Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok
Fun fact: A James Bond film was shot here, thus making the 'floating market' synonymous with Bangkok. However, its 1 hour away from the city so its not exactly "in" Bangkok.
The phone rang, the time I set for the alarm to ring was at 5.30 am. On normal days I would snooze all the way till 10 am but today ain't like any other days. Bangkok has always been associated with the "floating market" as I wanted to head there as early as possible to catch it in the glorious morning light.
Bookings had already been made for the tour via the hotel last night. Since we paid quite a good deal of money already I do not want to miss the ride there! I will never be able to put down in words how hard it was for me to get my butt out of the bed at that time of the day. At certain day, that would be the time I go to sleep. Even 1 hour later, riding in the van I was still zombie-like.
I was told that the trip to the Damnoen Saduak would take 1 hour. But they did not tell me that the journey there would take 4 *********************** hours!!! We spend 3 hours zooming all around Bangkok town, fetching people and getting stuck in the famous Bangkok jam. We had to change vans 3 times at different checkpoints! By the time we reached there it was already 11 o'clock and the sun was high up in the sky.
The best part? We only had 1 hour. Because there were other stops that we had to make. Hence, I was not in my best mood when we got there. The photographs I took were a little off that day too. *sighs* I envisioned something different in mind, but did not get to execute it =(
The phone rang, the time I set for the alarm to ring was at 5.30 am. On normal days I would snooze all the way till 10 am but today ain't like any other days. Bangkok has always been associated with the "floating market" as I wanted to head there as early as possible to catch it in the glorious morning light.
Bookings had already been made for the tour via the hotel last night. Since we paid quite a good deal of money already I do not want to miss the ride there! I will never be able to put down in words how hard it was for me to get my butt out of the bed at that time of the day. At certain day, that would be the time I go to sleep. Even 1 hour later, riding in the van I was still zombie-like.
I was told that the trip to the Damnoen Saduak would take 1 hour. But they did not tell me that the journey there would take 4 *********************** hours!!! We spend 3 hours zooming all around Bangkok town, fetching people and getting stuck in the famous Bangkok jam. We had to change vans 3 times at different checkpoints! By the time we reached there it was already 11 o'clock and the sun was high up in the sky.
The best part? We only had 1 hour. Because there were other stops that we had to make. Hence, I was not in my best mood when we got there. The photographs I took were a little off that day too. *sighs* I envisioned something different in mind, but did not get to execute it =(
Despite the starting of this journey, my dad managed to cool my head down a little so I can actually enjoy the rest of the journey. The van stopped at a small jetty, and we took a boat ride to the floating market.
The floating market itself is very vibrant and full of life. I could hear the chitter and chatter of words in every corner. Boats were floating everywhere as shoppers and peddlers do their shopping and peddling. Sounds of people bargaining rose like sweet symphony in the air.
=_=" In other words: THE PLACE WAS JAM PACKED WITH TOURISTS
Everyone on the tour took the 1/2 hour ride along the canal (or khlong) where we can actually got to buy things on the river. I had fun taking the ride. Photography was a challenge as I'm seated in a fixed position and things go by pretty fast so you need to be quick on your feet (metaphorically speaking).
I find it humorous how you need to complete you transaction in such a short time =D There's a sort of traffic along the canal so most of the time if the canal is full you need to be constantly moving. So you need to order, get your stuff, pay, and get your change in 10 seconds.
There were these coconut in marshmallow crepes that I bought which tasted really good. The boat was almost out of reach when I reached out for my change.
Overall, it was a worthwhile experience. I wish I had more time to spend there! There is a food court which looked rather authentic but it was already time to go. 1 hour is way to short to spend at one place.
This was our first and last tour in Thailand. Dad and I cruised through Bangkok at our own pace in the next few days, and had such a great time. Stay tuned! This is just the morning of the second day.
The floating market itself is very vibrant and full of life. I could hear the chitter and chatter of words in every corner. Boats were floating everywhere as shoppers and peddlers do their shopping and peddling. Sounds of people bargaining rose like sweet symphony in the air.
=_=" In other words: THE PLACE WAS JAM PACKED WITH TOURISTS
Everyone on the tour took the 1/2 hour ride along the canal (or khlong) where we can actually got to buy things on the river. I had fun taking the ride. Photography was a challenge as I'm seated in a fixed position and things go by pretty fast so you need to be quick on your feet (metaphorically speaking).
I find it humorous how you need to complete you transaction in such a short time =D There's a sort of traffic along the canal so most of the time if the canal is full you need to be constantly moving. So you need to order, get your stuff, pay, and get your change in 10 seconds.
There were these coconut in marshmallow crepes that I bought which tasted really good. The boat was almost out of reach when I reached out for my change.
This was our first and last tour in Thailand. Dad and I cruised through Bangkok at our own pace in the next few days, and had such a great time. Stay tuned! This is just the morning of the second day.
