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de Vanessa, 13-07-2007

Floating market-Damnoen Saduak

Images of wizened old ladies in traditional straw hats paddling along narrow canals in small wooden boats laden with fruits and flowers come to mind when I think of Thailand, probably because of the old poster in the Thai restaurant we used to go to in London.
This is an outdated view, and there is nothing authentic left of this old-fashioned floating market. It is in fact just a big floating souvenir store. We took a bus from Bangkok to Damnoen Saduak, and it dropped us off at the start of an overpriced canal cruise, where you are taken from store to store, whether you want to buy anything or not. They all sell the same stuff anyway. We had to eventually ask our 'driver' if we could stop and go for a stroll, so he dropped us off and buggered off. This is when we realised that everything was starting to close (12.00), so we sat down for a green fluorescent Fanta and decided to get the hell out. We took a local bus back to the bus station for 5 baht (to give you an idea of the over-inflated tourist prices, the canal cruise was 600 baht...). We were pretty unimpressed, but it's one of those things that you have to do. Or is it? On the bus back to Bangkok, a monk asked us what we thought of the floating market. He laughed at our unenthusiastic faces and called it a tourist trap!

Commentaires sur cet article
olivia
Hi there!
I went to a floating market in 1990... God I sound old. It was very touristy even then but I remember people living in the houses on stilts and selling fruit, veg, fish meat (not in the most hygienic fashion ) from the boats to Thais... It was very beautiful but you could see the way the whole of Thailand seemed to be going. Everything geared towards the mass tourism, with the aim of selling something you probably don't need...

marie
Hi there,

Reading your experience in Thailand reminded me of my time there. I was basically unimpressed and very disappointed by my all experience as it is all tourists orientated even though you try no to go on the beaten track you cannot escape it. Do you have to do it? Yes I guess so in a way it is an experience.
Can't wait to read the rest of your trip.
Have fun

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