Damnoen Saduak The floating market

Row row row your boat.
Gently down the stream.
Merrily merrily merrily.
Life is but a dream.

The largest floating market >>> Damnoen Saduak.
Well, I'm gonna share with you about the cutest market which I've never seen.
Let's rolling on the river. 

Canals are everywhere. Big, small, colorful and all wooden.  CROWDED scene.

The seat. Heading to the market. 

Thumbs up for the speed boat, I love wind! YEAHOO! Freezing cold air in the morning!

We stop at this coconut sugar farm before the market. I guess this farm is purposely set up for tourism.

We are requested to spend 20 mins here. But nothing we have bought. =p

 The hot coconut sugar is left to cool down.
Someone is there to explain the whole process of coconut sugar production. Free drinks are provided.

She is shaping the coconut sugar. I've tried it.

Conclusion : SUPER DUPERB SWEET.

If consume this everyday, I guess I will get diabetes mellitus (severe type). Haha.

Stepping on the bamboo wooden bridge. Leaving here and officially heading to the market.

Another scene along the ride. Two old women are boating. I think it is an easy job for them.

Because they still can smile and "sawadeeka" to us (No tired faces) when we pass by.

So, we capture each other. Haha. I don't even know them. But they are friendly.

 Foreigners will become friends easily. I guess.

Now, we enter the real market. See the boats. Some use engines to work. Boatmen are waiting for travelers.

Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream.

Everyone works for living. 

WAIT A MIN! Do you believe that I meet Jacky Chan? Haha.

YESSSSS!!! I DID!

 Here you are! My Gosh. Aren't they look SIMILAR??? I mean from certain angle. Haha.

He is the business man here. Kind of humorous and super friendly.

He told me that he purposely get the same hair cut like Jacky Chan to attract our attention. Haha. 

A close up portrait to convince you!!! Jacky Chan!!!

A smiling good old woman. She is selling coconut.

20 Thai Baht for each. We buy two from her.

Coconut is still the best choice for me at Bangkok. Fresh flesh and quench the thirst. *Big loves*

The nerdy with her messy hair. Sucking the fresh coconut juice non stop. Bahaha! NICE weyyy =p

Spotted. Mango sticky rice!

Close up. 

The mangoes are sweet and really nice to eat. I strongly recommend this as a MUST TRY food here. =p

Awwww. The little handsome is coming from the opposite side.

SO CUTEEE!

The standing still rainbow beach umbrellas make the whole scene so colorful and warm.

Then, we leave here. The ride is just about 1 hour.
Kind of disappointed when we asked the boatman to stop for us as we wanna take a picha from the bridge.
He rejected. I guess its because we bought the ticket from tour company so its not included in the package.
*Grey face*

My personal thoughts after the ride :

Something shocked me when we had the boat ride along the floating market, I found that old people are the one who carrying out the business. A lot of aging people I can see. I think maybe poverty is still a big issue over there. I hope there will be a constant income from bunch of tourists who are willing to spend money to sustain their living.

The whole floating market doesn't leave me a really good impression as the whole market is so FAKE for tourism. Souvenirs are placed on shelves everywhere but things are repeated and slightly PRICEY.  It's so obvious that their target are the travelers. I wonder if one day there are no more tourists flowing in, how do their daily lives carry on? 

However, the merit of the ride is I really enjoy watching the locals, the culture, the endless conversation which I don't understand and the unique side of Bangkok.

The river is greenish dirty but still smell fresh when the wind blows through. 

Overall, it's still an enjoyable morning.

Hope you enjoy reading. =)

Location : West side of Ratchaburi Province

Business hour : The best flourish time is 6am-9am. The market starts floating from 5am-11am.

Tickets : Since we bought ticket from the tour company in our hotel, so I'm not sure about the exact price. 300-450 Thai Baht is needed. =p

How to get there : The market is a few km away from the main city, I think car will be the best choice. Try to bargain with your driver to drop you in Damnoen Saduak pier instead of private pier or you will be charged a lot. We hired a driver to have half day trip so we don't know the exact price for a boat hiring.