Floating Market Day

A van met us at our hotel door at 7:00 am and we traveled about 1.5 hours to Damnoen Saduak, the fabled floating market. It didn’t look like the scenes in the movies of my childhood memories but it was an amazing day just the same. We boarded a long boat with a couple from Sri Lanka, now residing in Australia. He was the first person to ask about Trump and American politics. Everyone else has skirted the issue. But back to the canals…….The waterways were lined with platforms where people were selling their wears. Additionally, there were boats selling trinkets, gifts, food and drinks. George quietly mentioned, “Hey, look at that robot.” We were immediately pulled dockside and we bargained with the shop owner until we bought a robot that we didn’t really need. Asa, our 6-year old grandson will love it! I was most fascinated by the food boats. How does one float on the water, start a fire in the boat, maneuver the boat, cook, and do business with customers all while staying afloat? There was, of course, a huge market place where we disembarked and, once again, we found a few bargains too good to pass up.

The train market, well, we are still trying to figure out. We were herded into a very crowded area with a train track. We waited, huddled together, for a slow passenger train to pass. Then, we walked along the track taking a look at the street vendors who had set up shop there. We never understood the advantage of setting up shop on the tracks. I thought the passengers could make purchases as they passed by, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

We spent the afternoon nearer home. We found a laundry service meaning a lady who washed, dried and folded our laundry! It only cost about 100 Bahts and we’ll have clean everything! We ended the day with another wonderful foot massage and some delicious Thai food.

The next day we stayed closer to town and traveled through the center of town on the large Chao Phraya River. It’s a real working river with its share of tourists, too. We boarded a longer long boat to see the sites. I’m proud to report that we didn’t make a single purchase but we enjoyed listening to our co-travelers bargain with the vendors for food/drink purchases.

We opted for another Thai massage. This was the best yet! Back feels great and I feel like I’ve had an hour of yoga! Ok, so let’s do the math! That’s 5 massages, albeit different types, since landing in Thailand.

Aquatini, a restaurant back down on the waterfront, was our dinner choice. The river was a bustling place at night and we might choose an evening ride there upon my return.

The morning brings a departure, after 10 days, from Thailand and a move to Laos. See you then!