BANGKOK
AROUND BANGKOK
Túk-Túk
A ride on Thailand’s most emblematic three-
wheeled vehicle is an experience particularly
sought after by new arrivals, but it only takes a
few seconds to realise that most foreigners are
too tall to see anything beyond the low-slung
roof.
Túk-túk drivers also have a knack for smelling
crisp bills and can potentially take you and your
wallet far away from your desired destination.
In particular, beware of drivers who off er to take
you on a sightseeing tour for 10B or 20B – it’s a
touting scheme designed to pressure you into
purchasing overpriced goods. A short trip on a
túk-túk should cost at least 50B.AROUND BANGKOK
If you’re itching to get out of the capital
city, but don’t have a lot of time, consider a
day trip to one of the neighbouring towns
and provinces. On Bangkok’s doorstep are
all of Thailand’s provincial charms – you
don’t have to go far to fi nd ancient religious
monuments, fl oating markets, architectural
treasures and laid-back fi shing villages.Bangkok to Amphawa
The quaint canalside village of Amphawa in
Samut Songkhram is only 70km southwest
of Bangkok, but if you play your cards right,
you can reach the town via a multihour jour-
ney involving trains, boats and a short ride
in the back of a truck. Why? Because some-
times the journey is just as important as the
destination.
Your adventure begins when you take a
stab into Bangkok's Thonburi looking for
the Wong Wian Yai train station (Map p 56 ;
BTS Wong Wian Yai). Just north of the traffi c cir-
cle (Wong Wian Yai) is a fairly ordinary food
market that camoufl ages the unceremoni-
ous terminal of this commuter line, known
in English as the Mahachai Shortline. Hop
on one of the hourly trains (10B, one hour,
from 5.30am to 8.10pm) to Samut Sakhon
and you’re on your way.
Only 15 minutes after you leave the sta-
tion the city density yields to squatty villages
where you can peek into homes, temples
and shops, many of which are only arm’s
length from the tracks. Further on, palm
trees, small rice fi elds and marshes fi lled
with giant elephant ears and canna lilies
line the route, tamed only briefl y by little
whistle-stop stations. The backwater farmsevaporate quickly as you enter Samut Sa-
khon, also known as Mahachai, a bustling
port town several kilometres from the Gulf
of Thailand and the end of the fi rst rail
segment.
After working your way through what
must be one of the most hectic fresh mar-
kets in the country, you’ll come to a vast
harbour clogged with water hyacinth and
wooden fi shing boats. Before the 17th centu-
ry, the town was known as Tha Jiin (Chinese
Pier) because of the large number of Chinese
junks that called here.
Occupying the imposing ferry building,
the seafood Tarua Restaurant (no roman-
script sign; 859 Th Sethakit, Samut Sakhon; dishes
60-200B; hlunch & dinner) off ers views over
the harbour and an English-language menu.
Board the ferry to Ban Laem (3B to 5B).
Arriving on the opposite side, the Jao
Mae Kuan Im Shrine at Wat Chong Lom is
a 9m-high fountain in the shape of the Ma-
hayana Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. To get
here, take a motorcycle taxi (10B) from the
pier for the brief ride to Wat Chong Lom.
Conveniently located just beside the shrine
is Tha Chalong, a train station with depar-
tures for your next destination, Samut Song-
khram at 10.10am, 1.30pm and 4.40pm (10B,
one hour).
You’ll know when you’ve reached Samut
Songkhram, also known as Mae Klong,
when it looks like you’ve crashed into the
town’s wet market. In fact, the market is
held directly on the train tracks, and ven-
dors must frantically scoop up their wares
as the trains come through.
At the mouth of Mae Nam Mae Klong
river is the province’s most famous tourist
attraction: a bank of fossilised shells known
as Don Hoi Lot. The shell bank can really
only be seen during the dry season when the
river surface has receded to its lowest level
(typically April and May), but most visit for
the perennial seafood restaurants (open
lunch and dinner) that have been built at the
edge of Don Hoi Lot. To get there you can
hop into a sŏrng·tăa·ou in front of Somdet
Phra Phuttalertla Hospital at the intersec-
tion of Th Prasitpattana and Th Tamnimit;
the trip takes about 15 minutes (15B). Or, if
it’s afternoon and the water is high enough,
you can charter a boat from the Mae Klong
Market pier (tâh đà·làht mâa glorng), a sce-
nic round-trip journey of around 45 minutes
(1000B).