Cut to Sam Chuk in November 2005, and the town is an entirely different entity. Street traders line its roads,
plying wares typical to the region such as dried fish and kiap bau, a sweet, flat bread. Cars with Bangkok plates
There is a grainy picture of two old codgers playing draughts in the market-side coffee shop; a yellowing
Electrolux fridge occupies a corner. A solid teak staircase leads to the museum’s second tiled floor, filled with
glass cases bearing old urns gleaned from the houses of the local residents. Opposite the market is a stall,
staffed by the town’s enthusiastic committee members with booklets and postcards about the local history and
restoration projects.