Floating market in Bangkok

The highlight of my whole Thailand trip was the floating market. Even though it is quite commercialised, I love it. I won't mind going there again if I can. I nearly didn't make the trip. I asked around and the prices were quite expensive at 700 baht per person for the trip. I checked the internet and it was around 1,350 baht. I finally found a travel agent that charged me 500 baht.


The best duck noodle soup I had ever tasted and the most memorable food I ate was the mango rice. It was heavenly. The mango tastes like ice-cream and melts in your mouth.

The market was quite far away and various means of transport was used. First, a van will pick customers from the various hotels and send the whole group to the jetty where a long boat will send the group to the floating market. On the air-conditioned van, you will meet people of various nationalities. I met a young handsome Italian who speak very good English and he's a travel agent in Italy so he had been to lots and lots of places. He had even been to Kuching and visited the longhouses along the Rejang River and took pictures of the smoked heads hanging at the corridor of the Iban longhouses. There was a couple from Equador and another from Canada. I also spoke to a newly-wed couple from Malacca and they paid 700 baht each for the trip but they got the deal from another travel agent.

The longboat trip was interesting for me. River traffic was quite busy and luckily it was a sunny day and I loved the feel of the sun and the rocking movement of the boat while it cruised along the river and sometimes, I could even feel the splash of the water in my face. The long boat was powered by a motor that looked similar to a car motor.

Alighting from the long boat, you can see a lot of stalls selling souvenirs, bead works, wood craving items, T-shirts, lady blouses, skirts and dresses. Walk past this section and head for the river - that's where all the excitement is. A lot of activities is happening - you can see tourists boarding boat rides, tourists ordering food from the sampans, tourists bargaining/haggling over prices, etc. It is amazing. I don't know about you but I love watching these scenes.

I was so excited, I immediately ordered beef glass noodle soup and it tasted heavenly. My husband ordered duck noodles soup. Hmm... yum yum! Each bowl costed 40 baht. On a hot day, the fragrant coconut was extremely refreshing and costed 20 baht. Not too expensive considering it was a tourist area. However, exploring down the river, I discovered that there's actually more stalls and sampans down the river across a busy street and bridge. Haiya! This is the actual floating market where things are cheaper and food and produce are "from the villages". 1 bowl of soup at this part of the river only costs 20 baht and the seller looked more "real". I realised that the front part of the floating market is actually commercialised and this upper part of the river is the "natural" part. This is where I ordered mango rice and the mango is the best I have ever tasted. It is quite expensive though at 60 baht but the mango is very fresh and the transaction of getting the food and paying money was done through a basket on a stick. I ate mango rice again later on in the city costing 80 baht but the mango was not so fresh. I was on a tour so there wasn't really time to loiter around and watch the activities but the next time I'm going there, I'm going to spend more time "people watching".


Remember you must ask for the original floating market when you book your tour and it is called the "Damoen Saduak Floating Market".