The Pottery Villages
Koh Kret island is foremost famous for its unique Mon pottery heritage, the island inhabited long ago by Mon refugees after fleeing their homelands in Burma. Settling in Koh Kret the Mon refugees started trade in terracotta-ware jugs and bowls and while very few continue tradition in present day, you can still see clay pot spinning at exhibits shown to visitors (although I fail myself to find them myself, maybe closed on weekdays). In parts the island feels like a primary school excursion which has been forgotten about with all the educational stuffs, museums, exhibits and whatnot scattered around. However the pottery villages are no doubt worth the visit on any day as they’re not so much exhibits, as they are homes. Traditional teak homes continue to house the old unused kilns and throughout the island terracotta wares are found almost everywhere, even the river banks in parts are completely strewn with broken pieces of terracotta-ware.