Company Name

Phuket Spider Lily
Thai art often mimics delicate nature.

Coconuts Ahoy in Phuket
Coconut Island is seen off the star-
board bow of our long-tailed boat.
Long-tails are great for short island
hops. And inexpensive to charter too! 

You can also visit their website at
www.thaifoodtonight.com

Nagas guard all gateways to a wat.
They are the stairways to Nirvana. 

A bi-weekly Thailand blog: A Journey to Old Siam

An Introduction

Twenty-years ago, I never would have thought that I'd be considered an expert in Thai fabrics and pillows. But twenty-years ago, I had yet to meet my Thai wife,  Jenny. We were married at Wat Thai here in Los Angeles, and so my abrupt learning curve about Thai culture began. Later, we started our business, House of Thailand. 

We travel often throughout Thailand going on "fabric safaris" and travelling to the Pillowmaking Village to oversee the making of our pillows and mats. I work and deal with Thai people and their culture everyday, whether in the U.S. or here in Thailand.  Over the years, I've seen Thailand change. It's economy has grown and Thai people are now very much influenced with Western ways. But the "old Thailand" can still be found. I call it "Old Siam". 

What is "Old Siam"? It can be a 100-year old Thai house that people still live in; a traditional lunch or dinner; an old wooden loom still being used to produce the finest silk fabrics; the ruins of an ancient temple; an old-style Songran Festival; a forgotten country path that leads to an old wat. The list is endless.

Most tourists never see Old Siam, even though they may walk right-bye. Most people choose not to see Old Siam and prefer the non-stop cavorting of Bangkok or Pattaya. My experience is mostly with rural, traditional Thailand, although I do business and stay frequently in Chiang Mai. If you're looking for the hottest, new Bangkok bar, happy hunting, but you've come to the wrong blog. If you want inside info on bar girls of Pattaya, well, you probably already know more than I do. 

My wife and our business have allowed me (a farang)  to "pierce the cultural veil" and peek into traditional Thai life. This blog is a view into simple, Thai life. If you've never been to Thailand, this blog is an excellent primer if traditional Thai culture interests you. If you're a seasoned Thai traveller, we can compare notes. (Any and all imput appreciated) So come along if you like, and I'll help you find Old Siam.
                                                                                                                                                   -Jeff

(This is as good as any place to start our journey to Old Siam.)

1. The Thai Wai (Why?)

The "wai" (pronounced "why") is a part of how Thai people greet and say good-bye to each other. If you travel to Thailand, you'll be "wai-ed" often. And usually you're expected to wai back.  But not all "wai" are equal.

First, to wai someone, you just put your hands together like in the foto and bow slightly. (bowing is optional.) You can also bring your hands up to your face as you bow (again, this is optional.) You'll catch on quickly how this traditional greeting is done. When in doubt, just do what everyone else is doing. You'll do fine.  Thai people will cut you lots of slack on this one.

But as I said, "wai-ing" is not equal.  If you wai a child like you would Royalty, you'd look silly. If you wai an important person like you would a child, you'd be insulting.

The type of wai  you do depends on who's "wai-ing"  you.  If a child wai's you, it's fine to give a cursory wai back. But if  you're "wai-ing" someone important, you'd give a very formal kind of wai. The Formal Wai: slight bow (the deeper the bow shows more reverence.); raise hands way up to the nose. The Casual Wai: No bow. Raise hands no more than chest.

Whenever you wai someone, they'll drop what they're doing and wai back. You should do the same if wai-ed. The exception are monks. You should absolutely give the monk a formal type wai when you meet, but expect the monk to kind of ignore you. Monks definitely won't wai back.  Another tip - older people should get the formal wai.

First impressions are always the most important-give a sincere wai and make a good first impression. 

(Next blog entry:)

2. Table Manners

Thais eat with a spoon and fork. They do  not use chop sticks. Unless they're eating Chinese food, of course. Thais will use chop sticks when they eat the many varieties of Thai noodle soups. But even then, chop sticks are used to put the noodles and goodies onto a spoon. The spoon is used to bring food to your mouth. The fork is used to push and put food onto your spoon.

I often get into trouble at the Thai dinner table because I frequently eat with my hands. I'm American and I know how to eat hamburgers, pizza, donuts, burritos, whatnot. But Thai people think the practice of eating with your hands is somewhat barbaric. The great exception to this is sticky rice. Sticky rice is a wonderfully glutenous rice that...well...sticks together. Thais eat it with their hands. (Much more on sticky rice later. I'll devote an entire chapter to it.)

Thai food is served family style. And of course rice is omni-present. I often eat dinner with no rice, and my wife's family thinks I'm the strangest bird. Anyway, help yourself to all the rice you'd like. Pile your plate high if you so want. But with the Thai Food, only take a small amount and eat that and then move to another item. That's how Thai people generally eat. Piling your plate high with the different Thai foods all at once, like you're at Home Town Buffet, is frowned upon.  Have as many portions as you like; just make them small portions.

Odds & Ends: Nobody in Thailand has gotten word that it's rude to speak on a cell phone at the dinner table. Thais don't dine alone by choice. Try not to leave any uneaten rice on your plate. Alcohol flows freely at dinner. If you show outward enjoyment of a certain Thai dish, Thais will order more for you without asking. Thais like to watch you eat-get used to it. Thais very much want you to try and enjoy their food. 

Back to the fork &  spoon. When you've finished eating, put your spoon and fork together on you plate. That says clearly in Thai that you've finished dinner.  Now, go get some Thai food and eat in a civilized manner.

(next entry 1/21/11)

3. Kow Jai Mai? Do you understand?

A little Thai goes a long way. You don't need to speak any Thai to find "Old Siam", but a few well-placed words or phrases can disolve cultural barriers instantly. It's like the old wizard  Gandalf, from "Lord of the Rings", who beat and cursed at the gates of the great Dwarf Kingdom to open. The great gates wouldn't budge. But when he finally realized the password and gently spoke the word "friend" in the native language, the great doors opened and allowed him passage to a different world. So it is with you and the Thai language. Thai words can aid in passage to the Kingdom of Siam.

Now for the bad news. Thai is a tonal language. What that means is how a word is pronounced (it's tone) will determine it's meaning. For example, the sound "kow" has many meanings depending on the tone you use. "Kow" can mean rice, white, knee/elbow, entrance, news. Thais use rising, descending, low, high and flat tones to create meaning. English is not a tonal language. For example, regardless of the tone you use to pronounce the word "rice" its meaning will never change.

So what does all this "tone stuff" really mean? It means, you, as an English speaker are tone deaf to the Thai languange. And this specifically means when you use a wrong tone, you've either changed the meaning of the word to something entirely different, or you're making an unrecognizable sound to a Thai person. Gibberish and nonsense is the result. But wait, there's hope. 

Everyone who visits Thailand will benefit from speaking at least "survival" Thai. With very little effort, you can  learn to say "hello", "goodbye", "How are you?" , "Where's the bathroom?", "What's your name?", etc. Just a couple hours of study will give you a starting vocabulary that will hold you in good stead during your stay. I've provided a few links at the end of this chapter that will teach some basic survival Thai.

The first time you speak Thai, you probably won't be understood. Keep trying. Listen closely to how Thais pronounce the word you're trying to, and then mimic them.  Monkey see, monkey do is the best language course. And don't be shy about gesturing and acting out what it is you're trying to say. Not only will you be good entertainment, but Thais will love your effort. With English, we believe everyone should speak our language. With Thai, Thais are delighted if you can even stammer out a few mispronounced words.

I can read and write rudimentary Thai. When I'm in the pillowmaking village, I'm often handed invoices in handwritten Thai that I must decipher. We generally eat in restaurants that only have menus in Thai. In rural areas, signage is only in Thai.  In written Thai, words can be spelled backwards, and vowels can appear under, over, before or after the consonant to which it's attached!  Consonants can change to a different sound depending on their position in a word. (I call them "transvestite letters") And to make matters worse, written Thai uses no space between words in a sentence. A sentence is just one long string of letters!

But I truely love reading and writing Thai. Nothing takes the "foreign" out of "foreign culture" more than understanding a little of the language. You can memorize the Thai alphabet in just a couple hours. (There's 32 consonants and 11 vowels) While you'll probably never be able to read much Thai, just knowing the sounds that those strange Thai runes represent will begin to bring understanding in a strange land. In fact, by just reading this blog entry, you'll have more understanding of Thai than 99% of tourist to the Kingdom.

Often, our fabric safaris take Jenny and I to rural areas of Siam. Some of the world's finest silks come from these country villages. As I walk from house to house perusing the handwoven silk, Thai kids follow me and point and giggle. Very possibly, they've never had close contact with a white person before, or at least they've never seen one in their village. When I speak Thai to these villagers about their silk, they often giggle themselves. Odds are they've never heard a white person speak their language. I often point to a sign in Thai and read it out loud. Now I'm accepted. Now they relax. And now I get a good deal on their exquisite, handwoven silk.

Yes, a little Thai will go a long way. Even if no one understands what in the hell you're trying to say, Thais will know you're trying to speak their language and therefore respect you. Try speaking a little Thai-just a "Hi, how are you?" and preface it with a freindly wai (see Chapter 1), and you'll see the closed gates of Siamese culture begin to open to you.

Here's a few links to Thai language websites that I enjoy:

www.learningthai.com
I used this website a lot when I was a beginner, especially for reading and writing. Very good beginner lessons with audio so you can begin to hear how Thai words are correctly pronounced.

www.learnthaiwithmod.com
An excellent site with short video tutorials (all free!) for the beginner. Mod is a great teacher and her videos are quite entertaining. Watch just one of her videos and start speaking Thai. She also has a great channel with all her videos on youtube.

www.thai-language.com
A very extensive site for beginner students of Thai. Another good place to learn the Thai alphabet, and pick up basic conversational Thai. Lots of places to explore on this site.

(Next blog entry: 1/31/12. "Temple Manners"

Chapter 4. Temple Manners

It's hard to imagine going to Thailand without ever visiting a Buddhist temple. They're everywhere (but much less numerous in the southern beach provinces). Wats, as they're known in Thai, hold the cultural keys to the Siamese Kingdom.

I'm not Buddhist. I'm not really religious at all. But I was married in a Thai Wat in a ceremony that included 9 monks (9 is a lucky number in Thai). I wasn't quite sure what happened during the ceremony; but when it ended, I was married. I've attended many high ceremonies in wats. I've tagged along with my wife and her family and friends countless times to pray or visit a monk at a wat. I've photographed more Wats, inside and out, than any other subject in Siam. So here's a quick do and don't list when you visit a wat.

1. Relax. No one cares if you're Buddhist or not, or even if you have a religion.

2. Take your shoes off before entering a wat. (This is a bright line rule. Don't mess with it.)

3. Don't go into a Wat if you've been drinking.

4. Feel free to approach the altar and Buddhist statuary.

5. Feel Free to take photos of anything you like. But do not pose in any manner with the Buddhist statuary.

6. Speak quietly and don't let the kids run wild. (Did I really have to tell you that?)

7. If people are praying, you're welcome to continue looking around and     taking photos. Just be respectful of the worshippers. They won't mind at all.

8. If you want to show respect, it's common to wai the Buddha.

9. Casual dress is appropriate; but refer to the next paragraph

And here's one more protocol you may experience. Some of the most important wats don't allow you to wear shorts inside. But here's why you don't have to worry. Those few high wats that do have a dress code will enforce it for you. In other words, as you approach the wat (and these high wats are all well-visited) the lay people that volunteer at the wat will politely tell you the dress code AND they'll have a pair of fisherman pants ready for you to wear.

An Old Dog and the Wat
Many years ago, I attended a Lent ceremony at a very old and important Wat in Lamphun Province. My father-in-law was still alive, but very old and in poor health. He came to the ceremony. He was an important person in the community and a benefactor of the Wat. His attendance gave the ceremony added importance.

     There was a phalanx of monks in attendance along with many people from the community. The Wat was adorned with flowers everywhere. An important occassion to be sure. As everyone kneeled and chanted, I notice an old dog wander into the Wat. This old dog was so mangy you could all but hear the fleas buzzing around him from 100 yards away. The old dog casually walked by the phalanx of monks, past the worshippers (some of them quite important community members) and plopped down right in front of the alter! I waited for someone to shoo the dog out.
     But no one gave the old dog the slightest attention. After all, as I found out later, the dog had as much right to be there as anyone else. And so it is with you and a Thai Wat.

(Next blog entry: Thai Bathrooms) 

Chapter 5. Bathrooms

Finding "Old Siam" usually means getting away from tourist areas. It often involves travel in the countryside. With Thai bathrooms, the old Boy Scout motto "always be prepared" has great relevance. So let's mentally prepare.

If you stay in western-style hotels, the bathrooms will be modern. But if you stray off the beaten tourist trail (an easy thing to do.), you'll encounter bathrooms that can challenge your ability get business done. Always assume that outside your modern hotel, any bathroom you encounter will not have toilet paper or soap/towel to clean your hands. I recommend carrying a small amount of toilet paper and sanitary hand wipes while searching for "Old Siam".

I divide Thai bathrooms into 3 types. First, the modern bathroom of western flush toilets and shower stalls, etc. Next are bathrooms that have toilets you can sit on, but flush by manually putting water into the bowl. Lastly is what I call "the slab" or the "squat & plop" (see foto on right).

The porceline toilet that you can sit on but must manually flush always has a cistern of water neaby with a ladel usually floating in the cistern. The water cistern may be a plastic garbage can or a large tub or bowl.  Often it's a specially made tiled cistern built against a wall next to the toilet. Just ladel water into the toilet bowl to flush. If the cistern is low, there's always a hose nearby that's used to fill the cistern. Simple enough.

The "squat & plop" is more problematic, although self-explanatory. You flush also by using a water cistern. These rudimentary toilets are still very common in rural Thailand (I also run across them in Chiang Mai now and then). I use them frequently. They're always made out of porceline and mounted on a cement slab. Sometimes their slightly elevated. Trust me...when you've got to go, you'll be thankfull to make it to a "squat & plop".

In every Thai bathroom you'll find a short hose with a nozzle right next to the toilet by the floor. After almost 20 years, I still haven't figured out what you're supposed to do with it. Make an even bigger mess I guess.

Thais give little distinction between a wet floor and a dry floor. In Western culture we go to great lengths to keep the bathroom floor dry-shower curtains, enclosures, mats, etc. Many Thai bathrooms simply have a shower spigot coming out of a wall with no enclosure of any type. Many showers are built so that you can't help getting water everywhere. Thais could care less. This also applies to just a simple bathroom with a toilet. So if you walk into a bathroom and the floor is sopping wet, that's normal.

Often you're expected to take off your shoes before entering a public bathroom. You'll see communal flip-flops at the bathroomentrance that you're supposed to wear. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. It depends on sanitation and circumstance.

Showers. I love taking long hot showers. So it's not surprising it's what I miss most when I'm in Thailand. Thai showers often have an electric water heater located in the shower itself. These are illegal in most Western countries because of the strict prohibition of electrical devices in a bathing area. But these devices are safe. And they're made by name-brands such as Panasonic, Samsung or Toshiba. To get hot water, you just turn the device on and dial in how hot (warm) you want the water. In our old country house in Pasang, one of the bathrooms has a gas unit inside the shower to heat the water. The water passes through a series of coils that are heated with a gas flame. You can watch it all happen while taking your shower.

Thais have two words for bathroom. The most common is "hong nam" which literally means "water room". The other is "suka" (accent on the "a") which literally means "heaven". Again, the Thais got it right-finding a bathroom can be like finding heaven.

(Next blog entry: 2/15/12. An intro to fabrics)

I decided to put all the fabric info under a single chapter with sub-chapters. It's a little long, but if you're interested in Thai fabrics it's a very good simple intro. I hope it'll save you some money, and most importantly, make it less likely you'll get ripped-off, especially if buying silk.

                                                                                                                                                        -Jeff
Chapter 6. Thai Fabrics-A Crash Course

Thailand is the land of fabrics. Fabrics are woven into the culture of Siam. They're given far more cultural importance than they get in most other countries. Our business requires that I (and Jenny) have an expertise in Thai fabrics. Not a historical expertise, but a purchasing expertise.

The most beautiful Thai silks come from the Essan Region (Northeast Thailand) although other areas such as Sukothai produce quality handwoven silks. The stunning mudmee fabrics, both cotton and silk, are exclusive to Essan. Handwoven cotton is produced mainly in the north. Laos also produces some of the finest silks and cotton weaving available. I consider Laos simply a northern extension of Thailand.

In this chapter, I'll teach you to recognize authentic, quality handwoven silk, cotton & mudmee. It is my business to know these fabrics, their sources and their prices. You will not find quality fabrics at tourist bazaars or night markets. You will not find "great deals" on Thai silk. (If you do, it just means you've been taken. Sorry to be so blunt.) But what you can find are quality fabrics at a fair price throughout Thailand. But to do so, you must first either leave the tourist trail far behind, or be prepared to pay a fairly steep price. And secondly, you must have some knowledge of Thai fabrics.

Handwoven Fabrics
The Industry Time Forgot

Thailand still carries on a commercial production of handwoven fabrics. That's right, you can still go into commercial garment districts and buy bolts of handwoven fabric. Women still weave on old wooden looms, not to make a few handicraft items, but to sell the fabric as a bolt to a commercial middleman. How long this "old world" fabric production will last is a good guess. But handwoven fabrics are still widely produced in the Kingdom and show no signs of disappearing anytime soon.

Women produce all handwoven fabrics. The old loom and weaving expertise are only handed down from old woman to young woman. I have never seen a man operate a manual loom in Thailand. And I've seen hundreds and hundreds of wooden looms in operation all across Thailand over the years. Even the modern mechanical looms are often operated by women. And women mostly control the selling of fabric at all levels. Thai fabrics are a women's world plain & simple.

Here's how the handwoven market works. Usually, a fabric distributor or fabric store will need a certain yardage of a certain type of fabric. This order is then given to a local weaver to make. If the order is large, it's jobbed out to as many weavers as needed to complete the order within a reasonable time. A woman then weaves the order at her home. A courier from the distributor/buyer then picks up the bolt when finished. Often a shop may have 2-10 looms in the back where a few woman might come to weave. But mostly, women weave at home. The weavers all live in the countryside. Thailand is dotted with rural fabric shops. There are no urban "sweatshops" in Thai handwoven fabric production.

Sometimes the women organize themselves into a village weaving collective. You will inevitably run across the acronym "OTOP" when shopping for fabric. OTOP stands for "One Tamboon (village) One Product. This was an attempt by the Thai government to get rural villages to concentrate on a single handicraft and produce it commercially. OTOP awards are given for quality. If you hear someone refer to a fabric as "OTOP", they're referring to the recognized quality of the fabric.

Often the weavers are given orders for bedspreads, bath mats, table clothes, etc. In that case, The weaver is told what exactly is needed (the size specifications, type of weave, pattern, etc.) and she produces the order. You can walk into a rural fabric shop and order a specific type of handwoven fabric. The minimum order is usually about 20 yards and it will take a week or two to make.

Not only are many fabrics still handwoven, but the cotton is spun by hand on an old spinning wheel. It's almost like magic to watch the spinning of cotton. From a small ball of raw cotton held in the spinster's hand, a thread is drawn out by the spinning wheel. Natural silk threads are created in a different manner, but more on that later.

The Thai Textile Trade

Thailand does of course produce textiles from mechanical looms in your standard factory environment. But China dominates world textile production. The odds are pretty high that if you purchase clothing in Thailand, the fabrics came from China.

For example, I love Hilltribe style clothing and handbags. But almost all fabrics that compose even a Hilltribe piece, including all that great embroidery, were probably made in China. (much more on Hilltribe stuff a little later.) You'll see a good deal of printed fabrics in Thailand which they make traditional Siamese apparel from-pantaloons, assorted baggy pants, tunics, etc. Most of the fabric is made in China and exported to Thailand as "greige" fabric-that is plain fabric. The prints and dyes are added in Thailand.

Thailand is an important "fabric crossroad". Quality, yet inexpensive fabrics come to Thailand from China, India and other Indo-Chinese countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Viet Nam. Generally speaking, I can buy good fabric on the Thai spot market for 1/8th the price I'd pay in the U.S. So let's take a quick tour of the Chiang Mai Garment District-one of my favorite places on earth.

The Chiang Mai Garment District

Bustling, chaotic, dirty, noisy, you get the picture. It's a must go if you like fabrics. If you're in Chiang Mai, just hop in a taxi or tuk-tuk and ask to go to "gat luong" or the garment district. You'll find a warren of narrow streets congested with traffic. Fabric shops are everywhere. Many of the fabrics for our business are sourced here.

Mingled among the myriad of shops are traditional Thai fabric shops run by older women. This type of store is what you're looking for. These shops will have a combination of handwoven and machine textiles. They often have cotton and silk handwoven mudmee from Issan and other handwoven silks. You can find handwoven jomtong fabric and fine embroidered pieces. They have a good selection of Thai machine textiles. You can buy traditional sarongs. Go inside and start feeling the fabric. They don't bargain. If you buy a lot, they may knock off a small amount. English is touch and go.

You'll see many shops with a helter-skelter of fabric bolts strewn everywhere. That's just the beginning because almost every ground level store has a maze of inventory located on the 2nd and 3rd floors. These shops are usually run by ethnic Indians (from India) who are Thai. They buy their fabric on the Chinese spot market and get great deals. 90% of all fabrics in these stores are machine textiles from China. Bargains are everywhere.

You'll find good Hilltribe ware in the garment district. Handbags, pants, shirts, skirts, fabric pieces, bedspreads, etc. Hilltribe ware can be offered in a variety of shops throughout the garment district . But the best selection and price comes from a small Hilltribe market area within the garment district. I can't explain directions any better other than you'll see a narrow alley that has Hilltribe women selling along the sides of the alley. Go down this alley and you'll come to an opening that has a large concentration of Hilltribe women selling their wares. It's the best Hilltribe apparel market in Chiang Mai. No bargaining.

Lastly you'll see clothing shops sprinkled about the garment district. They sell an array of finished products. They don't sell fabric. Their goods are mostly cotton, some with a touch of Hilltribe. They offer a variety of Siamese fashion. Some of their apparel is good quality, much is not. But it's fun to shop them and see the latest designs.

If you're in Chiang Mai definately go on a fabric safari to the garment district and feel as many fabrics as possible. And make sure to have lunch there. There are many food vendors and a good selection of traditional Thai restaurants.

A Thai Silk Safari

The world of Thai silk is exotic, far away and often elusive. But going on a silk safari to the plains of Essan will surely bring you the gates of Old Siam. It's a great travel adventure. But you need some knowledge.

Rural Thailand produces the finest handwoven silk in the world (my humble opinion). The majority of this silk is woven in Essan (northeastern Thailand) although you can purchase it anywhere in Thailand. If you stay at a good hotel in Bangkok, there's usually a gift shop in the lobby that will sell authentic handwoven silk-at a very steep price. If you've never seen or touched handwoven Thai silk before, I highly suggest you browse these high end gift stores to acquaint yourself with authentic Thai silk.

I'm emphasizing the word "authentic" because the Thai silk trade is fraught with imposters. You can be fairly confident that the high-end hotel gift shops and city silk shops have authentic, quality handwoven silks. The prices may be at the high end, but at least you're getting to know what the real thing looks and feels like. The most important part of silk buying is to know your source!

There are no bargains with Thai silk, only fair deals. The women who weave silk know the market value. The collective that may oversee the weaving knows the market value. The distributor or shop owner knows the market value. And of course, a person like myself, who will take silk fabric and produce pillows & apparel with it, knows the market value. None of us are going to take a piece of quality, handwoven Thai silk that we know we can sell for $100 and sell it at a tourist bazaar for $10.

Authentic handwoven Thai silk usually has a rough, course feel to it. It is also usually a heavy-weighted fabric. In other words, Thai silk is the opposite of your concept of that very light-weight, super-soft, diaphanous fabric we associate with Chinese silks. The earmarks of handwoven silks are "slubbing", rough edges and small imperfections. (this also applies to cotton weaving)

Slubbing appears as a bulging or thickening of the thread and is quite common with hand-weaving. It can add texture to a fabric. Handwoven fabric always has rough edges to it, unlike mechanical looms that always have a neat, straight and fortified edge. Because a fabric is handwoven, it almost always has small imperfections. Study the weave closely and soon you'll begin to spot very tiny differences in the weave. Mechanical looms can weave flawlessly; humans can't-although Royal Silk (silk destined for use by the Royal Family) is all but flawless. Of course Royal Silk will cost you about $1000/yard. A cautionary note: all mechanical looms can and sometimes are programmed to slub, make rough edges and produce the appearance of imperfections. Again, you're greatest safeguard to buying authentic handwoven silk is to know your source.

Thai silk is legendary for its shimmering. Hold a piece up to a light and move it around. You'll see it shimmer and change color. This is because Thai silk weavers traditionally use a different color for the vertical and horizontal yarns (the weft and wand yarns). If it doesn't shimmer, it's probably not Thai silk.

Since almost all Thai silks come from Essan, you should go on a fabric safari to Essan to see and buy Thai silk. Essan will have the best selections, best prices and the best quality. The closer to the source you get, the better the price.

Korat is a great place to begin and it's only about 6 hours from Bangkok. It was here that the legendary Jim Thompson (more on this Thai legend and personal hero later) breathed life back into the Thai silk trade in the 1950s. You'll find many quality silk shops in the city and many nearby villages produce fine silks. Roi Et and Kon Gan are other cities that have fine silk shops. Located a short distance from Kon Gan is Chonobot. If you want great Thai silk at reasonable prices, go to Chonobot! Scattered all across the plains of Essan are silk producing villages. Visit as many as you can. And lastly I would add that if you go north to Laos, you'll also find exquisite handwoven silk.

Silk prices vary greatly. I've bought good quality, solid color Thai silk for as little as $10 a yard. (But I'm buying large quantities from the source.) But good silk can also cost you $50-$100 and much more per yard for the mudmees. It just depends on the quality and complexity of the weave.

Another huge price deterninant is whether the silk is organic or cultured. Organic silk is still produced in Thailand, but somewhat rare and very expensive. Organic silk is where silk worms are raised, their cocoons harvested and a single silk thread is gotten from boiling the cocoons. The single silk thread is then intertwined ("plied" we say) with 2,3 or 4 other silk theads to produce a single silk yarn. The silk yarn is then woven into fabric. A piece of organic silk can easily cost you several hundred dollars; and you really have no way of knowing the authenticity other than trusting the source. From a molecular standpoint, there's no difference between cultured silk and organic silk. It's the same as with pearls.

Lastly, I'd like to caution you about "raw silk". Many shops throughout Thailand trumpet raw silk. Novice buyers are attracted to the name. If you see actual silk for sale at a tourist market (and it's not a fraud), it's almost certainly raw silk. Raw silk is the lowest quality silk. It's also called "noi silk". It's made from the remnants of silk threads. Apprentice silk weavers are given raw silk threads to learn their craft. It's thin, poorly woven, single color and cheap.

The Thai silk market is not a place for the uneducated. The finest Thai silks are not easily found. And the prices! But going on a Thai silk safari into rural Thailand will certainly bring you to Old Siam.

Mudmee-Ancient Fabric/Sophisticated Couture

Mudmee is a type of weaving. Mudmee fabric can be either silk or cotton. Quality mudmee fabric is only produced by the most skilled weavers and commands top dollar. Mudmee weaving in the form of tapestries, is considered textile art.

Loosely translated, mudmee is Sanskrit for tie-dye. Mudmee weaving creates its pattern by pre-dying a single yarn a variety of colors before the weaving process begins. The color dying is controlled by tying parts of the yarn tightly so that the dye can only reach certain parts of the yarn (just like tie-dying). This single yarn can be retied and redyed several times to creat a multi colored yarn. I call it the DNA of mudmee fabric.

This single, color-coded yarn makes up either the horizonal or vertical threads (wend and waft) of mudmee fabric. This single yarn contains the pattern of the fabric. The pattern was predetermined by the woman who tie-dyed the yarn. She followed a precise "blueprint" of where to place the ties so that a choosen pattern would result. Each mudmee producing village has their own unique patterns that have been passed down through the generations.

Complicated enough? When you see mudmee and you see an individual mudmee yarn, it becomes easy to understand. I've included a photo gallery (coming soon) of some of our mudmee fashions which will help you understand this very traditional fabric.

Traditionally mudmee is used to make fine sarongs and some limited women's apparel. I fell in love with the fabric and guess what I started to have made-pillows and fisherman pants. Boy did I get strange looks from our chief pillowmaker when I brought her fine mudmee silk and told her to made pillows. At first, she resisted even cutting the fabric. But I insisted and soon we had our first mudmee triangle pillows. A complete success. I went through a similar skepticism with the seamstresses who make our fisherman pants. But traditions are to be broken and our mudmee creations are a source of pride for our business.

Prices. Mudmee prices are of course first determined by whether it's silk or cotton. Next is the amount of colors contained in the fabric. 2-color mudmee is cheaper than 4-color mudmee. Next is the quality of the weave and dying. Mudmee will always have a fuzzy look to it. But some mudme patterns are more intricate and precise than others. The more resolute a pattern, the better.
You can easily find small bolts of cotton mudmee (3-4 yards) 2-color for $10-$15. A great buy. 4-color cotton can be around $25 for a 3-4 yard bolt. Silk mudmee is entirely different. Quality 2-color silk can be $25-$35 a yard. 4-color silk might be $40-$50 a yard. Organic silk mudmee can easily be $75-$100 yard. Squirrel Tail mudmee (a top mudmee) can easily go over $100/yard. Mudmee tapestries are the same as buying art work.

Mudmee prices vary a lot. The above prices are only generalizations of what I've paid. My general rule is that I'd rather overpay for quality, than underpay for slipshod work.

A Mudmee Fashion Show

Hilltribe Fabric Wares

I love Hilltribe purses, shirts, skirts, handbags, pants, you name it. I buy lots of it. The colors are phenomenal and the stuff reeks of character. You can find it everywhere, even at the Bangkok airport. But what exactly it is and who makes it is not an easy question to answer.

First Hilltribe wares are supposed to be what the Thai Hilltribe people wear and use. In truth, that's kind of the wishful thinking of a romantic. Hilltribe people may wear or use some of this stuff, but be assured, it's primarily made for the tourist trade. (I don't care because I still love it.) Who makes it? Much is made by Hilltribe people, but again much isn't.

One of our main seamstresses has many clients she makes "Hilltribe" fashions for. I see them in various stages of production when we visit her shop on business. She's not Hilltribe. And she's not alone. Much of the Hilltribe wares you see are made by regular Thai apparel/purse makers in the north. But who cares who makes it. More important is the question of what makes for good Hilltribe wares?
Quality Hilltribe fashions are made from old worn clothing. WHAT??? Yes, that's what you look for-old worn pieces of fabric and embroidery that have been quilted into Hilltribe wares. The older the better. That's the whole theory of Hilltribe stuff. The Hilltribe people take their old clothing and quilt together usable items. It's recycled fabric.

So you want to buy quality Hilltribe wares. Stay away from the new stuff. That way you stand a much better chance of getting wares that are actually made by Hilltribe people (no guarantees) and the wares will have that great Hilltribe character. (I've sold Hilltribe wares all over Southern California at street fairs and it flies off the shelves.)

If you buy directly from Hilltribe people, the prices are pretty reasonable. But they don't give the stuff away. You can find good Hilltribe markets in both Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. In Chiang Mai go to the garment district and search out the small Hilltribe market.
They don't bargain prices for the good stuff. Why should they-someone else will buy it soon enough. That's how I was when I sold the stuff at street fairs. No bargaining. If you don't buy it, someone else will very soon.

When you return from Thailand, you'll regret all the Hilltribe stuff you didn't buy. It makes for wonderful and inexpensive gifts. People just love the stuff.

A Wrap

Fabric safaris are an easy way to find Old Siam. Not only will you delve deep into Thai culture, but you'll also go back in time to an era of handcrafted artisan work. Be wide-eyed, inquisitive, and smile. The women of Thai fabrics are always happy to see you. And don't be surprised if the village children follow you from loom to loom.

(Next blog entry: 3/1/11. Thai Police)