Monk's Bowl Village

Lonely Planet review

The only surviving village of three founded by Rama I, Baan Baht (Monk's Bowl Village) still hand-hammers eight pieces of steel (representing Buddha's eightfold path) into the distinctive alms bowls used by monks to receive morning food donations. Tourists instead of temples are the primary patrons these days and a bowl purchase is usually rewarded with a demonstration.

The alms bowls are sold for between around ฿600 and around ฿2000 and make great souvenirs. But the village itself is just as interesting. When we visited, an elderly woman intercepted us just nanoseconds after we'd walked into the soi and quickly ushered us through her living room, and out the back door down a series of tiny lanes populated by kids, sleeping cats and cockroaches, and delivered us to one of the bowl makers, who showed us his bowls and others making them. Competition is certainly keen for your tourist baht, but you wouldn't call it touristy. More a raw, poor Bangkok community, and a chance for you to experience that side of life and maybe buy a bowl. To find the village, walk south on Th Boriphat, south of Th Bamrung Meuang, then follow the signs into narrow Soi Ban Baat.