Retro Nakhon Pathom

After lunch alongside a river at a 100 year-old market, it was time to explore a different side of Nakhon Pathom Province. We had already spent the morning exploring palaces and temples, now it was time to travel to the more recent past.

a 100 year-old market

First, we visited the Jesada Technik Car Museum, which holds a fantastic collection of amazing old vehicles.

cool old cars at the Jesada Museum

The cars still run, and recently participated in a parade around the Grand Palace in Bangkok to honor the late king. Many of the cars at the museum are experimental or prototype vehicles. Some had only one seat, others had two seats and two steering wheels, each facing a different direction.

tiny one and two-person micro cars

Other cars were more common but none the less exciting to see like this DeLorean!

a DeLorean

My favorite cars on display were the tiny ones. The smaller, the better! These little roadsters looked super cool and fun to drive. The ones in the back have bodies made of leather!

cool little sports cars

After the car museum, it was nearly time to head back to Bangkok. Before driving back into the city, Noi took us to a coffee shop located at a retro village.

at the vintage coffee shop

The village is a sort of living museum designed to look like a local Thai town sometime in the 1950s-70s.

the retro village

Each of the shops were decorated with a collection of real vintage goods from this time period. The village is meant to show people what life would have been like in a small rural town in Thailand back then.

cool shops modeled to look like they came from the 50s through 70s

It's a popular place for people to take photos, and I found it fascinating to imagine life in the Thai countryside back in the past. In a lot of ways, Thailand hasn't changed all that much.

a mockup of a retro Thai village

Oh, and the coffee was good too! After walking around in the heat all morning, I was starting to drag. By the time we got to the retro village, I was feeling really sleepy. My iced mocha was much appreciated!

retro gas station