Of jumbos and silkSurin is home to Thailand's largest elephant camp and unique silk weaving centresSurin is quiet most of the year except during the third week of November when the annual Elephant Roundup, the province's largest festival, is held.
A group of 45 families joined hands to establish a silk weaving centre in Ban Na Dang in Khwao Si Narin district in 1990. They use natural materials to dye their silk threads, which come in bright colours. The materials are lac for red, ebony for black and the bark of jackfruit trees for yellow.The two-day elephant extravaganza always draw tens of thousands of visitors to watch the three-hour performances, including traditional and classical Thai dances, an ancient elephant battle, elephants dancing to music and two elephant teams playing soccer against each other. Another highlight is when about 200 jumbos march the main streets of the city as part of the parade and join a fruit buffet. They later offer riding services to visitors.
But before the event kicks off next month, you may want visit Ban Ta Klang in Tha Tum district, 58km north of town, to see the elephants and their daily performances. The village is also known as the biggest elephant village in Thailand.
The Kui, an ethnic group that migrated to Siam during the Ayutthaya period, treat the big animals as pets that are also regarded as a family's heritage. According to Thongchai Mungcharoen, mayor of the Provincial Administrative Organisation of Surin, the Elephant Study Centre was set up in the village as a permanent shelter for the animals and to stop them roaming around the capital.
The elephant show in Ban Ta Klang is one of the magnets that lures tourists to Surin. During the low season, a majority of visitors are students. They laughed and clapped when they saw the elephants dance, shoot a basketball or make a free kick. The show became more exciting with loud screams from the audience when three elephants, one by one, walked over four students lying on the ground. The elephants also played with the volunteers, massaging one with its front leg and patting another student’s back with its trunk. The two-hour performance runs every day at 10am and 2pm. Tickets are 300 baht for adults, 100 baht for children and 20 baht for students.At present, 195 animals live at the centre and a further 90 are on the waiting list as the PAO requires a larger budget to add new members. The authority give each elephant owner 5,000 baht a month as salary plus 100 baht a day for the elephant's food.
Some of the owners said that they were not earning enough. This is mainly due to the elephants' voracious appetites — each one can eat up to 300kg a day. "The elephants eats all the time except during their three-hours of sleep. Only 100 baht a day cannot buy enough food for such a big stomach," said an owner, who did not want to reveal his name.
"There is a piece of land where we can grow fruits or grass for our elephants not far from our village," said a housewife, who sells bunches of sugarcane for 20 baht to tourists as elephant fodder. Unfortunately, the area has become smaller because many owners prefer to sell their plot to local investors and outsiders who plan to open resorts.
Silver ornaments have been one of the famous products of Khwao Si Narin district for a century. In the past, locals wore a silver ornament stuffed with a mantra written on a pieced of paper as an amulet, but today people wear silver ornaments for fashion. Boonkeua Kongdee displays her unique shawl designs and other accessories. Her works were also presented to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn when the princess visited the village years ago."In the past, our elephants could roam around the forest for food, but there is no green land any more," she added. But life goes on and they are waiting and training their elephants for the annual fest.
In addition to the largest national elephant village, Surin is also famed for its silk weaving.
Many houses open their doors to let visitors observe their weaving techniques. There are two famous stops you should not miss: Ban Tha Swang in Muang and Ban Na Dang in Khwao Si Narin district. They also offer their products for sale in the villages.
There are many more things to explore such as the Khmer ruins. So, if you are travelling to southern Isan, spare some time to meet the locals and observe their cultural heritage in peaceful Surin.
At the Chan Soma weaving centre in Ban Tha Sawang in Muang district, a loom is much taller and more complicated than those seen at other weaving villages. The loom is up to three metres high, accommodates up to 1,416 heddles and requires at least four people to weave. Using an old technique dating back to the Ayutthaya period, each cloth is woven using the thin, shiny and finest silk threads from the inner part of silkworm cocoons and imported golden thread. The final produce is called pha mai yok thong boran, or ‘‘ancient silk weaving with gold threads’’. On average, they can weave about 5cm of a golden brocade a day. A 2.5-metre-long piece will require about two months work.
MORE INFO
- The Elephant Study Centre, Ban Ta Klang, is 58km north of town. It also offers a homestay service. Call 044-145-0500 and 044-145-046/7.
- Chan Soma weaving centre, Ban Tha Sawang in Muang district is located on Km 24 of Ko Loy-Muang Ling Road. It is open daily from 8am-5pm. Call 044-558-489/90.
- Ban Dang Silk Weaving Village can be reached via village head Nongyao Songwicha at 08-0167-4861.
- To contact the Khwao Si Narin Silverware centre, call the group president Pranom Khaongam at 08-6262-8299.
- Call the Surin Provincial Administrative Office at 044-514-524 or the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Surin office at 044-514-447/8.
Bangkok Post
