Bangkok and Beyond (Part 3): Railway Market, Floating Market, Night Market

- November 17, Monday.

- One of the most touristy things that I have never experienced in Bangkok was a visit to the big floating markets. I did visit a smaller one closer to Bangkok in 2016, but I wanted to experience the most cliche one: what else, but Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!

- Since the floating market is located outside Bangkok, in Ratchaburi Province, I decided to join another Klook tour. From Siam Paragon, the meeting place, our small tour group of three people went first to Samut Songkhram Province to visit the Maeklong Railway Market. The railway was built first in the early 1900s. When railway technology was introduced to Thailand, the Thais of that time had no idea what a train was. So when the government asked them to relocate, they refused. Hence, the train passes through the market until today. 

Train fast approaching.

It was so hard to take a photo because the shopkeeper (the one with the hat behind me) was in a hurry to set up shop. They often fold the awning (I think it's an awning?) when the train passes by, and immediately open it again afterwards. 

- Photographs can be taken with the train after it stops at the station. Our tour guide was quick to take photos of us as there were so many people.

Catching a ride!

I'm now noticing what one of my favorite poses is. HAHA.

Self-explanatory.

- Since it was too early to visit the floating market, part of the tour was to visit the Chang Puak Elephant Camp in neighboring Ratchaburi Province. Our guide assured us that this elephant camp was supported by the royalty and that the animals were in good condition. I rode the elephant thinking that it was going to walk around some kind of natural habitat. However, it was during this elephant ride that I had a more close-up view of how the elephants were really being treated. This place was anything but natural, and the elephants did not have a lot of space to roam around. Worse, in the feeding area, the elephants were chained too, and they did not look happy. Later on, I also saw other animals like monkeys dressed up in ridiculous clothes for paid photo opportunities (which I didn't avail anymore as I was too upset with the place). Well, at least I knew I didn't want to be there anymore nor did I want to go back, and this is also why as much as possible I'd like to do my own tours so I can avoid places like this since I always do my own research beforehand.  

A place I thought was nice huhu.

I wanted to feed the elephants.

Well OK, this is a nice photo.

A nice photo too, kind of.

See, it's a very limited space.

This elephant isn't chained but I did see other ones that were chained.

- Finally, the moment I long waited for - the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market!! I honestly was there just for the experience because I knew beforehand that the prices in this market are jacked up as it was mainly a place for tourists. The floating market, so called as many sellers are on stilt stalls or on boats, was established in the 1800s as a regular market to take advantage of the river. However, it was turned into a tourist market in the 1970s. Our tour guide also advised us not to buy food and eat on the boat, because if another boat passes by and splashes water at us, the food won't be clean anymore.

OK....it was a nice experience but it wasn't as picturesque as I've seen in magazines haha.

But at least I can finally say that I experienced the floating market!!

I think there are only certain places that are "picturesque" and it's really hard to get that awesome view of the market while on the boat. But we didn't have time to walk around since we were on tour.

It was a calming ride, I guess.

So many colorful boats!

 - After the tour, we had a really hearty lunch at Kwan Damnoen Restaurant to fill us up for a long drive back to Bangkok. We were dropped off at Iconsiam (closest to Charoen Nakhon BTS Station.) Iconsiam is known for many things: the 6th tallest tower in Thailand, a multifunction mall, its luxury brand stores, and for its very colorful marketplace. The marketplace was what I was interested in since I saw this in various photos and videos in the past. It partly brings the floating market culture indoors, with the marketplace separated into the four regions of Thailand. It is meant to showcase the food and crafts of all provinces of Thailand, to some extent at least. I didn't think I'd like it since it wasn't the "authentic" experience, but I'm always a sucker for colorful cultural bazaars.

The marketplace is called the Sook Siam Marketplace.

Ghosts of the Phi Ta Khon Festival, which comes from the province of Loei in Northeast Thailand (Isan Region).  

The "floating market".

Merry Christmas khrap!

Finally made it here, accidentally haha. (Iconsiam wasn't really part of the itinerary, it was really just supposed to be the drop off point of our tour.)

- That evening I visited Pratunam Night Market (closest to Siam BTS Station, and Ratchaprarop Airport Rail Link Station.) I bought a bunch of stuff before buying some dinner to go. The most interesting addition that I didn't think I would try would be sago worms. I always see them being eaten raw or cooked, and they didn't seem too intimidating since they weren't like the other insects with big legs or wings. The sago worm is the larva of the palm weevil, so it doesn't look like a "proper" bug yet. Anyway, it didn't taste like much since it was fried, so it just tasted like a crunchy crackling with a hint of coconut. I heard from people that if eaten raw, its insides are mostly watery and would taste like the rotten palm trees they eat and live in.

Indra Square, one of my favorite places to shop haha.

One of the stalls outside Platinum malls was dedicated to selling edible bugs.

I don't think I can eat a big scorpion (I did try small ones in the past, in China!)

My grubs.

See they don't look too scary to eat.

- I didn't realize until alter on that this was a day of markets (railway market, floating market - both real and simulated, night market) - and an unfortunate visit to the elephant camp. Regardless, this day opened my eyes to various aspects of the different realities of Thailand. And if I were to choose between riding another elephant or eating another grub....I'd rather visit the railway market again instead! 

** Check out my other adventures in Thailand and Laos here!

THAILAND:

Part 1: Wat Saket and Dog Cafe - here

Part 2: Kanchanaburi - here

Part 4: Phetchaburi and Hua Hin - here

Part 5: Wat Paknam, Capybara Cafe, B Story Cafe, Madame Tussauds - here

Part 6: Chulalongkorn University - here

LAOS:   

Part 1 (Vientiane): Patuxai, Buddha Park, and Vientiane's Temples - here

Part 2 (Vientiane): Pha That Luang, Lao Art Museum - here

Part 3 (Luang Prabang): Royal Palace, Phousi Hill, Night Market - here 

Part 4 (Luang Prabang): Kuang Si Waterfalls, Pak Ou caves - here 

Part 5 (Luang Prabang): Sai Bat, Wat Xieng Thong, and Other Temples - here

Part 6 (Luang Prabang / Bangkok): Sai Bat Again, Some Temples, Bangkok Jodd Fairs - here

"Thai" Will Always Love You (Part 2): Temples of Nakhon Pathom, and Markets of Bangkok

- July 20, 2024, Saturday.

- Bangkok's neighboring provinces are easy to access. Nakhon Pathom, to the east of Bangkok, may be accessible by metro or train, but it is best to hire a car to see its popular landmarks as transportation can be challenging the further out of the city one goes. I was fortunate enough to befriend the Grab taxi driver who drove me from the airport to my hotel when I arrived in Bangkok, and hired him to be my half-day driver for this day. I hired him for 2000 Baht for around 6 hours, which I think was fine after I checked rates online. Well, my Bangkok trip was also quite last minute since I really had so much on my plate these days and couldn't search for car hires more thoroughly. This was probably one of the risky things I did abroad, but I'm glad this particular driver was dependable.

- My first agenda for the morning was to visit Wat Sam Phran, fondly called the "Dragon Temple". I saw this temple in viral posts in social media, and never thought I would be able to visit it myself! It is notable for its main building, a pink cylindrical one with a giant dragon going around it. It opened in 1985. The temple grounds has interesting features, such as having a giant white elephant, a peacock leading to prayer halls. It also has a big golden Buddha.

Giant elephant. You can see the temple behind.

Giant peacock.

Photo of around 2/3 of the main temple, from the Golden Buddha area.

Golden Buddha.

It was a Buddhist holiday, so it was my first time to witness monks going around getting donations from people.

Nice kid.

- The main temple has 17 floors. The building itself is arranged in a spiral, and visitors can go up the spiral to reach the top floor. I took the elevator, a convenient choice that cost 10 Baht as donation to the temple. At the top, one can see a few more Buddhas the view of Nakhon Pathom (and Bangkok in the distance), as well as the dragon's giant colorful head.

This Buddha has seen things.

Giant dragon head.

Photo of the main building from the ground. The dragon honestly looks realistic.

- I went down the spiral just to see how long the walk was. I honestly think that because the spiral hallway in the building is compact, the climb up wouldn't be too difficult despite being 17 floors. Despite the temple being unusual, and has gained some attention online, it is not as visited by tourists. Some websites even say that it is easy to have the temple to oneself as locals usually visit the temples, and during special Buddhist occasions (which was when I went). Considering it was a crowded day because of the holiday, I was still able to get photos of myself without the crowd.

- Next, I hopped to Wat Pathom Chedi, completed in 1870. It is made in the Thai style with some Chinese influences. It is one of the tallest stupas in the world, and is one of the busiest in Nakon Pathom. It also has a small museum at the stupa grounds (no photos allowed), showing artefacts related to the temple. I also just found out that there was a bigger, more proper museum at the carpark, but wasn't able to visit because we were parked at the other side of the parking area. (I would have visited had I known!) This temple/stupa is easier to access by communing as it is close to the Nakhon Pathom train station.

It....really is very big!

Considering this was an extremely busy day, I was able to get a photo like this.

One of the main Buddha statues of the temple.

At the inner circle.

I realized how much I matched the stupa. I love it.

- I had some hours to spare and asked my driver for suggestions in case he knew of museums or other temples to see in Nakhon Pathom. He suggested that I visit Phutthamonthon Park, a 400-hectare Buddhist theme park that also acts as a temple. It is known for its towering Buddha, one of the world's tallest. The park was so big I only got to see the Buddha statue, and a marble temple at the back. It would have been nice to have more time to explore the whole place!

Giant Buddha.

It looks at lot bigger than the photo makes it seem.

The marble temple showing Buddha's life.

- The drive to Bangkok from Nakhon Pathom was around an hour, and with moderate traffic. I got off at my new hostel, Diff Hostel (click here). I love my new hostel because it is so close to Phaya Thai train station (one of the most convenient train stations for sightseeing and going to the airport). I'm so glad I took the private room (albeit slightly more expensive than a bed in a dorm room), because I just had so many things and I needed the perfect environment whenever I'd work with my laptop at night.

My room. It looks used because I was actually about to leave my room when I took this photo.

- Anyway, I took a mid-day shower from all my morning walking, and headed towards Chatujak Market (Mo Chi BTS Station / Chatujak Park Metro Station). Chatujak Market only opens on weekends. Besides the rows of stores, there is also a mall beside it for indoor (and airconditioned!) shopping. Not sure why but I wasn't really able to buy anything from one of the world's largest markets. I guess it was because I felt many stores sold the same things (elephant shirts and pants), or the usual tourist souvenirs (keychains, pens, candies). And for some reason, it was really hard to find a stall that sold traditional clothes (there was one, or maybe two, but had limited and expensive stocks. Phahurat or Sampeng Market would've been better for what I needed I guess.)

With the Chatujak clocktower.

- That evening, I visited Pratunam Market (Ratchaprarop, Chit Lom, or Siam BTS stations). It was a lot closer to my hostel (walkable, but a long walk.) Pratunam is memorable to me because I stayed in this area the first time I went to Thailand in 2011. It is also a nice place to do some shopping. I know that it should have a vibrant night market, but not sure why it was a bit quiet (but it had stalls). I did manage to get a few things though. From the market I walked towards Platinum Mall, the first of my daily trips to Platinum Mall. I had a nice seafood dinner there.

Pratunam night market. You also see the Baiyoke Tower, Bangkok's former tallest tower, and one of the tallest in Southeast Asia.

Saw this seafood stall outside Platinum.

Dinner....at least part of it. HAHA.

- Moving from Nakhon Pathom to Bangkok really made me feel the difference between the east and west of the Chao Phraya River. In Nakhon Pathom, west of the river, things were quiet and less overwhelming, while in the east, where Bangkok is, everything was just happening at the same time. Although I prefer Bangkok because I love having my senses stimulated, I was still happy to have seen some of the best that Nakhon Pathom has to offer!

- Check out my other adventures for this Thailand trip!

Part 1 (Phahurat and Mahidol University): here

Part 3 (Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Kudeejeen): here

Part 4 (Chinatown, Wat Saket, Giant Swing): here

Part 5 (Ancient City, Erawan Museum, Terminal 21): here