I’m a life-long non-smoker, but found this display of water pipes to be quite interesting. My first glimpse of the display made me think it was a presentation of ceramics, which I guess it indirectly is, but these are all water pipes.
Water pipes (hookahs) are used to smoke tobacco (often flavored varieties) or marijuana. The tobacco is heated (usually with charcoal) in a bowl atop the device, with smoke drawn through water in a base before inhalation via a hose/mouthpiece. I am told the water pipe smoke is cooler and smoother (compared to dry pipes and cigarettes). Water pipe smoking is often a social activity — allowing for conversation – rather than just a quick hit.
Downsides include carbon monoxide exposure, toxins from the charcoal, and more time involved in setting up and cleaning the pipes.
These water pipes were a side exhibit at the House of Opium, a museum in the Golden Triangle region of northern Thailand
