The Floating Market of Bangkok

90 minutes from Bangkok, the Damnoen Saduak floating market sits between the Mae Klong and Tha Chin rivers. According to the internet, in 1866, king Rama IV of Thailand ordered a series of canals to be built to connect the two rivers, from which additional side canals were dug. Along these canals, floating markets started to spring up, due to the ease of transportation afforded by the canals. According to my tour guide, when the communists took over China, a large number of Chinese fled China and moved to the area. They dug canals to facilitate their own transportation and commerce, which eventually turned into the floating markets that we see today. I expect the reality is somewhere between the two.

	When you think of a floating market, this is probably what you would expect to see. (photo stolen from the internet)
But, as with so many other tourist attractions in Thailand, this is what you see. Wall to wall tourists.

Of course, you can’t be too surprised by that, since there were more than 40 shuttle vans in the parking lot when we pulled up. I would wonder where the locals parked, but I assume they come in on boats…

	Once you get away from the hordes and get into the market itself, you can find plenty of souvenirs…
… jewelry….
	… spices…
… and hats.
	Of course, all of this shopping is going to make you hungry, so you can flag down a passing vendor and get meat on a stick….
… fruit…
	… and grilled bananas (which appeared to be quite popular). There was even a boat selling beer, but I couldn’t flag her down quickly enough.

For $20, you can jump on a shuttle van in Bangkok that will take you on a half day tour to the floating market, which includes a tour of the market in a boat as well as a tour of one of the canals. It’s an interesting glimpse of what life must have been like 50 years ago in that region.

Just try not to get hit in the head by a tourist with a selfie stick.