Give department stores a rest and drive your mum down to Suphan Buri for a visit to century-old marketplaces.

Forget about spending Mother's Day in the nearest shopping mall. Instead, spend the day in style by driving her to Suphan Buri, where along the Tha Chin River you can share tidbits of hot gossip with local vendors, have fun bargaining and taste all sorts of delicacies for free.

Kao Hong Market
Nestled along the Tha Chin River in Bang Pla Ma district, this 100-year-old market was named after the "Kao Hong" mansion built in the 1930s. According to legend, a young Chinese merchant, Hong, fell in love and married a local girl. Life, however, dealt a cruel hand when his floating store was robbed and his wife murdered. Unable to live on the river after losing his wife, Hong moved to terra firma and built the Kao Hong marketplace. Standing as the centrepiece is a medium-sized market building covered with corrugated iron. Overlooking the market at the eastern corner is a high watchtower, used by guards in the old days to keep an eye on intruders. Over time, the riverside community swelled with the arrival of Chinese families travelling upstream from Bangkok, and two more markets were built. But Kao Hong was always the original and best. "Kao Hong Market was famous for the latest fashions. Even those who lived in the city had to come here to check out the trends," says a soft-drink vendor in his fifties.

What's there now?
The arrival of the highway to Bangkok put an end to the bustling hive that was the Kao Hong market; the last boat sailed down the Tha Chin River 40 years ago. The sleepy riverside neighbourhood now enjoys peace and quiet, with old Chinese ladies petting lazy cats and sharing gossip with neighbours. However, the traditional architecture at Khao Hong is still remarkable. The "upper" market, for example, has two rows of 100-year-old two-storey wooden shophouses facing each other across a narrow path beneath the high canopy. Authentically antique, the market has had a starring role in films such as "Mea Bia", "See Ui" and "Lord Lai Manggorn". While many old marketplaces have been swamped by the latest wave of heritage tourism, Khao Hong remains as it was a century ago. Laundry still hangs outside on clotheslines made of bamboo sticks, and shops still make "Chan Ab" - a typical Chinese cake. You could take a walk to the bridge and admire the sea of red, corrugated roofs against the blue sky, or cross the river to see the original "Kao Hong" mansion. The house is often closed, but you might be allowed to take a picture if you ask the keeper nicely. Recently, the community has been trying to revive Kao Hong by putting together a museum and offering a selection of authentic food over the weekend.

Si Prachan Market
Midway between Suphan Buri and Sam Chuk districts, there's another 100-year-old market - the Si Prachan. The Chinese community expanded along the eastern bank of the Tha Chin River, where shops selling agricultural tools and medicines stand side by side with tailors and eateries. "In the olden days, the market was buzzing with travellers and merchants, since it's on the way to the town of Suphan Buri," says a museum guide. "It was famous for fish - both dried and fresh."

What's there now?
Si Prachan Market has hopped onto the heritage tourism bandwagon. Every weekend, local merchants gather at the old marketplace and beckon visitors for a lip-smacking adventure, offering traditional treats like khao kriab wow (rice crisps), khao hor bai bua (rice wrapped in lotus leaf) and thong muan (rolled wafer). As well as the culinary adventure, you can also visit the local museum or take a boat across the river and visit the Wat Ban Krang - a temple dating back to the Ayutthaya Period.

Sam Chuk Market
Perched on the western bank of Tha Chin River, Sam Chuk derives its name from "Kra Chu" - a rice container made of bamboo. Like many riverside markets in Suphan Buri, Sam Chuk's was founded by Chinese merchants. In his "Passage to Suphan", famous poet Sunthorn Phu described Sam Chuk's quayside as a "wild place where ships loaded with cotton jostled for space". Tribes who lived nearby often came with ox-carts full of jungle products like wild honey and berries. The Chinese, who in those days weren't permitted to work in government offices, made a living by trading with the locals. After loading their ships with rice and agricultural products, they would sail downstream past the town of Suphan Buri to Kao Hong Market, and then on to Bangkok, where the cargo would be unloaded for sale. The riverside Chinese community mushroomed around 80 years ago, with wooden shophouses, blacksmiths, hotels, coffee shops and restaurants springing up everywhere. Many of these are still around.

What's there now?
The marketplace celebrated its 100th birthday last year. Though the old marketplace has been built up to attract tourists, it still hangs on to its old-world charm, offering traditional fare like steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaf, old-style Hokkien coffee and egg noodles - you name it, they have it. Apart from food, the market should also delight culture and architecture buffs with its antique shophouses and beautiful carved wood. Try Khun Chamnong, a shop turned local museum with a collection of knickknacks dating back to the good old days. Plus there's Sil Thammachart - a studio where you can step back in time by dressing in old-fashioned garb and having your photo taken.