Ko Kret
Island In The Chao Phraya Created By A Canal Cut In 1722; A Mon Pottery Community · Pak Kret, Nonthaburi
Ko Kret is a small island in the Chao Phraya river at Pak Kret in Nonthaburi, on the northern edge of greater Bangkok. It became an island in 1722, when a short canal was dug across a sharp bend in the river to shorten the route for boats, and the loop of land left behind has been home ever since to a community of Mon people, whose ancestors came from what is now Myanmar. The Mon brought a tradition of red-clay pottery, and the island is still known for its workshops, kilns and unglazed terracotta pots with fine carved patterns. There are no cars: a concrete path of a few kilometres rings the island past temples, orchards, stilt houses and pottery sheds, and on weekends it becomes a long, busy market of snacks, Mon desserts, drinks and ceramics. At the northern tip, beside Wat Poramai Yikawat, a white chedi leans towards the water and is the island's emblem. A ferry crosses from Pak Kret in a couple of minutes. Come on a weekend for the market, or on a weekday for quiet.
Ko Kret, Pak Kret, Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, 11120, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: Ko Kret is a living village, open at all times, with the cross-river ferry from Pak Kret running from early morning until early evening, roughly 5 or 6 am to about 8 or 9 pm, more often in the daytime; the weekend market along the ring path runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, roughly 9 or 10 am to about 5 pm, and most stalls, some cafes and some workshops are closed on weekdays. Temples open from early morning to about 5 or 6 pm. The traps that ruin a day are coming on a weekday for the market, arriving at the wrong riverbank without a ferry, being on the far side of the loop when the last ferry leaves, and visiting in the October to November high water when the island floods. Confirm current times before relying on them.