on the stops is the self pick vegetable patch. Here you will find a variety of ready-to-harvest vegetables all ready for you to pick and bag to bring home. Take your choice of beans, bitter gourds, egg plants, cucumbers and vegetables for your dining table and eating pleasure. They are all pesticide free and organic. This is to encourage the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits into the local diet especially organic varieties for better health. From this point it is back to the start and entrance way where there is the signature Jim Thompson Retail outlet that you can buy other souvenirs like mugs, magnets or an up market trend of clothing. All-in-all, the Jim Thompson Farm experience is like no other and something that should be experienced at least once to appreciate part of the culture and lifestyle of Northeastern Thailand while gaining a better understanding into the agro culture industry of the country. Do also remember that the farm is only open to the public once a year and if you miss this one, you will have to wait till the end of the year to go to the next one!

ThaiTourismGuide