AMPHAWA, THAILAND
THE BEST LAND OF COCONUT
“Amphawa” is a district of Samut Songkhram, the smallest province in Thailand’s central region. Despite covering only 1,000 square kilometers of land, it is abundant in natural resources. Thanks to its low plain geography, with the Mae Klong River flowing through and a many small canals connecting to the Gulf of Thailand, the land is rich in minerals and sedimentary soil from rivers and the sea.
Amphawa is also known as “District of 3 Aquatic Ecosystems” because it has freshwater, brackish water, and seawater. The area is, therefore, perfect for agriculture and cultivation. One of its most famous crops is coconuts, which can be found so easily that people call it “Land of Coconuts”.
Having been with the Amphawa people for hundreds of years, the coconuts here are called “Aromatic Coconuts” due to their unique aroma and taste – sweet and tender -very much like young, fresh coconuts. Meanwhile, local wisdom states that the Amphawa coconuts help nourish body and the mind.
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Hello, everyone! My name is Chatchai. The story I am going to tell you is about the way of life in Amphawa, where many of my childhood memories were formed. When I was young, my father left me with grandmother in Amphawa and went to work in Bangkok. That is where I learned the connection between people and the rivers, the land and the coconuts that shape the way of life for people in Amphawa.
MY HERO
A-Po is what I called one of my uncles. When I was a kid, I usually saw him leave home in early morning with his equipment, which included a sharp knife tucked into the waist of his pants and a rope noose tied to his ankles.
To climb the coconut trees, he tied the noose to his ankles, grabbed the trunk with both hands, moved his feet and pushed himself up to the top. Then, he chopped off the coconut bunch with his knife so that they would fall to the ground. He and his coworkers could climb around 50-100 coconut trees a day. My uncle has been doing this job nonstop for over 40 years and continues to this day. I am very proud and highly respect him.
Amphawa
the Best Land of Coconut
The Land of The Aromatic Coconut
Amphawa is where the Mae Klong River flows, with a plenty of large and small canals. The actual origin of the Mae Klong River is in the abundant forests in the west of Thailand. Therefore, the river has brought sedimentary soil to the lowlands in Amphawa. The ebb and flood tides, as well as its geography linked to the Gulf of Thailand, has brought seawater and minerals in from the coast, creating three types of aquatic ecosystems in the area: freshwater, brackish water, and seawater.
Due to these factors, the soil in Amphawa is rich in minerals, without requiring chemical fertilizers. People believe that the minerals in Amphawa’s soil are the best and also the main factor in what makes their coconuts “Aromatic Coconuts”, with a unique taste and aroma. I am delighted that these traditional methods to grow coconut trees are still used today.
Time flies, things change, but the way of life Amphawa remains the same. This is the charm that makes their aromatic coconuts different from other places in the world, and that everyone should experience once in their lifetime.
