Thailand Guide
The central plains
The Folklore Museum
Opening time: Tues– Sun 8.30am–4.30pm
Price: B50
Address: Thanon Wisut Kasat
The Sergeant Major Thawee Folklore Museum (Jatawee Buranaket) puts a different slant on the region's culture; its fascinating look at traditional rural life makes this one of the best ethnology museums in the country. The collection, which is housed in a series of wooden pavilions, belongs to former sergeant major Dr Thawee, who has pursued a lifelong personal campaign to preserve and document a way of life that's gradually disappearing. Highlights include the reconstructed kitchen, veranda and birthing room of a typical village house, known as a "tied house" because its split bamboo walls are literally tied together with rattan cane, and an exceptionally comprehensive gallery of traps – dozens of specialized contraptions designed to ensnare everything from cockroaches to birds perched on water buffaloes' backs. There's also a display on weaving and natural dyes, a collection of traditional toys, and some fearsome looking wooden implements for giving yourself a massage.