As The Elephant Story buys a lot of fabrics, crafts, wooden items, clothing and paper products that are brought in from villages outside of Bangkok to the Jatujak Market, we thought we would give you a feel for the market.
It has 8,000 stalls over five miles of pathways that must qualify it as one of the largest outdoor markets in the world. As only a very small number of shops have air conditioning, the hot season represents a special challenge. We thought a visual tour of some of our favorite places and people would be the best way to present it.
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Siam Cement of Thailand exports massive amounts of cement in bags to Cambodia as the country rebuilds itself following the devastating years of Khmer Rouge suppression. Each bag has an elephant image on it representing the iconic historic symbol of Thailand.
In Cambodia, these discarded cement bags are crafted into tote, duffle, and cosmetic bags as well as coin purses by Cambodian craftsmen. The Elephant Story purchases them and returns the proceeds to elephant conservation. The irony of it is most of the elephants being helped came to Thailand from Cambodia to escape the war there.
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