Thailand. Floating markets

 Thai markets are another place that impresses with its uniqueness and colorfulness. After returning from the islands, we dedicated almost two full days to "exploring" the three most famous markets in the vicinity of Bangkok...

  The markets are located about 80 kilometers from Bangkok and are situated near each other, within 20 kilometers. We reached them from Bangkok by public transport from the Mo Chit minibus terminal. It was convenient to get there from Don Mueang Airport, where our low-cost Nok Air flight landed. We waited about half an hour for the minibus to depart, and after 1.5 hours, we arrived at our first market, Maeklong.

  The main feature of this market is its location along a railway track. The train passes through this track about three times a day, on schedule, which attracts a lot of attention from tourists. Everyone comes to watch the train pass by the market. The vendors skillfully clear the railway tracks of goods and fold up their awnings for the train to pass freely...

   

  And this is how the market looks the rest of the time...

  Towards evening, we took local transport to the Amphawa Floating Market, which is eight kilometers from Maeklong.  

 We booked a room in a guesthouse in a nearby village...

   The Amphawa Floating Market stands out for its colorfulness and location along the river. There are fewer tourists and more local Thais who come here to relax after a work week. Here, you can also take a boat ride on the Maeklong River for a very small fee and, in the evening, attend a "firefly show" on a boat. The market operates from Friday evening through the weekend. The evening time is the most interesting, with lanterns lighting up everywhere. Food is prepared and sold not only on land but also from boats.

  After leaving our belongings in the room, we went for a walk around the market...

 Tourist boats also cruise the river, and for a symbolic 60 baht (2 euros), you can see the surroundings of the village from the water. The river tour lasts just over an hour...

    

    

  When it got dark enough, we bought another boat ticket, but this time for the "firefly show" tour. We reached the densest areas of these wonderful insects by boat and spent thirty minutes moving from one plant location with fireflies to another. It is impossible to capture all the beauty of these natural special effects in a photo...

  After returning from the tour, we continued to stroll through the market streets. The evening market is even more magical...

  For dinner, we had seafood omelet snacks and shrimp...

  The next morning, we got up at sunrise and went to the market again, as this is when Buddhists from the surrounding temples come for alms, giving blessings to the vendors in return...

  The most impressive alms gathering is done by Buddhists in canoes...

  Morning coffee with condensed milk and buns from a professional Thai barista was another reward for our early rise...

 Around 11:00, we arrived at the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, which is 18 kilometers from Amphawa. Unlike Amphawa, this unusual market is a mecca for foreign tourists. Here, you can buy a boat ticket for 300 baht (10 euros) and then spend two hours floating along the crowded canal, buying treats from the water...

   Or you can simply walk along the canal, crossing bridges from one side to the other, and buy treats from land. Mango Sticky Rice (yellow mango with sticky sweet rice and a sweet coconut cream sauce) is one of those things you must try. Seeing how deliciously a Thai woman prepared this dish on a boat, we decided to taste it... 

  We also ate a lot of fruit...

  Many different dishes are prepared on boats, with a lot of fried food...

   Sometimes the prepared food is handed over to the shore using a pole with a hook...

 These are the boats for tourists...

 Interestingly, most of the frying or baking is done on charcoal, which is delivered from other boats... One boat had deliciously prepared chicken skewers served with sweet and sour sauce and salad...

  But the most photogenic boats were those with colorful fruits and vegetables...

  The Damnoen Saduak Market can truly be considered floating, as there are many floating "bistros" and trading "points." It's very colorful and photogenic, and despite the large number of tourists, it has its own atmosphere. Unlike the Amphawa market, this market is open every day and operates from morning to evening, but it lacks evening life... Therefore, the best option was to combine the evening beauty of Amphawa with the morning Damnoen...

   We spent two days at three different markets, each with its own spirit and atmosphere, and tried something new for ourselves. We returned to Bangkok by local bus, having found the bus station three kilometers from the market...