Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BAN CHIANG CRAFTS
Rice farming remains the town's primary livelihood, but selling souvenirs now comes a close second. Some of the
items, including Ban Chiang-style pottery, are made in the area. Walk down the road facing the museum to find a
couple of
pottery workshops
. Just south of the Phuan Thai House is a small
women's weaving group
that mostly
weaves indigo cotton.
Most pottery is made in
Ban Kham Or
. If you're lucky you'll find someone making large pots using the an-
cient paddle-and-anvil method, though they only work when they have an order. It's on the highway south of Ban
Chiang. If you are travelling by public transport save your visit here for after the museum because it's not very easy
to find a lift to Ban Chiang.
Sticky-rice baskets are woven by nearly every household in the village of
Ban Dong Yen
east of Ban Chiang.
Sights
Ban Chiang National Museum
(admission 150B; 9am-4pm Tue-Sun)
This excellent museum exhibits a wealth of pottery from
all Ban Chiang periods, plus myriad spearheads, sickles, fish hooks, ladles, neck rings and
other metal objects. The displays (with English labels) offer excellent insight into the re-
gion's distant past and, just as interestingly, how its mysteries were unravelled. Hidden in
back is a room showcasing the culture of the Tai Phuan people, who migrated here about
200 years ago and founded the present town. One kilometre east, at
Wat Pho Si Nai
, is an ori-
ginal
burial ground excavation pit
( 8.30am-6pm)
, with a cluster of 52 individual burial sites dat-
ing to 300 BC. It shows how bodies were laid to rest with pottery. It's included in the mu-
seum ticket, though it's free on Mondays.
MUSEUM
Phuan Thai House
About 300m southwest of the burial site (follow the signs for 'Phuan House which the
King and Queen visited in 1972'), this traditional Isan house is promoted as an attraction,
but the still-lived-in houses throughout the village are more interesting.
HISTORIC SITE
Wat Pa Lelai
( ; dawn-dusk)
For something completely different, visit this temple 500m north of
the burial site, across the little bridge. The awesome childlike murals in the two-storey
building at the back are both enlightening and entertaining.
BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Sleeping & Eating
