BANGKOK
AROUND BANGKOK
resort just off the canal, or Baan Ku Pu (% 0
3472 5920; Th Rim Khlong; d 1000B; a), a collec-
tion of wooden bungalows.
Amphawa has basic restaurants and a
simple night market open each evening. If
you’re in town on a weekend, get your eats at
the fun Amphawa Floating Market (đà·làht
nám am·pá·wah; dishes 20-40B; h4-9pm Fri-Sun),where pàt tai and other noodle dishes are
served directly from boats.8 Getting There & Away
See p 152 for an enjoyable itinerary for getting
to Amphawa. You can return the same way;
however, it’s much more convenient to hop on
one of the frequent minivans that depart from
Samut Songkhram’s market (and on weekends,FLOATING MARKETS (ตลาดน้ํา)
The photographs of Thailand’s fl oating markets – wooden canoes laden with multicol-
oured fruits and vegetables, paddled by women wearing indigo-hued clothes and wide-
brimmed straw hats – have become an iconic and alluring image for the kingdom. The
markets are also a sentimental piece of history. In the past 20 years, Thailand has mod-
ernised, replacing canals with roads, and boats with motorcycles and cars. The fl oating
markets, which were once lively trading posts for produce farmers and local housewives,
have mostly crawled ashore.
The most heavily promoted fl oating market is Damnoen Saduak (Map p 153 ; h7am-
4pm Sat & Sun), 104km southwest of Bangkok and north of Samut Songkhram on the
road to Nakhon Pathom. Though little more than a souvenir market catering to tour-
ists, it is one of the most accessible markets from Bangkok and is ideal for those who
haven’t yet fi lled their suitcases with touristy gifts. Air-conditioned buses 78 and 996 go
direct from the Southern bus terminal in Thonburi (off Map p 56 ) to Damnoen Saduak
(80B, two hours, every 20 minutes from 6am to 9pm). Most buses will drop tourists off
directly at the piers that line Th Sukhaphiban 1, which is the land route to the fl oating
market area. The going rate for boat hire is about 300B per person per hour. A yellow
sŏrng·tăa·ou (pick-up truck, also spelt săwngthăew; 5B) does a frequent loop between
the fl oating market and the bus stop in town.
A closer descendant of the original fl oating markets, Taling Chan (Map p 56 ; h7am-
4pm Sat & Sun), west of Bangkok, off ers less of a sales pitch than Damnoen Saduak. On
the access road to Khlong Bangkok Noi, Taling Chan looks like any other fresh-food mar-
ket busy with produce vendors from nearby farms. But the twist emerges at the canal
where several fl oating docks serve as informal dining rooms, and the kitchens are canoes
tethered to the docks. Many local Thai families come to feast on grilled shrimp and noo-
dles, all produced aboard a bobbing boat. Taling Chan is in Thonburi and can be reached
from any bus stop along Bangkok’s Th Ratchadamnoen Klang in Banglamphu, via air-con
bus 79 (16B, 25 minutes). Long-tail boats from any large Bangkok pier can also be hired
for a trip to Taling Chan and the nearby Khlong Chak Phra.
Not technically a swimmer, Don Wai Market (Map p 153 ; Talat Don Wai; h6am-6pm)
claims a riverbank location in Nakhon Pathom Province, having originally started out in
the early 20th century as a fl oating market for pomelo and jackfruit growers and traders.
Like many tourist attractions geared towards Thais, the main draw here is food, such as
fruit, traditional sweets and Ъèt pálóh (fi ve-spice stewed duck), which can be consumed
onboard large boats that cruise the Nakhon Chaisi River (60B, one hour). The easiest
way to reach Don Wai Market is to take a minibus (45B, 35 minutes) from beside Central
Pinklao (Map p 56 ) in Thonburi.
The Amphawa Floating Market (ตลาดนําอ้มพวาั ; đalat nám ampáwah; Map p 153 ; h4-
9pm Fri-Sun), about 7km northwest of Samut Songkhram, is a popular weekend destina-
tion for Bangkok residents. There are other fl oating markets nearby that meet in the
mornings on particular lunar days, including Tha Kha Floating Market (Map p 153 ;
h7am-noon weekends on 2nd, 7th & 12th day of waxing & waning moons). Tha Kha convenes
along an open, breezy klorng lined with greenery and old wooden houses. Call Am-
phawa’s Tourism Authority of Thailand office (%0 3475 2847) for specifi c dates.