Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country - approximately 94% of the people are Buddhists and the largest religious minority are Muslims who represent about 4% of the population. While the greatest percentage of Muslims in Thailand reside in the southern provinces, there are some small Muslims communities in the Greater Bangkok Area. In the early 19th century, King Rama II encouraged Thai Muslims from the southern provinces to come to Bangkok to help protect the capital from Khmer invaders from the East. Many of the local Muslims who live in the outlying areas of Bangkok today are direct descendants of these early Muslims immigrants.

On my last trip to Thailand (November 2009), I had the opportunity to visit Nong Chok, one of the oldest and most prominent Muslim communities in the Bangkok area. Located about 70KM southeast of the capital, the area is very rural and most of the people are engaged in agricultural pursuits. Approximately 75% of the people in Nong Chok are Muslims and the remaining 25% are mostly Buddhists.

While I was in Nong Chok, my friend took me to a small farm which raises white/black swans as well as ducks and other birds. The birds are sold to golf courses, hotels and large estates as ornamentation and for garden decor. Inquiring as to the prices of their biggest sellers, I was told that a White Swan goes for 10,000 Baht (approximately 285USD) and the going price for two white duck was 500 Baht (approximately 142USD).
Nearby is a small very inexpensive homestay which caters primarily to Muslims tourists from Indonesia and Malaysia. There is an outdoor café and small fern nursery on the compound. The rates for the rather simple accommodations (without private bathroom) go for 100 baht/night (approximately 3USD). Of course, there are separate public restrooms with toilets for men and women.

Although Nong Chok is a featured stop on many organized bicycle tours, it remains completely unknown to most tourists who come to Bangkok, even though it is in very close proximity to the big city. The lifestyle and the rural countryside ambiance of this small town is a world apart from the hustle and bustle of urban Bangkok.

Tags: rural Bangkok, Thai homestay, Thai Muslims

This entry was posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Bangkok, Thailand, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.