Damnoen Saduak, the classic
In this article we are going to tell you about the country of ancient temples, of cities that live at a thousand miles per hour, of street food stalls and of the landscapes governed by eternal rice fields.
Although it is also the destination of the jungle, dream islands, endless beaches, wildlife and a culture in which life takes place, literally, on the street.
Exactly: we come to talk to you about ** Thailand **, that destination so longed for by all travelers who long to live an absolute immersion of Asian essence.
And we are going to do it by focusing on another of its important claims: floating markets. Because let's not fool ourselves: all of us, when we travel to the "land of smiles", include a visit to one of them in our itinerary. We have proposed to go through the most special ones, do you sign up?
A boat ride through the Thai floating markets
DAMNOEN SADUAK, THE GREAT CLASSIC
It is about two hours by road from Bangkok –although only 80 kilometers separate it from the capital– and it is the most famous of all the floating markets in the country.
For this reason, Damnoen Saduak has long since ceased to be a meeting place between Thais with the aim of trading, to become an authentic tourist attraction open every day of the week.
And yet, we confess that it is worth it. especially if you get up early –very, very much– and you plant yourself in it around 7 in the morning, when the tourist buses have not yet made an appearance and, nevertheless, life in the market has already started: It is then when you can feel that authentic essence that we are all looking for.
Damnoen Saduak, 80 kilometers from Bangkok
Trade with a boatman to travel the canals is a must and the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how good the art of haggling is.
In addition to visiting the heart of the floating market, you can also have breakfast – why not? – any of local gastronomic proposals prepared live without leaving your boat, buy some other piece of crafts or souvenir, contemplate the explosion of color that they give boats full of tropical fruits or witness how the monks collect the day's donations , from boat to boat, while rowing in their own wooden canoe.
You cannot leave Thailand without visiting Damnoen Saduak
AMPHAWA, ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR
It does not take the first place among the most famous in Thailand, but it does take the second: the floating market of Amphawa daily receives thousands of tourists eager for authentic experiences with local people. The problem, as in the case of Damnoen Saduak, is that so many foreign visitors have somehow destroyed the authenticity of the experience.
Even so, if you want to be part of the hustle and bustle of this type of market, you will find it here. Among street food stalls, boats plying the canals in all directions and merchants announcing the prices of their products , it will be easy to feel like one more.
Yes indeed, The most special moment of the day comes at sunset: the fireflies make an appearance and offer an authentic light show on the canals that is well worth the wait to contemplate. Hiring a boat trip is more than recommended.
And about the hours? In this case the market opens only from Friday to Sunday , with hours from 14 to 20 hours.
The boat ride in Amphawa is essential
KHLONG LAT MAYOM, AMONG THE MOST AUTHENTIC
It is true that this small floating market is much more developed on the surface than in the canals themselves, but, although you will find fewer boats trading on the water, you will ensure power contemplate their activity –almost– in absolute solitude: Few are the tourists who decide on this enclave, and that is Much closer to Bangkok than the rest. Just 35 minutes.
Khlong Lat Mayom, one of the most authentic markets in Thailand
The ideal in this case is that you take advantage of its strong point and give yourself a good gastronomic tribute as God intended. Because here you come to eat. Yes, as you read it: the local recipes that are prepared in its many street stalls are an absolute delight and paradise for lovers of thai.
And the best of all: at very, very cheap prices. If you want to finish off the experience you can also hire an hour and a half boat ride for about two euros per person. An excursion that, in addition, will reveal many details about how life goes by in the communities that live by the water.
Khlong Lat Mayom, 35 minutes from Bangkok
KWANGCHOW: YOU'LL BE IN LOVE
If there is something special about this market – one of our favourites, we admit it – it is the spectacular landscape that surrounds it. Anchored in the middle of nature and next to an impressive waterfall, the floating market of Kwangchow, in the district of Nong Ya Plong –Phetchaburi– It is pure fantasy.
Travelers must pay an entrance fee of 20 baths to be able to access and contemplate how life goes on in this iconic space in which farmers from neighboring villages and towns have the opportunity to sell their produce.
Most of the genre is based on fruits and vegetables, although there are also many local recipes that are very successful among locals, such as homok, a curry cooked and served in a banana leaf.
The market opens only from Friday to Sunday and during holidays.
TALING CHAN, IN THE HEART OF BANGKOK
It's time for another of those little surprises that the capital itself has in store: located in one of the 50 districts into which Bangkok is divided, that of Taling Chan , and opposite a bustling office area, this little floating market oozes authenticity.
The fresh produce grown in nearby orchards is neatly displayed on the barges that navigate the canals creating authentic multicolored still lifes that cry out to be photographed. There are also fish and food stalls.
Here you come to buy and sell. Well, and to contemplate the spectacle: There are canoes that transport tourists so they can enjoy the typical scenes from the water.
The best of all? The possibility of extending the visit to learn how life goes on on both banks of the river, visit an orchid garden or stop at some of the neighboring temples.
Taling Chang, in the heart of the Thai capital
KHLONG SAM, MUCH MORE THAN A MARKET
If there's one thing floating market vendors have in common, it's their uncanny ability to do multiple things at once: the same thing they propel the boat with the oar that they shout the product to the four winds, they show you the genre, they peel you and prepare a curious fruit for you to try, they are alert to maintain that strange orderly chaos that reigns in the canals and, in addition they smile at you
Of course, all this is understood a little better when you find out that there is a centuries-old tradition of life around the river, which is precisely what happens in Khlong Sam.
The ancestors of its inhabitants already sailed and lived in houses on both banks of the river, knowing how to make the most of the conditions.
A community full of experiences that has managed to preserve its traditions and now also has your own floating market: an initiative that they see as the perfect opportunity to spread their story beyond their borders. And all thanks to the tourists who visit them.
Khlong Sam, a most authentic immersion
FOUR REGIONS FLOATING MARKET, IN PATTAYA
This time you will have to travel to Pattaya, a city located on the coast facing the Gulf of Siam –130 kilometers southeast of Bangkok–, to visit the Four Regions.
And here the name sums it all up: in its more than 100,000 square meters of floating market and 114 shops on the surface –in addition to all the boats/businesses that swarm through the canals–, you can find products arrived from the four main regions of the country.
And in them, a bit of everything: crafts, souvenirs and lots and lots of food –At this point, I'm sure you won't be surprised!–. You can even attend the occasional cultural show.
The best way to find out is, of course, by hiring one of the people who offer to take you for a ride through the canals in their boat. This is the only way to understand how it works and how it is organized. this attractive aquatic underworld that is also surrounded by beautiful wooden buildings, Inspired by typical Thai architecture.
The colorful fruits are piled on the barges as they dance from one side of the canals to the other in search of customers. The smells emanating from the canoes in which, Tasty pad thai or noodles are made on improvised stoves, It will make you want to try everything.
Of course: everything in an attractive and somewhat artificial space, much more orderly than usual: the Four Regions is basically focused on tourism.
a perfect corner to escape from the typical chaos of Pattaya no need to go far.
The Four Regions, with products from the four main regions of the country