Damnoen Saduak Floating Market

Two hours south of Bangkok is the bustling floating market of Damnoen Saduak. Visitors can't wait to get on a small boat to shop along a narrow and short stretch of the khlong (canal) where boats jostle for position and vendors display their offerings to eager buyers.

The most attractive offerings are the fresh fruit, steaming bowls of soup and local delicacies. I watched from the platform as soup was prepared by a vendor in his paddle boat. His sign reads: boiled rice soup, noodle soup, pasta soup at 30 baht per bowl. It was fascinating to watch the steam rising from the pot as he prepared the soup. It smelled so good and I became hungry watching him cook.

This lady is making sticky rice in a rainbow of colors. Mango sticky rice is a dessert staple in Thailand as is the rice black pudding.

This boat is laden with bananas, macopa (mountain apple), guava and young coconut trees, among others.

Leather goods are a hard sell when customers are busy eating.

Stop the boat! These folks need hats.

To get to the floating market, we cruised the khlong in the so called James Bond long-tail boat which was prominently featured in the film, The Man with the Golden Gun. Our boat operator cruised the khlong with a speed to match that of Bond and only slowed down when we had to turn a corner. I have to admit that this boat is a low rider and once seated, it's pretty challenging to get up from the wooden bench that's only a few inches above the floor.

We ate here at the public market (above the floating market) where the food was good and cheap. We ordered a rice dish, a rice noodle plate, mango sticky rice and two colas for a total of 200 baht or $6.29 (February 2019 exchange rate). It was one of the best meals I had in Thailand.

How to get to Damnoen Saduak:
It's best to take a tour to the floating market as it is quite a distance from Bangkok. There's enough time to ride a boat through the floating market and shop at the public market for souvenirs. We stopped at the coconut plantation along the way and it was a pleasant and welcome break. Select a tour that caters to smaller groups to get personalized attention. Ask the concierge at your hotel for the best local tours.

Where to stay in Bangkok:
Holiday Inn Silom
981 Silom

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

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