Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
all Suai villages in the area host
Elephant Parades
, with brightly painted pachyderms carrying
the men who will enter the monkhood.
If you'd like to spend some quality time with elephants, sign up for activities with the
living conditions by, among other things, letting the elephants roam inside large enclos-
ures so they don't need to be chained. You'll work side by side with the mahouts caring
for the elephants, cutting food, doing construction, and more. Activities, available
Monday to Saturday, include walking with the elephants for an hour when they go to
bathe in the river (400B per person), one day of volunteering (2000B including meals),
and one week of volunteering (13,000B including lodging and meals). While it's best to
book ahead, if space and staff are available you can sometimes just show up and join in.
The information centre is near the showgrounds. They also offer a
homestay
(per person 200B,
meals 50-100B)
program.
Sŏrng·tăa·ou
run from Surin's bus terminal (60B, 1½ hours, hourly) with the last one
returning at 4pm. If you're driving, take Rte 214 north for 40km and follow the elephant
signs down Rte 3027 for 22km more.
Craft Villages
There are many craft villages in easy striking distance of Surin town and many of the
products, including
pâh hohl
fabric (a geometric pattern that bears a slight resemblence to
mát·mèe
, but isn't tye died) have a Cambodian influence. Surin silks, which often use nat-
ural dyes, aren't readily available in other parts of Thailand and prices are much cheaper
here.
The most famous weaving centre is Ban Tha Sawang.
Ban Khwao Sinarin
and
Ban Chok
, next-door neighbours 18km north of Surin via Rte 214
and Rte 3036, are known for silk (now mostly synthetic) and silver. One of the weaving
specialities is
yók dòrk,
a simpler brocade style than what's made in Ban Tha Sawang, but
it still requires up to 50 foot pedals on the looms. The silver standout is
Ъrà keuam,
a
Cambodian style of bead brought to Thailand by Ban Chok's ancestors many centuries
ago. You can see it, and other jewellery, being made in the
OTOP handicrafts mall
(Th Jitrbum-
rung; 8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm Sat)
at the east end of the villages. Big blue
sŏrng·tăa·ou
to Ban Khwao Sinarin (25B, 30 minutes, hourly) park on an unnamed soi between the
fountain and Surin Railway Station: look for the 'Osram' signs.
