| Suan Tan Bung Lae: Sweet Inspiration | ||||
| UPDATE : 28 June 2010 | ||||
Ratchaburi province’s Damneonsaduak district is well known for its floating market, where local vendors gather in their boats to offer locally produced goods for sale to tourists, or exchange them for other items with fellow traders. Located just 100 kilometers southwest of Bangkok, Damneonsaduk boasts another interesting attraction that introduces visitors to the process of collecting the juice produced by coconut trees, which is used to produce coconut sugar. Local Expertise Accessible via the Damneonsaduk Canal, Suan Tan Bung Lae (‘Bung Lae coconut sugar garden’) is located just a few kilometers away from the floating market and provides visitors with a rare chance to see up close how villagers produce the coconut sugar.
“If visitors would like to see this part of the process, it can easily be arranged,” says owner Pichai Mungmee, who personally hosts the demonstrations. Pichai sets off with a long knife on his waist and a plastic bottle hung over his shoulder. He uses a bamboo ladder to climb one of the trees to replace a full bottle with an empty one, while slashing several flowers nearby so that the juices can flow more freely. “I encourage visitors to taste it as soon as I collect it from the tree,” Pichai says, “as the taste and smell is so fresh at that point that folks really love it!” The fresh juices are distinctly different even from the boiled juice he serves during the other demonstration indoors. The reason the fresh juice is not provided as a complimentary item for visitors is that it can spoil easily and quickly in the heat.
When producing the sugar on a larger scale, Pichai employs local agricultural workers, who remove and then replace the bottles at 4 am and 3 pm. “Our process of making coconut sugar still relies on local labor, so we can present a true picture of our local ways to visitors,” says Pichai. Pichai said that he established the initiative to show younger generations of Thais how to produce the homemade sugar, which was a popular activity among locals right up to the 1980s. According to Pichai, the juice collected from the trees is boiled in a large, deep pan for two hours before being simmered and then stirred for about 20 minutes on being removed from the stove, which condenses the sugar. The sticky remainder is then molded into a round chunk on a flat panel, which is left to dry and cool before being packed for sale.
“I’m really proud to show visitors how we produce the sugar,” Pichai says. On arriving at Damneonsaduak Floating Market, visitors can arrange to take this trip by boat, which as well as providing an insight into the coconut sugar production process, also offers the chance to view local life alongside the canal during the journeys to and from Suan Tan Bang Lae. Transport Connections: Car: From Bangkok, head out of the city on Highway 4 (Phetkasem Road). Near the Km 80 marker, turn left into Bangpae-Damnoen Saduak Road and continue along this road for another 25 km. On arrival at Damnoen Saduak, you can hire a local boat to take you to Suan Tan Bung Lae. | ||||
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Suan Tan Bung Lae: Sweet Inspiration
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