After seeing the oddity that was the Maeklong Railway Market, the next stop on our tour was Amphawa Floating market. I had been to the more popular Damnoen Saduak floating market back in 2010 but I heard that Amphawa was the floating market that more Thais visit.
It’s also a lot bigger.
After we got out of our tour van, we were told by the guide that we could roam freely for up to an hour or so. We would then meet back to go for a boat ride to see fireflies.
At first glance it didn’t appear as too touristy as Damnoen SaduakBut you realize soon enough that there is no shortage of cafes, eateries and stores largely catering to tourists. There’s a good number of Thai visitors too.You also had shopping centres like this one which sold knick-knacks, souvenirs…… and games like ‘dunk tank a girl’We could pay extra to have a boat take us around the river. I don’t remember how much it was cost per person but it wasn’t too high.The boat cruises along very slowly through these canals
All the shops have step ladders by the water. I’m guessing the shops get their supplies by boat.Had to the click the second the girl turned her head towards the chicken
There are houses on either side of the riverFrom simple looking houses……to some nice looking…… to some really amazing houses!We were now on Mae Klong riverMae Klong River flows out into the Gulf of ThailandIf at all you needed ice cream in the middle of the riverI could see some large temples alongside the riverIncluding this one… which I do not know the name ofAfter 15mins or so we were back at the marketBack on land, we walked around some more. The many food vendors selling from their boats.It was mostly all char grilled sea foodAmphawa is just as crowded but I didn’t see as many Western tourists as I did at Damnoen Saduak
Tried best to avoid the crowds
If you wish to stay so close to Amphawa, here are two resort optionsLots of food to snack on at AmphawaHad an egg tartI wonder what this place is like during monsoon seasonCreative use of used strawsHad some grilled clams and squidWe re-grouped and waited for our turn to go for the firefly sightingWhen it was time, we were divided into two boats and cruised along Amphawa market at sunsetTook this on my phone as I wasn’t getting any steady shots on my DSLR
As for the fireflies, well, we were slowly cruising along a canal which has trees with fireflies in them. Not as many as you would think. Just a handful in each tree, not even a hundred. It was nothing special. I tried capturing some photos.
But as I wasn’t carrying my tripod, this is how my shots turned outHalf an hour later, we were back at the market
We returned to our tour vans and headed back to Bangkok. This was a long tour, even though we only visited two places, it used up the entire day. By the time we arrived back in Bangkok, it was well past 8PM. Still, this combination of the Maeklong Train market and Amphawa Floating market is one I highly recommend if you are looking for some unique day tours from Bangkok.
