The Sgt. Maj. Thawee Folk Museum
This small campus of low-slung pavilions houses a private collection of antiques and oddities from the country’s rural life. Farming and trapping equipment (ever seen a rat guillotine?), household items, and old photographs of the city are lovingly displayed by the sergeant major, with descriptions in English. This museum is far more worthy of your time than the more official sounding Museum of Phitsanulok, which has virtually no English descriptions. Just across the road is the Buranathai Buddha Casting Foundry (admission free), where you can see the carving and casting of large Buddhas, most of which are copies of the Chinarat Buddha image from Wat Yai. The foundry is also operated by Maj. Thawee, as is the adjacent Thai Bird Garden (daily 8:30am–5pm; admission 50B), which contains examples of some of the country’s most colorful species, including a hornbill and a silver pheasant.
This small campus of low-slung pavilions houses a private collection of antiques and oddities from the country’s rural life. Farming and trapping equipment (ever seen a rat guillotine?), household items, and old photographs of the city are lovingly displayed by the sergeant major, with descriptions in English. This museum is far more worthy of your time than the more official sounding Museum of Phitsanulok, which has virtually no English descriptions. Just across the road is the Buranathai Buddha Casting Foundry (admission free), where you can see the carving and casting of large Buddhas, most of which are copies of the Chinarat Buddha image from Wat Yai. The foundry is also operated by Maj. Thawee, as is the adjacent Thai Bird Garden (daily 8:30am–5pm; admission 50B), which contains examples of some of the country’s most colorful species, including a hornbill and a silver pheasant.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
