Thread: The Clockmaker:

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If you should visit Thailand, alighting at the vast Suvarnabhumi Airport outside Bangkok .... find your way thru the chaos ... and out into the sweltering humidity of Asia ... take a cab into the city ... have a good nights rest at some fine hotel ... and the next day your free to visit all the well known tourists sites, King's Palaces, reclining Buddhas, cheap shopping centres, etc

When you have had your fill, there are other places that almost no traveler to Bangkok ever sees.

First, find a Sky-Train terminal .... its ezy .. just shout BTS on any street corner and a thousand asian-arms will point you in the right direction to the nearest terminal. Buy yourself a ticket to Wongwian-yai station and soon you will trundle across the Chao Phraya River and on to the western bank towards Thon Buri in absolute air-conditioned comfort.... and now you are leaving the tourism-bangkok and heading into the 'suburban-Bangkok'.

Alight at Wongwian-yai station (BTS) and descend the steps to where 25,000 brightly coloured little taxis are waiting for you. Pick one, the first, and give the driver the following address ... Bangwaek road off Ratchapruk Rd. The journey is only a few kilometres. The address will make absolutely no sense to him, especially with your accent, but after about an hour or two, and numerous phone calls, and asking passers-by ... eventually you may come to where Bangwaek Rd meets Ratchapruk Rd.. this is entirely a matter of luck and you must take your chances.

At this point turn left and travel for 1.8klm up Bangwaek Rd. Pay the driver with a generous tip, tho at times on the journey you may both have come near to blows, forgive and forget, you may need him again. Now you are actually in the heart of surburbia with markets on your right, traffic roaring all round you, and smoke, and smog, and smells all mixed into the cacophony that is surburban Bangkok.

Bangwaek markets 05:00am (right click on photos and select view image for larger)



On your left will be a small stretch of jungle, deep jungle ... as the Thais proliferate out of Bangkok central and expand into the surrounding jungle ... the jungle does not always have time to pack up and leave .. and so these little outposts of jungle exist .. separated, surrounded and cutoff by the advancing army of humanity.




In this little patch of jungle, the one with water-weed covered klong (waterway) running thru it .. the one your standing in front off, there is a little shack and inside the little shack is a clockmaker. An extraordinary clockmaker who builds clocks from almost nothing but scrap and whatever else he can get hold off. He owns nothing but the cheapest handtools. But this is no set back ... he works with what he has got !



Notice the water-weed covered klong in the background. He lives on the edge.







The Clockmaker:









The Clockmaker's work bench.









He makes great clocks .. and has received recognition ... and you can buy from him at what you would consider an absolute bargain.

Google Earth: latitude 13° 44.223'N longtitude 100° 26.036'E


Hope you enjoyed ...... Greg